If each business files its own paperwork, two businesses can share one address under the rules we read. We checked filing rules in four states, the federal tax ID application (Form SS-4), Google's Business Profile rules and the bank customer identification rule. None says no, but each asks something else.
The question comes up when a founder forms a second limited liability company (LLC), when two partners run separate companies from one office, or when two brands want their own map listing. The worry is the same each time. Will some rule reject the second filing because the first company already uses the address?
On October 30, 2026, we read the LLC formation sections for Delaware, Texas, Florida and California, and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) instructions for Form SS-4. Form SS-4 is the application for an Employer Identification Number (EIN), the federal tax ID. The same day, we read two Google Business Profile help pages and the bank customer identification rule in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), at 31 CFR 1020.220. We sell virtual mailboxes, and the section before the FAQ covers how our plans treat a second company.
What five rules ask about a shared address
The table lists the five places where a second business at the same address could meet a rule. For each one, we note what the text asks for, whether any line bars a second business, and what actually changes when a second business arrives.
| Surface | What the text asks for | A line that bars a second business at the address | What changes with a second business |
|---|---|---|---|
| State LLC filings in the four states we read | The registered office and registered agent, plus a principal office or mailing address in three of the four | None in the seven sections we read. The phrase "same address" appears once, about a Texas registered agent's own office | Each company files its own certificate or articles under its own name |
| IRS Form SS-4 | A mailing address, a street address if different, and the county and state of the principal business, all for "the entity" | None in the instructions. The only cap is "one per responsible party, per day" | Each entity files its own Form SS-4 under its own name and responsible party |
| Google Business Profile | A "precise, accurate address" where the business operates, with permanent signage | None. Profiles at one address are allowed for "Distinct businesses with different names and clearly visible differences in signage" | A different name and visible signage for each business, and each must be eligible on its own |
| United States Postal Service (USPS) Form 1583 for a mailbox | One business block on each form | No number of businesses per box in the postal texts our mailbox post read | A second form for the second business, and on our plans a second Virtual Business Address |
| Bank account under 31 CFR 1020.220 | For a company, "a principal place of business, local office, or other physical location" | None in the section. The rule lists what to collect from "each customer" | Each company gives its own name, its own address and its own taxpayer identification number |
Do state LLC filings stop two companies from using one address?
No line in the sections we read does. We looked at the formation statutes for four of the states where our nine US cities sit: Delaware, Texas, Florida and California. Each statute lists what a certificate of formation or articles of organization must contain. None of those lists asks whether another company already uses the address.
Delaware asks for the least. Under section 18-201(a) of title 6 of the Delaware Code, the certificate of formation must set forth "The name of the limited liability company" and "The address of the registered office and the name and address of the registered agent for service of process required to be maintained by § 18-104 of this title", plus "Any other matters the members determine to include therein." No line asks for a principal office at all. Section 18-104(a)(1) adds that the registered office "may but need not be a place of its business in the State of Delaware".
Texas asks for more slots, and still sets no count. Section 3.005(a) of the Business Organizations Code requires "the name of the filing entity being formed", "the street address of the initial registered office of the filing entity and the name of the initial registered agent of the filing entity at the office", and "the initial mailing address of the filing entity". The one Texas rule that reads like a ban is about the kind of address. Section 5.201(c) says the registered office:
"(1) must be located at a street address where process may be personally served on the entity's registered agent;"
"(2) is not required to be a place of business of the filing entity or foreign filing entity; and"
"(3) may not be solely a mailbox service or a telephone answering service."
So Texas regulates what a registered office is, a street address where papers can be served, and in the two chapters we read it sets no count of entities per address. The phrase "same address" appears once in chapter 5, in section 5.201(b)(3), which requires the registered agent to "maintain a business office at the same address as the entity's registered office." That line is about the agent's own office. Later in the same chapter, section 5.203(d) says a registered agent "may file a statement under this section that applies to more than one entity." In our reading, the code assumes one agent's address will serve many companies.
Florida and California both ask for a principal office. Florida Statutes section 605.0201(2)(b) requires "The street and mailing addresses of the company's principal office." California Corporations Code section 17702.01(b)(3) requires "The street address of the initial principal office and the mailing address of the limited liability company if different from the street address of the initial principal office." California adds, in section 17701.13(a)(1), that the company must maintain "An office, which need not be a place of its activity in this state." Neither statute asks whether a second company lists the same office.
Inside the seven sections themselves, "same address" appears once, in the Texas agent line above, and "more than one" and "another entity" appear zero times. We also counted across the full chapters and subchapters that hold those sections: Delaware subchapters I and II of chapter 18, Texas chapters 3 and 5, and the single-section pages for Florida and California. Across that text, "more than one" appears four times. Three are in Texas chapter 3 about classes or series of shares or ownership interests, and one is in the agent statement line in section 5.203. "Another entity" appears six times, all in Delaware: five in section 18-216 on conversion to "another entity or business form", and one in section 18-213 on transfer or continuance. Not one of those lines limits how many companies may list one address.
We didn't read New York, Wyoming or the District of Columbia, and we didn't read county or city licensing rules. So the finding is about seven sections in four states and the chapters around them, and nothing wider.
Does the IRS limit how many EINs one address can have?
The Form SS-4 instructions don't. The instructions, revised December 2025, have three address lines, and each one is written for "the entity" filling out that one form.
Lines 4a and 4b are the mailing address. For those lines the instructions say: "Enter the mailing address for the entity's correspondence." A later sentence adds: "Generally, this address will be used on all tax returns." Lines 5a and 5b are the street address: "Provide the entity's physical address only if different from its mailing address shown on lines 4a–4b. Don't enter a P.O. box number here." Line 6 is the county and state, and the instruction is one sentence: "Enter the entity's primary physical location."
We searched the full instructions for the phrases people worry about. The words "another entity" appear zero times, and so do "one address" and "multiple entities". Our one hit for "same address" is about a different form: "If the entity is filing Form SS-4 only to obtain an EIN for Form 8832, use the same address where you would like to have the acceptance or nonacceptance letter sent." The Form 8832 sentence is about one entity's two forms, and it has nothing to do with a second business.
The only numeric limit on EIN issuance in the instructions is about speed. The text says: "To ensure fair and equitable treatment for all taxpayers, EIN issuances are limited to one per responsible party, per day." The same paragraph says the limit "is applicable to all requests for EINs whether online, telephone, fax, or mail." A limit per responsible party per day isn't a limit per address. The other "more than one" in the instructions is a warning to "Use only one method for each entity so you don't receive more than one EIN for an entity."
Two companies at one address are two entities, so each files its own Form SS-4 under its own name and responsible party. If the same person is the responsible party for both companies, the per-day cap means the second EIN comes on a different day.
Can two businesses share one address on Google Business Profile?
Google allows it under conditions, and the clearest statement of the conditions sits on a help page about duplicates. The main page, "Guidelines for representing your business on Google", never uses the phrase "same address". We counted: in about 31,000 characters of text, "same address" appears zero times, "co-located" appears three times, and "same location" appears twice.
The guidelines touch shared locations in several places. Two general ones come first. The categories section says: "The following types of co-located businesses should each have their own profile. If you need to use both categories for the same business location, create two profiles instead. Be sure to use a different name for the second business." The chains and brands section has a heading, "Two or more brands at the same location", and under it: "If the brands operate independently, you may use a separate profile for each brand at this location."
The clearest answer is on the page "Resolve duplicate profiles & ownership issues". Under the heading "If there's 2 or more eligible businesses at the same address", Google says:
"If there are multiple businesses at the same address, they can each have their own Business Profiles if they're:"
"Distinct businesses with different names and clearly visible differences in signage."
"Eligible for Google Business Profiles."
The same page adds: "This includes locations with multiple brands, rebranded businesses, departments within other businesses, or individual practitioners at a shared location."
Two things are missing from that test, and both come up in forum answers. The test doesn't mention categories, so two businesses with different categories at one address still need different names and visible signage. The test doesn't mention websites or phone numbers either. Signage is what Google asks for on appeal: "If both businesses serve customers at the same location, you'll be asked to provide evidence of permanent signage that clearly shows both businesses."
Delivery-only food brands have their own line: "Multiple virtual brands operating out of one location are permitted, but are subject to additional verification steps."
One gate comes before the sharing test. The guidelines say a rented mailing address that the business doesn't operate from isn't eligible for a profile, and in our reading that covers a virtual mailbox address like ours. That rule, and the option to hide a home address on a service-area profile, are covered in can I use my home address as my business address.
What a bank collects from each business at one address
The bank rule is a list of what to collect, and the list is written per customer. The customer identification program rule for banks, 31 CFR 1020.220(a)(2)(i)(A), says "the bank must obtain, at a minimum, the following information from the customer prior to opening an account:" and then lists four items: "Name", a date of birth for an individual, an address, and an identification number.
The address item splits individuals from companies. An individual gives "a residential or business street address". A company, which the rule calls "a person other than an individual (such as a corporation, partnership, or trust)", gives "a principal place of business, local office, or other physical location". The identification number for "a U.S. person" is "a taxpayer identification number".
We read the whole section, about 19,700 characters, and the phrase "same address" appears zero times. The word "share" appears zero times too. The rule doesn't say a bank may turn away a second company at an address it already has on file, and it doesn't say the bank must accept one. The rule sets a minimum. What a bank does beyond that minimum is its own policy, which isn't public, so we don't predict what any bank will do. Which address counts as a principal place of business is in our principal place of business guide.
What changes for mail, a trade name and the public record
People often ask three nearby questions along with this one, and each has its own answer.
The first is the mailbox, which has its own form. Each USPS Form 1583 has one business block, so a second company fills out a second form, and on our plans a second company takes its own Virtual Business Address. The postal texts behind that, and the rules on people per box, are in how many people can use one virtual mailbox.
The second is a trade name filed as a DBA, "doing business as", also called a fictitious business name. The only statute line we found that uses "same address" about two businesses is California Business and Professions Code section 17913(b)(1), and it's a rule about listing several names on one form: "Only those businesses operated at the same address and under the same ownership may be listed on one fictitious business name statement." Two trade names at one address under one owner can go on one statement. A different owner, or a different address, means a second statement. How that form reads line by line is in Los Angeles DBA and business tax address.
The third is the public record. Which address goes in which line of a state filing, and what the public sees once it's filed, is a question about lines rather than sharing. Our state by state walk through those lines is in which filing lines a virtual address can fill for an LLC. That post also covers the principal office line, which changes from state to state.
How Auteur handles a second company at one address
We sell virtual mailboxes, so this is the seller's view. Auteur is in pre-launch, and your exact street address is assigned the day your city opens. Our address is a mail address. Our plan description says it "is not a registered agent service, and it does not register your business with the state."
A second company doesn't join the first company's plan. Our fair use policy says: "If you run a second company, it gets its own plan, which keeps each company's mail, allowance, and records separate." Each Virtual Business Address covers "One business or trade name plus up to 6 individual recipient names". So two companies means two plans, with separate mail and separate records.
The Virtual Business Address receives mail in a business or trade name. Choose it for each company whose mail arrives in an LLC, corporation or DBA name. The Virtual Mailing Address is for personal mail, in individual names only.
Both plans photograph the envelope of every piece, and we open and scan only when you ask, for one flat fee per piece. Henry, our AI assistant, explains each letter you ask us to open. USPS Form 1583 is required before any provider can receive mail for you. Pricing comes by email with the next steps, and our fees and limits are in our fair use policy.
If your second company needs its own mail address, get your Virtual Business Address. Ordering is free, there's no card, and nothing is charged today. For mail in your own name only, the Virtual Mailing Address is the plan to choose.
FAQ
Can two LLCs use the same address?
In the sections we read from the four states, no line bars it. Each LLC files its own certificate or articles under its own name, and the forms ask for the registered office, the agent and, in three of the four states, a principal office or mailing address. Texas adds a rule about the kind of address: the registered office "may not be solely a mailbox service or a telephone answering service."
How many LLCs can you have at one address?
The seven sections we read set no number. Across the full chapters and subchapters that hold them, the phrase "more than one" appears four times, and none of those four is about an address. We didn't read other states or local licensing rules, so check your own state's formation statute and your city's rules before you rely on that silence.
Can two businesses share the same address on Google Business Profile?
Yes, if both are "Distinct businesses with different names and clearly visible differences in signage" and both are "Eligible for Google Business Profiles." The test doesn't mention categories. A rented mailing address that the business doesn't operate from isn't eligible, so in our reading a virtual mailbox address doesn't qualify for either business.
Does the IRS object when two EINs share one mailing address?
The Form SS-4 instructions we read don't ask. Each address line is written for "the entity" on that form, and the only cap is "one per responsible party, per day." If the same person is the responsible party for both companies, the second EIN comes on a different day.
This post explains what the state codes, the IRS instructions, Google's help pages and the federal bank rule say as we read them. The post isn't legal advice.
Bottom line
Two businesses can share one address under the rules we read, as long as each files its own paperwork. In seven LLC formation sections across four states, "same address" appears once, about a registered agent's own office. The Form SS-4 instructions cap EINs at "one per responsible party, per day" and set no limit per address. Google allows separate profiles at one address for distinct businesses with different names and visible signage. The bank rule lists what to collect from "each customer". What changes with a second business is the paperwork: a second filing, a second Form SS-4, a second profile, a second Form 1583, and on our plans a second Virtual Business Address.
