Previously, customers would have to go to the Division's public room in Boston, identify the information they needed, pull the film of the filing, put into the microfiche reader, make copies and pay for those copies. Each year, Massachusetts based corporations are required to file annual reports with the division. This means that at the end of the year, over one hundred thousand businesses must either mail in or personally deliver the paper forms to the Division's office in Boston. The Corporations Division recently launched a new system that allows businesses to file their annual reports on-line. The form is very user friendly and will bounce back to the customer if any information is incorrect.
Users can also go on-line to make changes to the form when necessary.
Both web applications are based on the premise of creating a more efficient operation that make it easier to do business with government, while resulting in cost savings to the customer and the Division. The on-line filing acts exactly like a paper filing but with a number of distinct advantages. For example, there is no need to mail or hand deliver forms, delivery is faster, the electronic form validation process makes errors less likely, the forms are easier to complete and the electronic filing provides verification of delivery. The net result of these new applications is a more efficient, consumer friendly operation and much less paper. New on-line filing makes doing business with the Commonwealth easier.