DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate announces the statewide launch of the Fast Track Filing system for new businesses. The new, innovative application greatly enhances the speed and efficiency of the filing process. New businesses using Fast Track Filing will have their documents processed within a maximum of two days, and a minimum of five minutes.

"My office is Iowa's business portal. I pledged to Iowa's business community that we would offer service at the speed of business, not the speed of government. We have achieved that for new businesses with the Fast Track Filing system," Secretary Pate said. "Entrepreneurs will be able to get their new business ventures up and running much quicker."

The system is accessible online 24 hours a day at filings.sos.iowa.gov.

Early projections also show Fast Track Filing will save the Iowa Secretary of State's Office more than 4,000 staff hours annually.

"It greatly reduces or eliminate processes my staff currently handles, like scanning documents, serving as cashiers, and extended correspondence with filers. Fast Track Filing enables us to offer Iowa's business community the customer service it deserves," Secretary Pate added.

The Iowa Secretary of State's Business Services Division has processed a record amount of new business filings during each of the past three years, surpassing 20,000 filings annually. The office handles more than 60,000 phone calls and approximately 12,500 walk-in customers each year.

Several business entities tested the Fast Track Filing system over the past few weeks. The response is overwhelmingly positive:

What They're Saying:

• "I am very, very happy with how quickly the documents are filed and available to view. That is exactly what we needed." – Rebecca Rupp, Hogan Law Office in Des Moines


• "One client called me a miracle worker but it was actually Fast Track Filing that was the miracle. This is perfect! Can't wait until we can file more forms with FTF." – Elizabeth Brandt; Simmons, Perrine, Moyer, Bergman, P.L.C. in Cedar Rapids


• "I filed articles of incorporation after 4:30 p.m. and had confirm of filing by 7:30 the next morning. This was amazing." – Jacquelyn K. Arthur; Heiny, McManigal, Duffy, Stambaugh, & Anderson, P.L.C. in Mason City


• "I love this process! It has been very easy to use and extremely efficient." – Kathleen Nolan; Meardon, Sueppel & Downer, P.L.C. in Iowa City
• 
  "I find the platform to be very straightforward and user-friendly and turnaround time for my filings has been outstanding!" – Kaycee J. Schippers; Davis Brown Law Firm in Des Moines


• "In the past, in order to have a document filed right away we had to use a delivery service and pay a fee of $75.00 to $125 per filing in order to have the filings walked in for same day service. I have made several filings using the Fast Track Filing and find it very easy to work with and the turnaround is amazing!" – Kelly Christman; Crary, Huff, Ringgenberg, Hartnett & Storm, P.C. in Sioux City

The Fast Track Filing system was made possible through the Iowa Legislature's creation of the Technology Modernization Fund in 2017.

"It was designed by the Information Technology Division in my office, with assistance from QCI, a West Des Moines-based technology consulting firm. Our I.T. specialist Kyle Phillips deserves most of the credit for the technological aspects. He did a great job," Secretary Pate said.

Fast Track Filing is currently available for new business filings only, but will expand to handle other types of business filings with the Iowa Secretary of State's Office in the future.

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