Who requires it
West Virginia Tax Commissioner
License & permit · West Virginia
West Virginia Collection Agency Bond
No person may operate a collection agency in West Virginia without a business franchise registration certificate—treated as the collection-agency license—and a West Virginia office. Section 47-16-4 also requires each applicant to file a $5,000 surety bond for every principal office and every branch office. The bond must be issued by a company licensed to write surety in West Virginia, run with the registration tax period, and be approved by the Tax Commissioner before the license may issue.
Common bond amount
$5,000 per office
Separate $5,000 continuing surety for each principal and branch office (§ 47-16-4).
How you file
File with the Tax Commissioner; stays in force with the registration tax period
Renewal
Runs with registration tax period; replace before any termination
Who requires it
Persons, firms, corporations, or associations conducting a collection agency in West Virginia, including each principal and branch office that must hold its own license and bond.
How much is required
Section 47-16-4 fixes five thousand dollars per office. There is no volume ladder. Multi-office operators post a separate bond for each location.
How to get and file it
Obtain or renew the business franchise registration certificate, maintain a West Virginia office, and have an authorized surety issue a continuing $5,000 bond for each office in the exact legal name on the registration. File each bond with the Tax Commissioner for approval before operating that office. Keep each office bond continuous with the registration tax period. The license of any licensee becomes void when the surety terminates unless a replacement bond is already on file. If a surety company’s authority to transact business in West Virginia ends, affected bonds are suspended and the commissioner notifies licensees to replace coverage.
Cost note
Five thousand dollars per office is the required bond amount, not the premium you pay. See bond amount vs premium. Bond amount vs premium →
Requirement checklist
- Required amount per office
- $5,000
- West Virginia office
- Must maintain an office in the State
- License basis
- Business franchise registration certificate serves as the collection-agency license
Official sources
Related resources
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a separate bond for each West Virginia branch?
Yes. Section 47-16-4 requires a separate $5,000 bond for each collection agency, including each principal office and all branch offices.
What happens if my surety cancels the bond?
The license becomes void upon termination of the bond unless a new bond is already filed with the Tax Commissioner before that termination.
Related West Virginia bond guides
Credit Services Organization Bond
$15,000
West Virginia credit services organizations that charge or receive money before finishing every service promised to a buyer must obtain a fifteen-thousand-dollar surety bond or establish a fifteen-thousand-dollar surety account. Section 46A-6C-4 requires a copy of the bond—or notice of the depository, trustee, and account number—to be filed with the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State’s CSO registration materials mirror that rule: any early deposit, including advances for third-party fees, triggers the continuous fifteen-thousand-dollar security, while a firm that accepts no payment before completing services may register without the bond or surety account.
Mortgage Broker / Lender Bond
$50,000–$250,000
West Virginia residential mortgage lenders and brokers license under article 17 of chapter 31 and must file electronic surety bonds through NMLS in favor of the State for consumers and for commissioner claims on unpaid civil administrative penalties or examination invoices. Section 31-17-4 sizes lender faces at one hundred thousand, one hundred fifty thousand, or two hundred fifty thousand dollars by West Virginia annual loan originations, except that lender licensees who service West Virginia mortgage loans file a two-hundred-thousand-dollar bond. Broker faces step from fifty thousand to one hundred thousand dollars by West Virginia originations, and a broker must post one hundred fifty thousand dollars before participating in a table-funded residential mortgage loan.
Money Transmitter Bond
$100,000 / $300,000–$1,000,000
Licensees under West Virginia’s checks, money-order, money-transmission, currency-transportation, and currency-exchange article must post a surety bond acceptable to the Commissioner of Financial Institutions. Section 32A-2-10 sets one hundred thousand dollars for licensees that issue or sell checks or money orders or that engage in currency exchange, and three hundred thousand dollars for licensees that receive money for transmission by wire, facsimile, or electronic transfer or that engage in currency transportation. A licensee that engages in multiple covered activities posts the higher amount. At renewal the bond increases by one percent of annual West Virginia volume above ten million dollars, rounded to the nearest thousand, but never above one million dollars. Cash deposits and pledges of cash-equivalent instruments are not accepted instead of the surety bond.
Surety basics (not repeated here)
Universal surety concepts explained once—linked here instead of repeated on every state or bond page.
Continue with a West Virginia application
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Last verified 2026-08-11. This guide is based on verified educational content and official sources.
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