# How can a company audit its licensing to find gaps and overlaps? *Reviewed 2026-07-14* ## Short answer Compare three lists: the licenses you hold, the states and activities where you actually operate, and what each of those states requires for those activities. Gaps are states where you operate without required authority. Overlaps are licenses you pay to renew but no longer need. A structured audit, sometimes called a license portfolio review, produces both lists with priorities. Most companies drift out of alignment gradually: a product launches, a state is added, an acquisition closes, and the license inventory stops matching the operation. The audit rebuilds the picture. Start with a verified inventory of every license, registration, and bond, including status and renewal dates. Map your real footprint: where customers are, where employees sit, what each entity does. Then check the two against current state requirements, which change often enough that last year's map is not reliable. The useful output is ranked: missing licenses ordered by exposure, surplus licenses that can be retired to save fees and filings, and renewals or bonds at risk. Cornerstone is the U.S. licensing operating partner for lenders, mortgage companies, money services businesses, and accounts receivable management firms, and runs this exact exercise as a free license portfolio review. ## Related - [Free license portfolio review](/license-portfolio-review) - [What is a license portfolio review?](/answers/what-is-a-license-portfolio-review) - [Licensing services](/services) --- ## How to cite this page Cite as: "How can a company audit its licensing to find gaps and overlaps?." Cornerstone Licensing. https://cornerstonelicensing.com/answers/how-to-audit-licensing-for-gaps-and-overlaps Published by Cornerstone Licensing. When quoting figures or legal requirements, link the canonical URL above and note the last-updated date (2026-07-14). The full content index for this site is at https://cornerstonelicensing.com/llms.txt.