With LegalZoomC-Corporation How to Form a

Forming a C-corporationcan seem overwhelming at first.

has its own process for registering a new corporation

Each state

has its own process for registering a new corporation

Each state

There are laws to which you must adhere, forms to fill out, fees to pay, bylaws to create and records to keep year-round.

Automates the process of registering a C-corporation with your state and provides add-on services to help you manage the administrative tasks that go along with running a corporation.

Legal Zoom

Automates the process of registering a C-corporation with your state and provides add-on services to help you manage the administrative tasks that go along with running a corporation.

Legal Zoom

Automating what could otherwise end up being a very tedious process.

Of course, some business owners opt

instead to spend thousands of dollars on a business

attorney who can provide a higher level of service.

But, for bootstrapped

businesses, this option is not always be

feasible.

How the Incorporation

Process Works

takes about The entire application process

LegalZoom. 15 minutes with

Information You Will Need

to Register Your Corporation

The Incorporation Questionnaire is relatively straight forward.

Other questions will require some thought

and planning.

But in general, be prepared to provide the following information.

The name of your corporation As long as there is not another company registered with the state that is operating under the same name,

you have the freedom to select any name you choose for your corporation.

The name of your corporation As long as there is not another company registered with the state that is operating under the same name,

you have the freedom to select any name you choose for your corporation.

For more see our guide on choosing a business name here.

The name of your corporation As long as there is not another company registered with the state that is operating under the same name,

you have the freedom to select any name you choose for your corporation.

For more see our guide on choosing a business name here. Click here

The Trade NameIs the name your customers and suppliers will know your business by that clearly describes your specific business.

The Trade NameIs the name your customers and suppliers will know your business by that clearly describes your specific business.

The legal name may be Acme Industrial of Dover, Incorporated but people will know your corporation by Dover Metalworking Tools

The Type of business you are runningSome states require you to specifically list what type of business you will be involved in.

Agriculture

Utilities

Financial

Services

Real Estate

Manufacturing

Transportation

The Address of your corporationThis doesn’t necessarily have to be a commercial address. You can use your home address, but many states forbid you from using a PO Box.

The number of shares of stock being offeredIf you are planning to keep running your business yourself, the number of shares you issue is of little consequence.

The number of shares of stock being offeredStartups and companies with a greater likelihood of seeking investment capital, will generally authorize at least 1,000,000 shares of stock during the incorporation process.As a general rule, the more shareholders you plan to have in your business, the more shares you want to have.

The price of stock

The minimum sell price of each share is called the par value. The par value is usually a very small dollar amount like

For more on setting par value for a new corporation go here.

$.001

The month and dayOf the end of your corporation’s fiscal year

For seasonal business, you can get permission from the IRS to switch your fiscal year by filling out Form 1128.

Most businesses align their fiscal year with their calendar year to make the last day of the tax year

Your state requires you to have a registered agent on file. The registered agent is the person the state sends the official paperwork with regard to your business.

The name and addressOf your registered agent

For more on how to choose a registered agent go here.

Your C-corporation will need to document important business-related tax decisions and resolutions. Each state has a method by which your corporation should conduct board meetings and how the issues, decisions and results of those meetings should be documented.

How will you documentImportant business decisions

Very often for small businesses, these individuals are one in the same.

The name of directorsstockholders and key personnel

Very often for small businesses, these individuals are one in the same.

The name of directorsstockholders and key personnel

It only takes one person to dream up a corporation, so if you’re currently an individual owner, you are the director, stockholder and key manager.

That is perfectly fine.

The number of employees you haveWhether you have 50 employees or 0 employees, keep track and record that number in the Incorporation Questionnaire.

LegalZoom’s three-tier pricing

The filing fee can be anywhere from $25 to upward of a few hundred dollars, depending on the filing requirements in your state.

offers a three-tiered pricing plan for providing incorporation services. These are one-time fees:

• Economy Package is $99 + state fees • Standard Package is $239 + state fees • Express Gold Package is $369 + state fees

For each LegalZoom package, the core services are the same.

The premium packages include add-ons like official corporate seals, stock certificates, business forms and two-day delivery of final package.

Keep in mind that these ad ons are optional and not required for new corporations. For this reason we recommend going with the Economy package. You can see a full overview of each package here.

Keep in mind that these ad ons are optional and not required for new corporations. For this reason we recommend going with the Economy package. You can see a full overview of each package here.

Click here

secure a Tax Identification Number for your corporation with the IRS once the state corporation documents have been filed.

You can also do this yourself for free here.

You can have

The Registered Agent service is an additional $159 per year.

on file as your corporation’s Registered Agent so that future correspondence from the State can be received and answered by LegalZoom automatically instead of coming to you.

You can also keep

ConclusionA C-corporation is designed to distinguish you from your business tax-wise. This type of corporation is a legal entity with rights and responsibilities of its own and it is taxed separately from its owners.

Forming a corporation will protect the investment you make into your business without forcing you to risk your personal assets.

Forming a corporation will protect the investment you make into your business without forcing you to risk your personal assets. Click Here to Start Forming Your Corporation With LegalZom Today

Forming a corporation will protect the investment you make into your business without forcing you to risk your personal assets. Click Here to Start Forming Your Corporation With LegalZom Today

Click here

And Finally...

the process of To learn how to

running your businesssimplify

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