Incorporating

How to Maintain Your Business

Once you form an LLC or incorporate your business, you should ask if your business is running legitimately.

This section covers the components necessary to grow, protect and provide for a business—and to keep a business legally viable.

For example:

• Does the company need to make changes? An Article of Amendment may be needed.
• Has the company issued stock yet? This is a requirement of a corporation.
• Who will file the Annual Report? A requirement in most states.
• Will you have employees? You may need a Federal EIN number.
• Is the business ending? A dissolution may be needed.
• And much more...

We offer many of the services you may need in the initial application process for incorporation. You'll have an opportunity to bundle some of these services with your order (at additional savings!).

Read on for services we provide to continue to protect and maintain your business or review the " Post Formations " section of our website.

Annual Reports & Statements of Information

Most states require that Corporations submit information about business activities and changes to principals or addresses.

In most states, this informational filing is referred to as an "Annual Report" or "Statement of Information."

Get more details about Annual Reports & Statements of Information .

Corporate Stock Certificates

Corporations represent their shares of ownership through stock certificates.

It is also a requirement of doing business as a corporation—and you must act like a corporation at all times to qualify for the legal protections offered by corporate status.

Get more details about Corporate Stock Certificates .

Foreign Qualifications

When you incorporate, one of the four things you must do is determine what state to incorporate in. This question is on the application.

If you wish to do business in another state, you may need to Foreign Qualify if you are not incorporated there.

Please note that many states will tax a corporation that exists in their state, even if it is not doing business there.

Get more details about Foreign Qualifications .

Corporate Resolutions

Corporate Resolutions maintained in proper form are vital to the continued existence of a corporation and to the protection of directors and shareholders.

Drafting and maintaining corporate resolutions while operating your corporation can sometimes be a tedious task.

Although MyCorporation cannot provide legal advice—we are not lawyers—we can provide you with some very useful, free, samples of corporate resolutions.

Get more details about Corporate Resolutions .

Changing Your Name

Many states require that a corporation files Articles of Amendment (or a "Certificate of Amendment") when making any changes to your business.

We will incorporate your changes into an Articles of Amendment for your review and submission to the appropriate state agency in any of the 50 states.

Get more details about Articles of Amendment .

Adding or Changing Shareholders

In most states, the only way to change authorized share information is to file an amendment to your Articles of Incorporation.

We will help file your Articles of Amendment, and submit to the appropriate state agency in any of the 50 states.

Get more details about Articles of Amendment .

Articles of Dissolution

A Corporation or LLC must file Articles of Dissolution when it wishes to terminate its existence.

MyCorporation will prepare your Certificate/Articles of Dissolution for your review and submission to the appropriate state agency in any of the 50 states.

Get more details about Article of Dissolution .

Business Licenses

Most companies need licenses or permits to remain "open for business" due to state or county regulations — whether you've formed a corporation or not.

Discovering what documents and forms are needed in each county and state is a time-consuming task. There are a variety of special permits and licenses based on what kind of business you have, what industry you are in and where you are located.

We help businesses stay in compliance with our business license package.

Doing Business As (DBA)

DBA stands for "doing business as" and is an official registration of your business name.

DBA registration is generally necessary if your company conducts business and/or collects money under a name other than your own legal name (or a corporate name filed with the Secretary of State).

We file your DBA with the required government agencies and publish in most states. You'll receive the approval and publication certificate for your records.

Get more details about DBAs.

S-Corp Elections

MyCorporation will prepare Form 2553 which you will file with the Internal Revenue Service to elect S-Corporation status.

An S-Corporation begins its existence as a general, for-profit corporation upon filing the Articles of Incorporation and is required to pay income tax on taxable income generated by the corporation.

However, after the corporation has been formed, it may elect "S-Corporation Status" by submitting IRS Form 2553 to the Internal Revenue Service. It is then taxed like a partnership or sole proprietorship, rather than as a separate entity.

Get more details about S-corporation elections .

Shareholder Meetings

When you use our incorporation services, one of the samples you receive in your Corporate Kit is a "Meetings of Shareholders."

The Bylaws of your corporation are the written rules for conduct.

Bylaws generally contain information on meetings, elections of a board of directors and officers, notices, types and duties of officers, and other routine conduct. Bylaws are, in effect, a contract among directors/shareholders/officers and must be formally adopted and/or amended.

Trademarks

A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol or design, or a combination thereof, that distinguishes the source of your goods from those of others.

A Service Mark is similar to a trademark. However, it identifies and distinguishes the source of a service rather than a product.

Generally, the terms "trademark" and "mark" are used to refer to both trademarks and service marks.

We offer three Trademark services:

• Comprehensive Trademark Search : Is your business name already in use by someone else?
• Trademark Application : Protect your brand entity when you register your trademark.
• Trademark Watch : Are other people using your trademark?

Copyright Application

MyCorporation offers copyright application and registration services.

Copyright is a protection that covers published and unpublished literary, scientific and artistic works, whatever the form of expression, provided such works are fixed in a tangible or material form.

Copyright laws grant the creator of the "work" the exclusive right to reproduce, prepare derivative works, distribute, perform and display the work publicly.

Get more details about Copyright Application

Employer Identification Number (EIN)

A Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) is also known as a Tax ID number, and is used to identify a business entity.

For businesses that need an EIN, we can obtain this number from the IRS.

Legally, you are required to identify your business with one of two numbers: either your Social Security Number or an EIN.

Get more details about an Employer Identification Number .