A C Corporation can be owned by U.S. citizens, permanent residents, foreign individuals, foreign companies, trusts, and other business entities. There is no limit on the number of shareholders, and multiple classes of stock may be issued. C Corporations are commonly used by businesses seeking outside investors, venture capital funding, or future public offerings.

S Corporation (S-Corp)

An S Corporation is a special tax status available only to eligible U.S. corporations. To qualify, the corporation must generally have no more than 100 shareholders, may issue only one class of stock, and all shareholders must be U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, certain qualifying trusts, or estates. Foreign individuals and foreign companies cannot be shareholders of an S Corporation.

If you are not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, or if any owner is a foreign person or foreign company, you should generally choose a C Corporation.

If you are unsure which option is right for your business, select C Corporation. It is available to all eligible business owners and does not have the ownership restrictions that apply to S Corporations.

• What it means: Standard common shares that give owners voting rights and a share in company profits. “No-Par Value” means the shares have no artificial minimum cash value printed on them.
• Who should choose this: 95% of all startups and small businesses.
• Important Note: This is the default, most legally flexible choice. However, if you are registering in Delaware, New York, Ohio, or Missouri and want to issue more than 3,000 shares, this option will trigger the extra state capital taxes we mentioned in the previous step.

• What it means: Standard voting shares, but they have a fixed, fraction-of-a-cent minimal value assigned to them by law right at incorporation.
• Who should choose this: Only founders who are planning to issue large volumes of shares (over 5,000–10,000) specifically in Delaware or New York.
• Important Note: Setting a tiny Par Value (like $0.0001) lets the state calculate your corporate value as very low. 

• What it means: Your company will have two different categories of shares. Common shares for the founders (with voting rights) and Preferred shares for investors (usually without voting rights, but with priority for payouts and dividends).
• Who should choose this: Advanced startups that already have institutional venture capital (VC) investors who explicitly demand priority payout rights.
• Important Note: Do not select this if you are bootstrapping or launching a standard business. It complicates your corporate bylaws and accounting from day one.

• Cost impact: No extra state charges (Included in your baseline price).
• Best for: Small businesses, single-owner startups, and early-stage companies.
• Customer Note: Fully sufficient to distribute initial ownership among founders and keeps your state incorporation fee at the absolute bare minimum.

• Cost impact: Extra state capital tax is added automatically based on your chosen state:
  • Delaware: +$25 added to the state fee.
  • Ohio: +$350 added to the state fee.
  • All other 46 US states: +$0 (No extra charges).

• Cost impact: Extra state capital tax is added automatically based on your chosen state:
  • Delaware: +$75 added to the state fee.
  • Ohio: +$350 added to the state fee.
  • All other 46 US states: +$0 (No extra charges).

• Cost impact: Extra state capital tax is added automatically based on your chosen state:
  • Delaware: +$264 added to the state fee.
  • Ohio: +$650 added to the state fee.
  • All other 46 US states: +$0 (No extra charges).

• Cost impact: Extra state capital tax is added automatically based on your chosen state:
  • Delaware: +$564 added to the state fee.
  • Ohio: +$850 added to the state fee.
  • New York: +$25 added to the state fee.
  • All other 46 US states: +$0 (No extra charges).

• Cost impact: Extra state capital tax is added automatically based on your chosen state:
  • Delaware: +$1,064 added to the state fee.
  • Ohio: +$1,100 added to the state fee.
  • New York: +$50 added to the state fee.
  • Missouri: +$35 added to the state fee.
  • All other 46 US states: +$0 (No extra charges).
• Best for: Venture-backed startups planning immediate heavy institutional fundraising or establishing large employee stock option pools (ESOP).

• Provide the details of your company Owners / Shareholders.
• ⚠️ Important Billing Note:
  For LLC, LLC-S, and Corporation structures across all 50 states, there are no additional government fees for multiple owners or shareholders. For LLP (Partnership) in Texas only, the state charges a mandatory filing fee for each individual partner. If you have more than 2 partners, an additional $250 per partner (starting from the 3rd partner onward) must be manually added to your final total at the checkout / payment stage.

• Provide the details of your Board Directors. Non-profit entities cannot have owners or shareholders.
• The minimum number of initial directors required by law depends strictly on your chosen state. Filing with fewer than the mandated number results in an immediate government rejection:
• States requiring a MINIMUM OF 3 DIRECTORS:
  Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Washington D.C., West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
• States requiring a MINIMUM OF 1 DIRECTOR:
  Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia.

Please provide up to three preferred names in order of preference. Your proposed name must be distinguishable from existing entities registered in the state. Certain words and phrases may require additional state approvals, including terms related to banking, insurance, government agencies, education, healthcare, and regulated professions.

Examples include: Bank, Trust, Credit Union, Insurance, Federal, Government, University, College, School, Hospital, Medical, Foundation, Charity, Endowment, and similar regulated terms.

We will review your proposed names before filing and notify you if additional approvals, modifications, or alternative naming options are required.

• Physical address required — you can use your residential or owned/leased commercial property.
• No P.O. Boxes or Virtual Mailboxes — forwarding services cannot be used as the physical address.
• Registered Agent address cannot be used — agents accept legal service of process only, not regular mail.
• Direct mail access needed — government agencies will send critical tax and compliance notices here.
• Updates are manual — if your address changes later, you must file a separate update with the state.

Manager’s Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)

Providing an SSN or ITIN is not required to register a company with the state. A company may be formed without providing a tax identification number for the manager, officer, or owner.

However, an SSN or ITIN is generally required for the fastest processing of an EIN (Employer Identification Number) application with the IRS.

An EIN is required for most business bank accounts in the United States. In most cases, a bank will require both the company’s formation documents and the EIN confirmation letter before opening a business account.

If no SSN or ITIN is available, it is still possible to obtain an EIN for a foreign owner or foreign manager. In such cases, the application must be submitted through the IRS foreign applicant process, which typically takes approximately 4–8 weeks to complete.

Please note that the IRS generally sends EIN confirmation documents by mail to the company’s physical mailing address. Delivery times may vary, and in some cases mailed correspondence may be delayed or not received.

If you have an SSN or ITIN, we strongly recommend providing it to simplify and expedite the EIN application process.

If you do not have an SSN or ITIN and cannot wait for the standard IRS foreign applicant processing time, additional options may be available. In certain situations, it may be possible to appoint a qualified manager with an SSN to assist with obtaining an EIN and opening a business bank account.

If you are interested in this option, please contact us using the information provided in the Contact section of our website for additional details.

State departments and the IRS require a clear definition of your entity’s operations. For Commercial businesses (LLC, Corporation, LLP), most states do not require you to limit yourself to a specific trade upon registration; we typically register your company under broad language allowing any lawful activity. However, the IRS strictly requires a summary of your planned industry for your EIN (Tax ID) setup.

For Nonprofit organizations, providing a clear operational focus is a mandatory legal requirement for both state incorporation and federal compliance.

Please describe your planned activities below:

• Commercial Businesses: Briefly list all industries, products, or services you plan to provide (e.g., E-commerce retail, IT consulting, real estate management). If you plan to operate multiple businesses, list them all.
• Nonprofit Organizations: Clearly state your primary public mission, core goals, and the community benefit activities you plan to conduct (e.g., To provide free educational workshops for underprivileged youth and community outreach programs).