Hello qdaddy, and thanks for visiting us.
1. The act of granting corporation status (Inc., Corp., Corporation,
Incorporated, etc.) or limited liability company status (L.L.C.) is
strictly a function of your state's government. There are companies
that will facilitate this process which is particularly useful when
forming an entity in another state (for example, where a New Mexico
company wants to incorporate in Delaware).
2. The state agency that typically handles the formation of entities
is the Secretary of State. I would suggest that you go to Google
Search and type in the following: "Secretary of State" [name of your
state]
So, for example, for Illinois, I would type into the search term box
"Secretary of State" Illinois
2A. If the search for Secretary of State doesn’t pan out with the
information on forming companies, try the search term: “Department of
Commerce” [name of your state]
Here, for example is the site for California:
http://www.ss.ca.gov/business/business.htm
3. Most state sites have the forms available for download right on
the site. Just print them off and fill them out. The actual act of
incorporating is very simple - just a few questions. What the name of
the entity will be, who the incorporators are, how many shares of
stock are going to be authorized, addresses, and purpose of the
company.
4. The state will charge a fee, usually (not always) around $100 for
filing the paperwork. They will probably send a certificate of
incorporation back to you.
5. USE OF EXPERTS - ACCOUNTANT: If possible, it is a good idea to
use the services of an accountant to assist in the set-up of a new
entity since they are uniquely equiped and positioned to assist in
getting the various tax and other governmental registrations that are
required. Also, they know the rules for taking money out of a
corporate entity, which though not super complex, are important.
Also, they can advise as to whether subchapter S status is
appropriate.
6. USE OF EXPERTS - ATTORNEY: Many attorneys will handle the
formation for you - they have it down to a science. Call a couple up
and ask what they charge to set up a corporation. It shouldn't be, in
most cases, more than $500. This will help ensure that it is done
properly. It is critically important that the corporation not only be
set up properly, but also maintained on an ongoing basis properly so
that if you need the protection that a corporation shield provides it
will be there for you.
7. There are a whole host of service providers out there who will set
up a corporation or LLC for you, if you would rather not use the local
attorney resources: ://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=incorporating+your+business
8. Here is a great website maintained by the United States Small
Business Administration – I think you will find this very useful:
http://www.sba.gov/starting/indexfaqs.html
Good luck on your venture!
weisstho-ga |
