Info on Incorporating

First Steps to Incorporating
Afterwards
Alabama
Georgia
Other States
Incorporate HQ: Incorporate in Alabama - A really good site about incorporating

First Steps to Incorporating:

Incorporation is a fairly simple matter, and can usually be done by an individual without use of a third party. The forms are generally available on-line. There are a few steps you have to go through, in any state.

1. You must first reserve your corporation's name. You may or may not be able to do this on- line; if not, call the Corporations Division of the Secretary of State's office in the capital city. Note that this is not the same as registering your name; some states require this on a yearly basis, some don't.

2. You must decide on your officers/directors (different states have different requirements; three is an average number, consisting of President, Vice-President, and Secretary/Treasurer).

3. You must choose a registered agent. This person simply receives mail from the state and federal government, but the law requires that this person be at a street address during business hours (Mon-Fri, 8-5). If you know someone who works out of their home, they'd be perfect. They are not required to be a member or officer of the corporation.

4. Download and fill out the Articles of Incorporation for your state, or write your own with all required fields included. Mail with fees and any other required paperwork to whatever state or county person is applicable.

5. Some states require that you publish a notice of intent to incorporate in the county newspaper, with a publication fee, usually by the next day after filing articles of incorporation.

6. The Internal Revenue Service requires corporations to apply for an Employee Identification Number; this doesn't cost anything. Info and Form.

7. To get a tax-exempt status, you must request forms from the Internal Revenue Service. You need Package 1023, Application for Recognition of Exemption, or Package 1024, Application for Recognition of Exemption Under Section 501(a). You can order these on-line at IRS Form Order. The filing fee for these forms is $150.00, the paperwork is massive, and the process takes a while.

Publications - Scroll down this page and go to Specialized Publications. Then go to Publication 542, Corporations. You can open this and print it.

IRS - Retrieve Publications and Notices - Select and download Pub 557, Tax Exempt Status for Your Organization.

8. Other States: when you incorporate, you are only incorporating in one state, usually your own, unless you go ahead and incorporate in several other or all states. This can be very costly, so most people only choose to go with one state. However, after incorporating there, you can still do business in other states without formally incorporating there. This is called Registering, usually as a Foreign Corporation. The fees are usually small, but the status must be renewed yearly. Before you do this, however, do some research to see if you actually need to register as a foreign corporation. If you'll be selling products in another state, you'll definitely need to register. But if you'll just be holding religious services, you probably don't need to register. Each state is different, so be sure to check their codes, and even consider consulting an attorney.