C-Corporation Formation

No. The price shown is our service fee for preparing and filing your paperwork. State and federal government filing fees are separate, vary by state, and are paid directly to the filing agency — we show you the exact amount before you confirm anything.

C-corp if you plan to raise venture capital, offer stock options broadly, or have shareholders who are corporations, foreign nationals or more than 100 people — S-corp status isn't available in those cases. Otherwise many small businesses prefer S-corp to avoid double taxation.

A C-corp pays corporate income tax on its profits, and shareholders then pay personal tax again on any dividends they receive. It's a real cost, but for a company retaining earnings to grow rather than distributing them, it matters less.

There's no single right answer — commonly somewhere between 1,000 and 10,000,000 depending on future funding plans. Authorizing more than you'll issue initially avoids having to amend your articles later, and it's worth discussing with an attorney if you're planning to raise investment.

Yes — C-corps are legally required to have at least one director and hold organizational and annual meetings, documented with minutes. We provide templates for both.

Yes, if it meets the eligibility requirements (100 or fewer shareholders, one class of stock, all US shareholders) — see our S-Corporation Formation service for the election filing.