Professional Corporation Information
How to Form a
Professional Corporation
How to Form a Professional Corporation

BUSINESS SERVICES


Secure Online Business Services for all States
All Business Documents, Inc., Business Services - General, San Francisco, CA

CORPORATE GLOSSARY
 
Administrative Dissolution
Agent for Service of Process
Apostille
Apportionment
Articles of Incorporation
Articles of Organization
Assumed Name
At Will LLC
Authorized Shares
B Corporation
Benefit Corporation
Board of Directors
Business Dissolution
Business Entity
Bylaws
Certificate of Existence
Certificate of Status
Certified Copy
Close Corporation
Common Stock
Conversion
Corporate Bylaws
Corporate Name Reservation
Corporate Stock
DBA
Disregarded Entity
Dividends
ESOP
Excise Tax
Federal Tax ID
Ficticious Name
Foreign Qualification
Franchise Tax
General Partnership
Good Standing Certificate
Incorporator
Involuntary Dissolution
IRS Form 966
ITIN
Limited Liability Company
Limited Partnership
Liquidation
LLC
LP
Majority Shareholder
Meetings
Merger
Nexus
Non-Stock Corporation
Nonprofit Corporation
Obligated Member LLC
Organizer
Paid-in Capital
Paid-in Surplus
Par Value
Personal Service Corporation
Preferred Stock
Privilege Tax
Professional Corporation
Professional Service
Proxy
Registered Agent
Registered Office
Reporting Requirements
Revocation
S Corporation
Series LLC
Service Mark
Shareholder
Sole Proprietor
Stated Capital
Statutory Agent
Stock Certificate
Term LLC
Trade Name
Trademark
Trust
Trustee
Winding Up

What is a Professional Corporation?

A Corporation is a legal business structure which gives the owners, or shareholders, a level of personal asset protection which is much higher than that of a Business which has not been incorporated.  Anyone competent person of the legal age, usually around 18 years old, can form a Corporation by filing Articles of Incorporation with the Secretary of State.

A Professional Corporation can be formed only by people who hold some kind of state-issued license which authorizes the rendering of a single specific Professional Service.  A Professional Corporation may render Professional Services in a state only through its officers, employees and agents who are duly licensed to render the professional services in that state.

What is a Professional Service?

Generally a Professional Service is a service which requires the approval of a state licensing board.  Examples of Professional Services are:

AcupuncturistLegal ServicesPhysical/Occupational Therapy
ArchitectLand SurveyorMarital Family Therapy
Physicians AssistantAudiologistMedical Professional Counselor
ChiropractorNaturopathPsychology
DentalNursingPublic Accountant
Dispensing OpticianOptometrySocial Work
GeologistPharmacy Veterinary

What is the difference between a normal Corporation and a Professional Corporation?

Professional Corporations are subject to the same laws as normal Corporations.  There are differences between normal and Professional Corporations.  The diferences can vary from state to state.
  • Incorporator
    An Incorporator is the person or business entity that prepares, files and signs the Articles of Incorporation in order to register a new business with the Secretary of State.  The incorporator for a normal Corporation is usually a competent person 18 years of age or older.  Some states require a state licensed Professional to be the Incorporator.
  • Membership
    Some states require that all shareholders, officers and directors of a Professional Corporation be state licensed Professionals in the Professional Practice for which the Professional Corporation was formed.
  • Stock Reporting
    Because most or all of the shareholders of a Professional Corporation are required to be licensed Professionals the reporting requirements of stock sales and transfers are usually stricter for Professional Corporations than the reporting requirements for normal Corporations.
  • Annual Reports
    Almost all states require some kind of Annual Report which lists current address, officer and director information.  Usually, Corporations do not have to specify shareholder information on their Annual Reports.  Some states do, nowever, require Professional Corporations to annually report the names and addresses of all shareholders; confirm that all shareholders hold currently active Professional licenses; and file a certified copy of the Annual Report with the state licensing board.
  • State Licensing
    The definition of Professional is a person who renders a service for which some kind of state license is required.  States regulate Professional licensing in various ways.  Usually there is an annual or biennial renewal reqirement.  If any of the Professionals in the Corporation are rendering Professional Services without a current valid license then the Professional Corporation may be at risk of administrative dissolution by the Secretary of State.

Why form a Professional Corporation?

Personal asset liability protection is the biggest reason people form Cororations.  In addition to the liability protection of a regular Corporation, probably the biggest reason that groups of Professionals form a Professional Corporation is the protection of each individual shareholder (owner) from the malfeasance of all the other Professionals in the group.

Also, a Professional Corporation may hold property for investment or in connection with their practice.

Are there restrictions on a Professional Corporation?

In most states licensed Professionals in a Professional Corporation may provide only one specific Professional Service.  Some states make provisions for the provision of related Personal Services.  For example, Architects and Land Surveyors.

Some states require all shareholders, officers and directors to be licensed Professionals.  Others allow non-licensed people to hold office but not perform any Professional Services.

Becuase most or all of the shareholders (owners) of a Professional Corporation are required to be licensed Professionals the reporting requirements of stock sales and transfers can be more stringent for Professional Corporations than the reporting requirements for normal Corporations.

In addition, Professional Corporations are subject to the same laws and regulations as regular Corporations but Professional Corporations are also subject to the laws and regulations of a specific state licensing board.

How long does it take Form a Professional Corporation?

The time it takes to get approval for a new Professional Corporation filing varies from state to state.  There are two components which affect the total approval time.

The first and most time-consuming component is getting approval from the state licensing board responsible for regulating the Professional Service to be rendered.  In some states this initial licensing board approval process can take over a month.

The second part of the approval process is filing Articles of Incorporation with the Secretary of State.  Processing times vary from state to state but the total processing time is much quicker than the initial licensing board approval process.  The Secretary of State in some states offers expedited filing options.  Click on a state in the list below to see specific processing times and fees for that state.

How much does it cost to Form a Professional Corporation?

New Professional Corporation filing fees vary from state to state.  Our processing fees are $125.  This includes:
  • Obtain Licensing Board Approvals
  • Name Check and Reservation
  • Prepare Articles of Incorporation
  • File Articles of Incorporation with Secretary of State
  • Certified Copies of Articles
  • State Professional Corporation Checklist
  • Priority Mail Delivery
  • Unlimited Customer Support
Click on a state in the list below to see specific processing times and fees for that state.

How can I Form a Professional Corporation?

If you are ready to Form a Professional Corporation just click on your state in the list below.  Our individual state Professional Corporation web pages include pertinent information that you need before you form a new Professional Corporation.  Because all information that you give for a new Professional Corporation becomes part of the public record, our Professional Corporation entry forms include the minimum of informtion that you need in order to Form a new Professional Corporation.
Filing requirements, processing times and state fees vary.  Choose your state from the list below to get more information.
 
Alabama Alaska ArizonaArkansas
California Colorado ConnecticutDelaware
District of Columbia Florida GeorgiaHawaii
Idaho Illinois IndianaIowa
Kansas Kentucky LouisianaMaine
Maryland Massachusetts MichiganMinnesota
Mississippi Missouri MontanaNebraska
Nevada New Hampshire New JerseyNew Mexico
New York North Carolina North DakotaOhio
Oklahoma Oregon PennsylvaniaRhode Island
South Carolina South Dakota TennesseeTexas
Utah Vermont VirginiaWashington
West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
OUR ADVANTAGE
  • We file your Professional Corporation Application with the Secretary of State in the quickest possible way.  If we receive your order before noon local (state) time we will start working on it the same day we receive it.  We know how to deal with state licensing boards in all states.
  • We send you Certified Copies of all documents which we file for you.  A Certified Copy of your Articles of Incorporation is proof positive that your Professional Corporation has been legally and officially Incorporated.
  • We guarantee our work.   If you're not satisfied with our Professional Corporation services we will refund 100% of your processing fees.
  • We've been helping form new Professional Corporations in all states for over ten years.  Our A+ BBB rating speaks for itself!
INCORPORATE OR FORM A LLC IN ANY STATE
CORPORATION LLC
Alabama Alabama
Alaska Alaska
Arizona Arizona
Arkansas Arkansas
California California
Colorado Colorado
Connecticut Connecticut
Delaware Delaware
District of Columbia District of Columbia
Florida Florida
Georgia Georgia
Hawaii Hawaii
Idaho Idaho
Illinois Illinois
Indiana Indiana
Iowa Iowa
Kansas Kansas
Kentucky Kentucky
Louisiana Louisiana
Maine Maine
Maryland Maryland
Massachusetts Massachusetts
Michigan Michigan
Minnesota Minnesota
Mississippi Mississippi
Missouri Missouri
Montana Montana
Nebraska Nebraska
Nevada Nevada
New Hampshire New Hampshire
New Jersey New Jersey
New Mexico New Mexico
New York New York
North Carolina North Carolina
North Dakota North Dakota
Ohio Ohio
Oklahoma Oklahoma
Oregon Oregon
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania
Rhode Island Rhode Island
South Carolina South Carolina
South Dakota South Dakota
Tennessee Tennessee
Texas Texas
Utah Utah
Vermont Vermont
Virginia Virginia
Washington Washington
West Virginia West Virginia
Wisconsin Wisconsin
Wyoming Wyoming

GET A GOOD STANDING CERTIFICATE IN ANY STATE
Alabama Alaska
Arizona Arkansas
California Colorado
Connecticut Delaware
District of Columbia Florida
Georgia Hawaii
Idaho Illinois
Indiana Iowa
Kansas Kentucky
Louisiana Maine
Maryland Massachusetts
Michigan Minnesota
Mississippi Missouri
Montana Nebraska
Nevada New Hampshire
New Jersey New Mexico
New York North Carolina
North Dakota Ohio
Oklahoma Oregon
Pennsylvania Rhode Island
South Carolina South Dakota
Tennessee Texas
Utah Vermont
Virginia Washington
West Virginia Wisconsin
Wyoming
All Business Documents, Inc. is not a lawyer or an accountant and provides only document filing and retrieval services under your supervision.
All content and design copyright © 2003- All Business Documents, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy Site Map Contact us