Your California Corporation name can identify the type of products and services your business will provide; or it may be the name of the founder; or it can be a combination of the two or something else.

In any case, the California Corporation name that you choose must be distinguishable from the name of any other registered California Corporation or other business entity and the name must also be different from any reserved names on record with the state of California.  Your California Corporation name must not imply that it was formed for a purpose other than that stated in your Articles of Incorporation; and your California Corporation name must not be a name that is likely to mislead the public.

California state law restricts the use of certain words and phrases in Corporation names.  The name of a California Corporation also must include the word "Corporation" or "Incorporated" or an abbreviation of one of these words.  If you choose us to help you for a new California Corporation we will make sure that the name you have chose complies with all California requirements.

It's important to choose a good name for your California Corporation because if you want to change it after you incorporate you will have to file amended Articles of Incorporation with the California Secretary of State (and pay a fee).

Every California Corporation must have an address that is physically located in the state of California.  This address is "registered" with the California Secretary of State.  The Registered Address is where official and legal correspondence can be delivered.

The individual or company that is registered with the state of California to receive all correspondence on behalf of the California Corporation is called a "Registered Agent".  You may act as your own Registered Agent, however, many California Corporations hire a Registered Agent because they don't have a physical address within the state of California or to provide a distinct level of privacy.

All California Corporations are required to have a Board of Directors.  Directors are the people who will set policies for your California Corporation and manage the business and its resources.  In the majority of small corporations directors are the owners. The Articles of Incorporation or Corporate Bylaws may define specific qualifications for Directors. 

The Board of Directors is responsible for creating rules, approving budgets and distributing profits to shareholders. One of the most important duties of the Board of Directors is electing Officers for your California Corporation.  The same person may be a Director and an Officer at the same time.  Directors need not be residents of the state of California or shareholders of the California Corporation unless the Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws require it.

Normally Directors for your California Corporation are elected for a term of one year.  Elections are held at the annual meeting of Shareholders.  The Directors serve until the next annual Shareholders meeting.

The Board of Directors elects Officers for your California Corporation in accordance with the Corporate Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation.  Officers serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors of the California Corporation.  Officers handle the day to day operation of the California Corporation.

Unless specifically prohibited by the Corporate Bylaws or Articles of Incorporation, in a California Corporation the same person may hold more than one Corporate Office at the same time.  However, there are certain legal affairs in which the same person cannot act in more than one capacity.

Every California Corporation must have either a Chairman of the Board, a President or both.  This person serves as the General Manager/CEO of the California Corporation unless the Bylaws specify something different.  Besides the General Manager, each California Corporation must also have a Secretary and Chief Financial Officer (Treasurer). 

One Officer - usually the Secretary - is given responsibility for preparing Minutes of Directors and Shareholders meetings and for authenticating records for the California Corporation. 

The California Corporate Income Tax Rate is 8.84%.   You may form an S Corporation in California.  S Corporations may "pass through" all corporate profits to the shareholders (owners) who then pay tax at their applicable personal rate.  S Corporations do not pay any California Corporate Income Tax.

In order to form a Corporation in California you must file Articles of Incorporation with the California Secretary of State.  The Articles of Incorporation must include certain specific information about your California business. If the Articles do not conform exactly to state of California requirements they will be rejected.  You may subsequently amend the Articles of Incorporation for your California Corporation but you will have to pay a fee to the state of California in order to make the changes official.

A Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN), also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number, is used by the IRS to identify a business entity.  An FEIN is like a Social Security Number for your California Corporation.  All California Corporations are required to have an FEIN.

Corporate stock is evidence of ownership of a California Corporation.  When you form your California Corporation, you will need to determine what type of stock and the number of shares of each type that you want to authorize.  You do not have to sell the number of shares that are authorized.  Many small California Corporations hold 100% of the shares.

Stockholders in a California Corporation are entitled to voting rights or dividends of the Corporate profits or both.  Whoever owns over 50% of the stock of the California Corporation is able to make all Corporate business decisions.  California Corporations usually hold at least 51% of the corporate stock in order to retain control of the California Corporation.

The Board of Directors holds an initial meeting to elect Officers, authorize issuance of stock and adopt the Corporate Bylaws.  Bylaws are the internal rules of your California Corporation.  They are adopted by the Board of Directors and vary widely from Corporation to Corporation.  Commonly bylaws include the number of seats on the board of directors; how Directors are elected; how meetings of Directors and Shareholders are to be conducted; what Officers the California Corporation will have and a description of each of their duties. 

As your company grows over time, you may amend your bylaws as necessary.  Bylaws generally cannot be amended by the Board of Directors unilaterally.  A vote by the majority of Stockholders of the California Corporation is usually required to amend the Corporate Bylaws.  Bylaws may include any rules for managing the business and conducting corporate affairs.  Almost anything may be written into the Bylaws, however, the Bylaws must not be in violation of any federal or California law or the California Corporation's Articles of Incorporation.  A copy of the Corporate Bylaws should be maintained at the Corporation's principal California office.

Note that forming a California Corporation doesn't take the place of obtaining a business license, tax registration certificate, or other required business permits.  A California Corporation merely creates an ownership structure that limits the owners' personal liability.  You may still need to take care of getting set up to do business with your local government.

Depending on the nature of the business and the location of your California Corporation you may need to get one or more city business licenses or permits.  The business licenses or permits that are required for your California Corporation vary depending on your business activities and the specific locations within the state of California in which you want to conduct business.

If your California Corporation will be selling products in California you may be required to obtain a Reseller's Permit from the appropriate California state agency.  If your California Corporation will be selling products in California you will also be responsible for all applicable local and state of California sales taxes if there are any.

Every California Corporation must hold corporate and shareholder meetings, at least annually, and must keep minutes of each meeting on file.  A copy of the minutes is evidence that the meetings took place and includes all resolutions that were adopted.  The minutes of each meetings must be open for inspection by any Shareholder or Director.  This meeting requirement is often overlooked and comes into play when the California Corporation is challenged for any reason.  Keeping proper meeting minutes and documenting resolutions made and approved by the Directors is a formality that could save your California Corporation a lot of potential trouble.

All California Corporations are required to file an Initial Statement of Information with the California Secretary of State within 90 days after filing of the original Articles of Incorporation to register the new CA Corporation.

Failure to file the Initial Statement of Information may result in the administrative dissolution of the California Corporation by the CA Secretary of State.

All California Corporations are required to file an Annual Statement of Information with the California Secretary of State EACH year.

The CA Corporation Annual Statement of Information is due by the end of the anniversary month of the initial filing of Articles of Incorporation with the California Secretary of State.

A California Corporation must file an Annual Statement of Information with the CA Secretary of State even if the California Corporation has done no business in the state of California during the prior reporting period.

In addition to the CA Corporation Annual Report, a California Corporation may be required to pay an Annual Franchise Tax to the California Franchise Tax Board EACH year. The minimum Annual California Corporation Franchise Tax is $800.

If a California Corporation does not file its Corporation Annual Statement of Information by the due date then the CA Secretary of State will impose a late filing fee on the California Corporation and will eventually administratively dissolve the CA Corporation.