Corporation is a legal form of organization of persons and material resources, chartered by the state, for the purpose of conducting business. Corporation is owned by shareholders, the Board of Directors governs the business, and elected officers manage the day-to-day activities. Corporation must adhere to corporate tax laws and file corporate taxes regularly.

A Corporation, also referred to as Standard Corporation, C-Corporation, or Regular Corporation, may have an unlimited number of shareholders, including foreign citizens, may be public (when shares are offered for sale to the public) or privately held (when shares are not sold to the public). Usually shares of the corporation are held by the founders, board members and private investors, such as venture capitalists, who may or may not sit on the board of directors.

C Corporation is the most common type of incorporation. C Corporation is considered to be a for-profit, state-incorporated business. Registration is done with state authorities and must abide by corporate laws in the state where it is incorporated.

Corporation provides protection to its shareholders from the corporation’s liabilities, thus the term “limited liability”. However, C-Corporations also have what is called “double taxation” – first the corporation is taxed on its profits, and then shareholders are taxed on the distributions they receive, such as profit sharing payments or dividends. To incorporate you will need to register your business name, file a certificate of incorporation or articles of incorporation, and pay a fee. You will also need to draft corporate bylaws and hold a board of director’s meeting.