How to Incorporate a Small Business in Pennsylvania
Incorporating a small business in Pennsylvania occurs when the owners of the business file incorporation documents with the Pennsylvania department of state. After the Pennsylvania department of state approves the company's articles of incorporation, your small business will be treated as a distinct legal entity that has a separate existence from you and the other owners of the company. A small business in Pennsylvania may incorporate the company with a single owner, or an unlimited number of shareholders may incorporate the small business.
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Instructions
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Conduct a name availability search to ensure the name of the Pennsylvania small business corporation is available for use in the state. The name you select for the company must be distinguishable from other entities that are registered with the Pennsylvania department of state. Confirm the availability of your business name by using the Pennsylvania department of state's online database. Add a corporate identifier to the legal name of the company such as "corporation," "company," "incorporated," "limited," or the appropriate abbreviation.
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Appoint individuals to serve as director of your small business. Under Pennsylvania law, all incorporated businesses must select at least one person to act as the company's director. Directors of the company do not have to live in Pennsylvania, but all directors of Pennsylvania corporations are required to have reached at least 18 years of age.
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Obtain and complete the Pennsylvania articles of incorporation. Small business owners can complete the Pennsylvania articles of incorporation online or print the fill-in-the-blank articles of incorporation from the Pennsylvania department of state website. Provide information about the company such as the number of shares the small business will be able to issue to investors, and the purpose for organizing the Pennsylvania corporation. Indicate the name and address of a person or business that will accept legal documents served against the Pennsylvania small business corporation. Include the name and address of each incorporator that is responsible for filing the articles of incorporation with the Pennsylvania department of state.
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Complete a docketing statement, which may be filled-out online or printed from the Pennsylvania department of state website. Provide basic information about the small business such as the legal name and principal address of the business, as well as a description of the company's business activities.
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File the articles of incorporation and the docketing statement with the Pennsylvania department of state. The submission method is up to the owners of the company. The Pennsylvania department of state accepts articles of incorporation online, by mail, fax or in person at the Pennsylvania department of state's office. As of 2010, small businesses in Pennsylvania are required to pay a $125 filing fee to file articles of incorporation with the Pennsylvania department of state.
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Complete the Pennsylvania's publication requirement. Publish a statement of an intent to file, or publish the company's articles of incorporation in two newspapers that operate in the same Pennsylvania county as your small business. File the proof of advertising with the company's other important business documents.
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Prepare bylaws to establish rules and regulations for operating your small business. There are no specific rules or guidelines to follow when creating bylaws for your Pennsylvania small business corporation. Provide information in the company's bylaws such as the place and date of company meetings, criteria for selecting directors and procedures for dissolving the business. Keep the company's bylaws at the business location of your Pennsylvania corporation.
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