North Carolina C Corporation Formation

Forming a North Carolina C Corporation is as simple as filing Articles of Incorporation with the Secretary of State. There are no special filing requirements in order to obtain the “C” status with the IRS; the “C” corporation tax classification is the default.

Incorporate Now

Select Your State
Select Entity Type

Steps to Forming a North Carolina C Corporation

The information required to be provided in the North Carolina Articles of Incorporation is:

  • Your Corporate Name: This name must be available for use; Click and Inc can do a preliminary business name search for you.
  • Registered Agent: This person must provide a street address where they can accept service of process for the corporation.
  • Shares: A C Corporation is a For-Profit Corporation and therefore must issue at least one share of stock.
  • Principal Office: You will either provide the C Corporation’s principal office or state that it does not have one.
  • Additional Provisions: If you would like to add any information to your Articles, such as a specific business purpose, can do so here.
  • Incorporator: The person who drafted these Articles should sign as Incorporator.

If any of the above information changes after registering your C Corporation with the state, it’s important that you submit an Article Amendment so the state is aware of the changes.

Click and Inc can file your C Corporation in North Carolina quickly, easily, and affordably.

Further Responsibilities of a North Carolina C Corporation

North Carolina requires that an Initial List of Officers be submitted to the state by the last day of the month following your month of incorporation; this list should include your directors, officers, and registered agent. A new list of officers must be filed annually to avoid being penalized.

Additional Information about a North Carolina C Corporation

Your North Carolina C Corporation:

  • Can sell stock and raise capital
  • May deduct the cost of benefits provided to employers (such as parking permits, health insurance, and so on)
  • Has a board of directors, which oversees the policies of the corporation
  • Issues limited liability for owners
  • Can be owned by non-US citizens or non-resident aliens
  • Can own other business entities
  • Can be owned by other business entities
  • Is taxed separately from the owners’ income

Shareholders of a C Corporation cannot be held liable in a judgment against the corporation for an amount greater than the amount of stock they hold. (This does not include any personal liabilities, such as fraud, failure to pay taxes, and so on.)

North Carolina Startup Quicklinks

For information on other types of businesses in North Carolina, please explore the links below.