To qualify for S corporation status, the corporation must meet the following requirements: Be a domestic corporation. Have only allowable shareholders. Have no more than 100 shareholders. Have only one class of stock.
An S corporation can have only one class of stock, although it can have both voting and non-voting shares. Therefore, there can't be different classes of investors who are entitled to different dividends or distribution rights. Also, there cannot be more than 100 shareholders.
LLCs can have an unlimited number of members; S corps can have no more than 100 shareholders (owners).
With certain exceptions, a corporation is treated as having only one class of stock if all outstanding shares of stock of the corporation confer identical rights to distribution and liquidation proceeds. The regulations then elaborate on how to analyze if there are identical distribution and liquidation rights.
A company may issue different types (also known as “classes”) of shares. These can include: Ordinary Shares.
While the vast majority of U.S. public companies (approximately nine in 10) have a single class of voting stock, in recent years, a growing proportion of U.S. companies going public have multiple classes of common stock with differential voting rights.
IRS Requirements for an S Corp It must have only one class of stock. There can be no more than 100 shareholders. Shareholders must meet certain eligibility requirements, that is, they must be individuals, specific trusts and estates, or certain tax-exempt organizations 501(c)(3).
Stock Options Corporations taxed as an s-corporation may have a Stock Option only plan. LLCs taxed as s-corporations may use contractual Option Agreements, which have similar characteristics to non-qualified stock options in a corporation.
Limited number of shareholders: An S corp cannot have more than 100 shareholders, meaning it can't go public and limiting its ability to raise capital from new investors.
An S corporation can have only one class of stock, although it can have both voting and non-voting shares. Therefore, there can't be different classes of investors who are entitled to different dividends or distribution rights. Also, there cannot be more than 100 shareholders.