Both S corp and C corp businesses have a shareholder basis, also sometimes called a stock and debt basis. Per the IRS, this shareholder basis is your capital investment in a property for tax purposes. In this case, your business is the property.
A company is considered a single shareholder if it has only one founder. This is usually the case for freelancers, consultants, digital nomads and other forms of digital solopreneurs. If, however, a company has several co-founders, it is a multi-shareholder company.
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.
If none of the other existing owners is interested in purchasing the shares, the shares can be sold back to the corporation. This is known as a “stock redemption for tax purposes.” The redemption can be treated as an exchange or a sale, with the resulting gain or loss treated as a capital gain or loss.
Thus, if the S corporation has 1,000 shares of voting stock outstanding, the S corporation would issue 9,000 shares of nonvoting stock and warrants exercisable into 90,000 shares of nonvoting stock to the original shareholders. The warrants may be exercised at any time over a period of years.
Some of these benefits are discussed below. The good news is that the new CAMA 2020 has introduced a one-member company. By the provision of section 18(2) of this new CAMA, a single person can now register and own a private limited liability company and be the sole shareholder and director.
You don't often think of corporations as a one-person show, but guess what? It's totally possible. Your business can be comprised of only you—provided you get along well with yourself. You can be the CEO, Treasurer, Secretary, and the only shareholder of the company.
Because of the one-class-of-stock restriction, an S corporation cannot allocate losses or income to specific shareholders. Allocation of income and loss is governed by stock ownership, unlike partnerships or LLCs taxed as partnerships where the allocation can be set in the partnership agreement or operating agreement.
It's not unusual for companies to have a shareholder and director who is the same person, but the two roles do have different responsibilities and requirements. That said, a director doesn't have to be a shareholder, and shareholders don't need to be directors.
You don't often think of corporations as a one-person show, but guess what? It's totally possible. Your business can be comprised of only you—provided you get along well with yourself. You can be the CEO, Treasurer, Secretary, and the only shareholder of the company.