A small business corporation elects federal S corporation status by filing federal Form 2553 (Election By a Small Business Corporation) with the Internal Revenue Service. When a corporation elects federal S corporation status it automatically becomes an S corporation for California.
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.
Choose a business name for your S corp. File articles of incorporation. Issue stock for your S corp. Elect a board of directors and appoint officers. Meet other S corp eligibility requirements. Obtain an employer identification number. Elect S corp status. Apply for state and local S corp business licenses.
S corporations are subject to the annual $800 minimum franchise tax.
Yes, it is possible to establish an S-corp as a one-person business. While traditionally S corporations are formed with multiple shareholders, the IRS allows a single individual to set up an S corporation. As an individual, you can be the sole shareholder, director, and employee of the S-corp.
An S corporation's annual tax is the greater of 1.5 percent of the corporation's net income or $800.
How to Form an S Corporation in California Step 1: File the Articles of Incorporation with the California Secretary of State (required) ... Step 2: Prepare Corporate Bylaws. Step 3: Appoint the Corporation's Directors (required) ... Step 4: Hold a Board of Directors Meeting (required) ... Step 5: Issue Stock (required)