The fundamental legal documents that describe the organization, goals, and rules of the corporation are known as the Articles of Incorporation. This document contains information about the corporation’s name and objectives, the number and kind of shares, the rights and obligations of shareholders, and the methods for choosing directors and holding meetings. As part of the incorporation procedure, the Articles of Incorporation are submitted to the state legislature.
The Certificate of Incorporation, on the other hand, is a record issued by the state government that attests to the corporation’s legitimacy. It attests to the corporation’s legal recognition as a distinct entity and that it has complied with incorporation criteria. The corporation’s name, incorporation date, and state of incorporation are all listed on the certificate of incorporation.
In some states, including Georgia, the certificate of incorporation is also referred to as the “certificate of organization.” The Secretary of State’s office must be contacted to get this document after the Articles of Incorporation have been submitted and approved. It is crucial to understand that the Certificate of Organization is a separate document used to establish the legal existence of the corporation and does not take the place of the Articles of Incorporation.
If you need a copy of your Certificate of Organization in Georgia, you can get one by going to the Georgia Secretary of State’s website and using the business search database to look up the name of your firm. Once you have found your corporation, you can access a PDF version of the Certificate of Organization by selecting the “View Document” button.
There are additional particular tax filing requirements for non-profit corporations. Generally speaking, non-profit corporations that meet specific criteria, such as being entirely founded and run for charitable, religious, or educational purposes, are free from federal income tax. Non-profit organizations must still submit an annual information return to the IRS, nonetheless. In accordance with the assets and annual gross income of the organization, this report is normally on Form 990 or Form 990-EZ.
A streamlined version of Form 990, known as Form 990-EZ, is created specifically for small- to medium-sized nonprofit organizations. If an organization’s yearly gross receipts are under $50,000, they can be exempt from completing Form 990-EZ. These organizations can be eligible to submit Form 990-N, a straightforward electronic notice that needs to be sent yearly.
Finally, it should be noted that the Certificate of Incorporation and Articles of Incorporation are two distinct legal papers with distinct functions in the incorporation procedure. The Articles of Incorporation are the fundamental legal documents that describe the structure and purpose of the corporation, while the Certificate of Incorporation is a document issued by the state government that acts as evidence of the business’s legal existence. Depending on their annual gross receipts, non-profit corporations may also be exempt from submitting some tax forms or have unique filing requirements.