Why Form a Corporation in Georgia?

• You will need to choose a unique, distinct, original name for your Georgia corporation
• This name cannot be used by or confused with another business in Georgia
• The name of your business must end with “Corporation,” “Incorporated,” “Limited” or an abbreviation of one of these

See if the name is available by looking it up on the Georgia Secretary of State website

Learn how to name your Georgia corporation

A Georgia corporation must have a designated address. That could be your home address (if you’re running the company from your residence), where your office is located or any physical address of your preference. The address can be outside the state of Georgia and can be a P.O. Box.

Every Georgia corporation must have a “Registered Agent” who receives official legal and tax correspondence and has responsibility for filing reports with the Georgia Department of State. Your Registered Agent must have a physical street address in Georgia.

A Registered Agent position for a Georgia S Corporation or C Corporation can be filled in several ways.

This position can be carried out by you, another accountable person in the business or a dedicated Registered Agent service. Your GA Registered Agent must have a physical street address in Georgia and must be present to receive important documents for your company during business hours.

At Bizee, all of our packages include a Georgia Registered Agent service that is free for the first year and just $119 per year afterward. We also have a dashboard where you can log in and easily view any document your Registered Agent has received on your behalf.

Here at Bizee we always recommend using a proper Georgia Registered Agent service since they provide several benefits:

• Some people establish companies outside of the state they live in and will use a Registered Agent service to provide an address for receiving legal documentation in the state.
• The Registered Agent address is listed in public records on the GA Division of Corporations website. If you do not want your own name and Georgia address to be registered, you should use a Registered Agent service.
• The Registered Agent must be present or available during normal business hours (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday) to receive any legal correspondence, since the type of documents delivered to the Registered Agent require a signature on delivery.



At Bizee, all of our packages include a Georgia Registered Agent service that is free for the first year and just $119 per year afterward. We also have a dashboard where you can log in and easily view any document your Registered Agent has received on your behalf.

Learn more about Georgia Registered Agents.

Once you've gathered all the information for your Georgia corporation, you’ll need to file a formal document with the GA Secretary of State. This document is known as your “Articles of Incorporation,” and filing the document creates your GA corporation. Here’s what the Articles of Incorporation normally includes:

• The corporation’s name
• The corporation’s mailing address and street address
• The corporation's Registered Agent and their address
• The corporation’s capital structure (number of shares to be issued, who owns them, pricing, etc.)
• The name and address of the incorporator

Once your Articles of Incorporation document is drafted, you can file it with the Georgia Secretary of State. Filing your Articles of Incorporation creates your Georgia corporation. You can do this online, mail in a form or have Bizee do it on your behalf.

• Once your Georgia corporation has been created, you will need to get certain legal requirements in place. These include:
• File IRS Small Business Tax Election Form 2553 if you want your GA business to be treated as an S Corporation.
• Any Georgia S Corporations formed through Bizee will also include a prepared Form 2553 that will be delivered with the state formation documents.
• Create and issue stock certificates to your shareholders.
• Apply for business licenses and permits. You may require licenses from the state of Georgia, your county, township and various industry or federal bodies.
• Get an Employer Identification Number (EIN).
• File for taxes with Georgia Department of Revenue.
• Get all formalities in place for employees, including unemployment, disability, payroll, insurance and taxes.
• Appoint a Board of Directors for the corporation.
• Appoint officers to the corporation.
• Get a corporate records book to capture all your important corporate information.

Some states, including Georgia, allow certain occupations to form “Professional Corporations.” These types of corporations may need special requirements and licensing. The GA Secretary of State does not provide details of specific professions that can form professional corporations. You can find more information here.

A “foreign” filing is when you have a regular, domestic corporation in a state (typically the one where you first formed your business) and need the company to be able to operate in another state. This is where you would file a “Foreign Qualification” to the new state for your domestic corporation to be able to operate in both states. You must have an existing domestic corporation before you can file as a foreign corporation.