Information on the 50 States and the District of columbia

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Incorporating in Michigan

Corporate Name Requirements

* The name shall contain the word “Corporation”, “Company”, “Incorporated”, or “Limited”, or the abbreviation. The name shall not indicate that the corporation was formed for a purpose other than one or more of the purposes permitted in the articles. The name shall be distinguishable from the corporate name of domestic or foreign corporations, domestic or foreign limited partnerships, or currently reserved names. The name cannot use words “Bank,” “Industrial Bank,” “Deposit,” “Surety,” “Security,” “Trust,” or “Trust Company.

Articles of Incorporation Requirements

Director Information

  • Minimum Number – One or more.
  • Residence Requirements. – No provision.
  • Age Requirements – None.
  • Directors are not required to be listed in the articles of incorporation.

Officer Information

  • The officers are not required to be listed in the articles of incorporation.

Stock Information

  • An increase in the shares may cause an increase in the initial filing fee.

Yearly Requirements

Annual Statements

  • Domestic and foreign corporations, transacting business, employing capital or persons, owning or managing property in Michigan, must file an annual report with the Department of Commerce by May 15 annually. The filing fee is $15.

Michigan Corporate Income Tax (CIT)

  • The CIT imposes a 6% corporate income tax on C corporations and taxpayers taxed as corporations federally. The CIT has one credit, the small business alternative credit, which offers an alternate tax rate of 1.8% of adjusted business income. There are no other credits, except those under the MBT election. Insurance companies and financial institutions pay alternative taxes. The CIT replaces the Michigan Business Tax (MBT) for most taxpayers, effective January 1, 2012. Taxpayers with less than $350,000 in allocated or apportioned gross receipts and/or less than or equal to $100 in annual liability are not required to file or pay the CIT. The gross receipts threshold does not apply to financial institutions or insurance companies.

For more information on taxes, visit Michigan Department of Treasury

 

C-Corporation

  • Shareholders have limited liability protection
  • May be listed and traded as a publiccorporation on the stock market or “over the counter”
  • Has a separate and independent tax status from its owners
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S Corporation

  • Profits are not subject to “double taxation”
  • Corporate losses may be “passed through” to share holders
  • Shareholders are afforded the same protection as C Corp.
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LLC formation

  • Contains characteristics of both corporation and partnership
  • Shareholders may take advantage of “Pass-Through” taxation
  • Limited liability for share holders
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Not for profit corp

  • Eligible for tax-exempt status
  • Limited Liability protection
  • Qualify for public and private gains
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