Starting a business can be so exciting. You plan, you take the steps you need to take to incorporate your business, and then you receive your corporate kit. One question we get quite often is, what am I supposed to do with this book?
Although a business is not required to order a corporate kit, it is a great place to keep all of your important corporate documents organized and in a book where you have all of your information in one convenient place. What is included in a corporate kit? A corporate kit is a binder that can hold the following documents:
– Articles of Incorporation;
– Certificate of Incorporation;
– Any amendments to your Articles of Incorporation;
– Your corporate seal (if you have one);
– Bylaws;
– Employer Identification Number from the IRS;- Operating Agreement (for a LLC);- Share Certificates;- Meeting minutes;
– Resolutions;
– Important contracts such as a lease agreement.
A corporate kit can be purchased when you incorporate or form your business. It will come with tabs to separate each section and you can organize it however you would like. When you need one of these important documents, you will know exactly where to look. For our clients that we work with as general counsel, many of them ask us to keep their corporate books in our office so that they know where they are and that they are in a safe place. If we, or they, need to refer to one of the important documents, we can easily access them.
Do you have to order a corporate kit? No. You can easily keep yourself organized by buying a binder, tabs, and labels to keep each document separate and easily accessible. However, if you want a more formal binder, without having to do anything extra to organize it, the corporate kit will come organized and ready for you to include your corporate documents. Whether you order a corporate kit, or create your own, we recommend keeping these documents in an organized place where you can easily refer to them. Knowing where to find them can alleviate stress when you unexpectedly need one of these documents!
Disclaimer: The information contained in this post is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. We invite you to contact us and welcome your calls and communications. Contacting us, however, does not create an attorney-client relationship.
