Start a Mississippi Corporation
Forming a corporation in Mississippi begins with filing Articles of Incorporation with the Mississippi Secretary of State. After that, your Mississippi corporation will need to hold an organizational meeting, get an EIN, and apply for any necessary licenses. Many corporations will want to open a bank account as well.
Steps to Incorporating in Mississippi
- Submit your Mississippi Articles of Incorporation
- Hold an organizational meeting and create bylaws
- Get an EIN from the IRS
- Apply for Mississippi licenses
- Open a Mississippi corporate bank account
Interested in forming a Mississippi corporation? Let us lighten the load! We can handle the formation paperwork, give you a full year of registered agent service, and provide you with all the custom documents you need to open a corporate bank account.
As a local registered agent service, we pride ourselves on providing you all of the tools you’ll need to start your business off on the right foot! Hire us to incorporate your business today!
File Your Mississippi Articles of Incorporation
To register and legally form your Mississippi corporation, you’ll need to file Mississippi Articles of Incorporation. Mississippi no longer provides paper forms for incorporation; you have to fill out your Articles of Incorporation online.
1. Create a Mississippi Secretary of State Online Account
- Go to the Mississippi Secretary of State portal and click “Register.”
- Enter your name, physical and mailing address, phone number and email.
- After entering your information, you’ll get a verification email with a temporary password. Sign in to your account, where you’ll be prompted to create a new password.
2. Navigate to the Articles of Incorporation
- After you’re signed in, select “Business Filings” from the left-hand side of the page.
- Click “Form a Corporation, Non-Profit, LLC, Partnership, or Business Trust.”
- Next to “Business Type,” choose “Profit Corporation” and select “Domestic.”
3. Provide Your Mississippi Corporation’s Information
- Mississippi Corporation Name
Mississippi Statute §79-4-4.01 requires corporation names to include the word “Corporation,” “Incorporated,” “Company,” or “Limited.” Abbreviations for these words are accepted as well. If your name is unavailable, the system will let you know.
- Business Email
Notifications from the state, including approval of your Mississippi Articles of Incorporation, will be sent to this email address, so choose the email address where you’d like to receive these kinds of messages.
- Effective Date
Choose the date you’d like your Mississippi corporation to begin its existence. The effective date must be within 90 days. If you don’t select a date, the effective date will be the date your Mississippi Articles of Incorporation are approved. - NAICS Code
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codesclassify business activity and are used primarily for government business statistics. The codes are six-digit numbers, which can be found by clicking“Search for NAICS Codes” in the portal or visiting the NAICS website. Choose the code that best matches the business activities of your corporation.
- Registered Agent
A Mississippi registered agent accepts service of process and official notifications on behalf of your corporation. Mississippi requires corporations to appoint a registered agent in their Articles of Incorporation. In the portal, you have the option to add a name and address or to click “Find Commercial Registered Agents.”You can search for Mississippi Registered Agent LLC—we offer expert registered agent service for just $49 a year! Better yet, skip this whole submission process and let us file and form your corporation with our fast and comprehensive formation package!
- Shares
You must include the number of shares you’re authorizing or creating. You can authorize as many as you like but must have at least one. If you want to designate different kinds of shares (with specific voting rights or restrictions) you’ll need to include those designations. For example, you could choose to have both common stock and preferred stock. Common stock is the usual stock issued by companies. It typically has voting rights, with the number of votes proportional to the number of shares owned. Preferred stock typically doesn’t include voting rights but has the benefit of fixed, guaranteed dividends and priority payouts in case of bankruptcy.If you just plan to have common shares that come with the same rights across the board, you don’t need to make any special designations.
- Incorporator
An incorporator is the person you authorize to file and form your Mississippi corporation. In the signature section, you’re required to list at least one incorporator, along with their address. Incorporators don’t have to have any ownership interest in the corporation; they can simply be organizers.
4. Submit Your Mississippi Articles of Incorporation
You can either submit online or print and mail your Mississippi Articles of Incorporation.
- Online: Immediate processing, $50 filing fee (+ convenience fee*)
Pay by credit card, eCheck or ACH account (bank payment).
- Print and Mail: 3-5 day processing, $50 filing fee
Pay by check or money order.*The convenience fee varies based on factors such as bank interchange rates but is usually under $5.
Or, if you hire us, we’ll form and file your Mississippi Articles of Incorporation—plus give you everything you need to get your business started! That includes free use of our business address on your public filings (like your Articles of Incorporation), helping to keep your personal address private.
Why Us?
At Mississippi Registered Agent LLC, we value service and we deliver our best to your corporation—with speed, privacy and transparency—every day.
Speed
After a few simple questions, we create and submit your formation paperwork. Processing is only one day!
Privacy
We never sell your information, and we help you maintain your business security by listing our address on public documents like your Articles of Incorporation, so you don’t get all the spam.
Instant Business Presence
When you hire us to incorporate your business, we also give you an entire Mississippi business presence on the spot: a web domain, website, business email, SSL, and a Mississippi phone number. No additional upfront cost, cancel anytime. This is the platform for launching your company’s online presence on the spot! Your data is never sold, and aside from boosting your professional profile, this is a great way to start creating that separation between your personal and business matters.
Transparency
No hidden fees. No mystery charges. We don’t pad our formation package with unnecessary services to increase the price. We give you everything you need, and we tell you exactly what we offer and how much we charge:
- 1-Day Processing
- 1-Year Registered Agent Service (Renewals at the Same Low Rate!)
- Instant Access to Services Through Our Secure Online Portal
- Everything to launch your online Mississippi business presence today
- Expert Customer Service Support
- Electronic Delivery of Your Documents
- Annual Report Reminders and Compliance Notifications
- Custom Operating Agreement, Initial Resolutions, and Membership Certificates
- Register a DBA with our Trade Name (DBA) service for only $125 plus state fees at checkout
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Service
Fees
Our Business Formation Service Fee
$100
1 Year of Registered Agent Service
$49
Mississippi State Filing Fees
$53
Total
$202
FAQ for Mississippi Corporations
Why Do I Need a Mississippi Registered Agent?
Mississippi requires corporations to have and maintain a Mississippi registered agent. The state needs to ensure there’s a reliable channel of communication with your corporation.
Besides being a legal requirement, having a registered agent benefits you as well. When you hire a commercial registered agent (like us!), you can keep your own address off of public records. Articles of Incorporation are public documents, and listing our address ensures you don’t get all the junk mail and hassle that come with a publicly-listed address. We sort through the spam so you don’t have to, scanning documents daily to ensure you never miss an important notification.
For just $49 a year, we can service your Mississippi corporation!
What is an Organizational Meeting?
An organizational meeting is typically the first official meeting of a corporation. During this meeting, the corporation can appoint officers, issue stock, and adopt bylaws. We can assist with the last part—our formation package includes corporate bylaws as just one of many free custom documents.
Does My Mississippi Corporation Need an EIN?
Yes. The IRS requires corporations to obtain a federal tax ID called an Employer Identification Number (EIN). Your EIN will also come in handy when you go to open a corporate bank account. Banks frequently request EINs in their account applications.
How do I get an EIN?
You can apply directly from the IRS at no cost. However, if you’d prefer to leave that to us, you can add EIN service to any formation order for $50.
What Mississippi Licenses Does My Corporation Need?
While your Mississippi corporation isn’t required to get a general business license, there are a variety of licenses, registrations and certifications required for specific professions and business activities.
To help determine what licenses, registrations and certifications your business needs, you can visit the Mississippi Secretary of State website Mississippi Boss.
What is the Mississippi Annual Report?
The Mississippi Annual Report is a report submitted by businesses to the Mississippi Secretary of State in order to update the business’s contact and ownership information. In the report, you’ll also have to provide your NAICS code (that you submitted with your Articles of Incorporation) and your Business ID number. You can look up your Business ID number on on the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Business Search page.
When is the Mississippi Annual Report due?
April 15th each year. You can file between January 1st and April 15th.
How do I file?
All reports must be filed online, using the Mississippi Secretary of State portal (the same portal used to file your Articles of Incorporation).
How much is the filing fee?
$25 + the online convenience fee.
What is Mississippi’s Corporate Franchise Tax?
In addition to a regular corporate income tax, Mississippi requires corporations to pay a corporate franchise tax. This is a tax on either the corporation’s capital or property in the state, whichever is larger. Corporations pay a tax rate of $2.50 for every $1000 of capital/property, with a minimum tax of $25.
How do I register for Mississippi taxes?
You can register online using Mississippi’s Taxpayer Access Point (TAP).
When is my corporate franchise tax due?
For most corporations, both the corporate franchise tax and the corporate income tax are due March 15th. Technically, the taxes are due by the 15th day of the third month after the close of the taxable year, so your corporation will have a different due date if it follows a fiscal year instead of a calendar year.
Benefits of a Mississippi Corporation
- Investor Appeal
Investors often find that corporations are easier to invest in than other business structures. In part, this is because buying and selling stocks is a familiar, straightforward process—much more so than transferring membership of an LLC. Investing in a corporation is not only relatively simple, it can sometimes be a safer investment as well. Shareholders have the potential for benefits that aren’t available to members of an LLC, like guaranteed dividends. Whether or not profits are made by the corporation, shareholders with guaranteed dividends go home with money in their pockets.
- Reputation
It’s not just investors who find corporations appealing. Banks, for example, often prefer to lend to corporations. Why? Corporations have been around much longer than entities like LLCs. Lenders, investors and business partners know how corporations are organized and how they function. Corporations are viewed as established and trustworthy—and also powerful. Picture the inner workings of a dominant, influential company—what do you see? A CEO standing in front of a board of directors, discussing shareholders. Reputation may be hard to measure, but it’s clearly a strength of corporations.
Choose a hassle-free formation. We’ll form and file your Mississippi Articles of Incorporation, give you custom documents, and provide you with a full year of registered agent service, all for just $202. Incorporate the easy way today!