If you are considering making the jump to incorporate your business, there is a lot of information and research that needs to be done prior to your decision. Business incorporation has its pros and cons just like everything in the business world. In order to make sure that the business incorporation goes smoothly, it is always smart to hire an attorney to assure yourself that the paperwork is filled out correctly and everything goes to plan.

The forms for business incorporation include articles of incorporation that conform to the state law. They must be filed with the correct state authorities along with the filing fees, initial franchise taxes and other initial fees. One of the easiest ways to fill out these forms is through BizFilings. All you have to do in order to incorporate your business is complete the online order form and BizFilings handles the rest.

There are many advantages to going through the business incorporation process. One of the primary advantages is the limited liability the corporate entity affords its shareholders. With the shareholders not being liable for the debts of the corporation, shareholders are free of obligation to the company. Another advantage to incorporating your business is the fact that ownership of the corporation is easily transferable. If you decide after a year or two that you don't want to have full responsibility for the corporation any more, you can sell it or have someone take over very easily.

Having a corporation allows you to raise capital much easier through the sales of stocks. If that weren't enough to get you to go through the business incorporation process, it's soothing to know that you can be taken care of in the future as well. By being involved in a corporation your retirement funds such as a 401k are set up much more easily to ensure that you are taken care of after retirement.

While there are many benefits to business incorporation, there are also the downsides you have to face. The primary downside you will notice with a corporation is double taxation. Profits of a corporation are taxed twice when distributed to the shareholders; once as income to the corporation and another time as income to the shareholder. Other disadvantages to incorporating your business include the increase of paperwork and extensive record keeping that is required.

When going through the business incorporation process, there are many decisions that you have to make. It is a huge jump in your life and you have to determine if the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. If you do decide that incorporating your business is worth it, you then have to make sure to fill out all the legal documents correctly and submit them to the right place. Hiring an attorney is not necessary by any means, but is recommended. At the end of the day you have to realize that business incorporation is a huge decision and could change your life, so make sure that you are 100% sure on the decision you go with.