How to Incorporate in Georgia (May 2024 Update)

Meow Technologies, Inc.

Meow Technologies, Inc.

Incorporating a business in Georgia opens up key benefits such as personal liability protection, tax advantages, and credibility with customers. While the process involves several steps, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know to get your Georgia corporation successfully up and running.

Incorporating in any state involves paperwork filings, fees, and company setup steps before you can open your doors for business. Georgia has its own specific rules and requirements around business formation, including necessities like publishing newspaper notices and appointing registered agents.

By understanding exactly what’s required and getting your documents in order ahead of time, you can incorporate smoothly and quickly get to growing your company in Georgia. Let’s get started!

Name and Register Your Georgia Corporation

The first things you’ll need to legally create your Georgia corporation are an available business name and a registered business agent.

Check Name Availability

You’ll want to search the Georgia Secretary of State’s database to make sure your chosen corporate name isn’t already taken. The name you pick must adhere to Georgia corporation naming rules, including:

  • Containing a corporate designator at the end like “Corporation,” “Incorporated,” “Limited,” or “Company”
  • Not using deceptive or misleading language
  • Being distinguishable from existing names

Once you’ve determined name availability, you can reserve your corporation’s name with the Georgia Secretary of State by filing a Name Reservation Request form and paying a $25 fee. Your reserved name will then remain available to you for the next 30 days.

Designate a Registered Agent

All Georgia corporations must designate a registered agent to receive your company’s legal and tax documents. Your registered agent must have an in-state physical address where they can be reached during normal business hours.

While you can save money by naming yourself, it often makes sense to use a third-party registered agent service for maximum convenience and to keep your home address private.

Submit Articles of Incorporation

To legally form your corporation, you must draft and file Articles of Incorporation with the Georgia Secretary of State Corporations Division.

Key details you’ll need to include:

  • Your reserved corporate name
  • Number of shares your corporation is authorized to issue
  • Registered agent’s name and registered office address
  • The incorporator’s name and address

Articles can be submitted online or via mail. Processing times ranges from 1-15 business days depending on your filing method. Expedited services are available for an additional $100-250 fee.

Obtain Your Employer Identification Number

After getting your basic corporation registered with Georgia, you’ll need to obtain a federal Employer Identification Number (EIN).

What is an EIN?

An EIN acts like a social security number for your business. You’ll need it to handle any IRS tax filings, open business bank accounts, and potentially apply for business licenses and permits in Georgia.

Most companies can easily get an EIN for free via the IRS website. Just head to IRS.gov and search “apply for an EIN,” then follow the online application process.

File the Beneficial Ownership Information Report

In 2024, new US corporations will also be required to file what’s called a Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) Report with the federal Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). This will include providing personal details on those who ultimately own or control the company.For those forming Georgia corporations in 2024 or later, you’ll need to provide this information within 90 days of incorporation. Details required include full names, dates of birth, addresses, and ID document information for:

  • Those with 25%+ ownership stakes
  • Anyone with substantial control, like directors and officers

Your company’s legal name, DBAs, tax ID number, and address must be reported as well. This data helps law enforcement investigate financial crimes. Yet unlike your Articles of Incorporation, BOI reports are not public records.

Submit Initial and Annual Registrations

Within 90 days of incorporating in Georgia, you must submit an Initial Registration report naming three principal corporate officers and paying a $50 fee.

After that, annual registrations are due by April 1st of each year following incorporation. These continue registering your current principal office address, officers, and registered agent while keeping your corporation in good standing.

Set Up Your Georgia Corporation

Write Corporate Bylaws

Company bylaws act as an operating manual, laying out rules for your Georgia corporation around:

  • Officer duties
  • Shareholder rights
  • How meetings are held
  • Stock policies
  • Bank account procedures
  • Amending bylaws

While Georgia doesn’t require submitting your bylaws, adopting them in writing is still considered a best practice for keeping corporate protections in place.

Hold an Organizational Meeting

The next step is to hold an initial organizational meeting to appoint your first corporate directors, officers, adopt bylaws, issue stock certificates, and conduct any other startup business.

You’ll also want to record meeting minutes as an official company record showing these foundation actions were carried out properly in case further legal proof is ever needed.

Open a Corporate Bank Account

With all your formation documents filed, the next practical step towards operating your Georgia corporation is opening a dedicated business bank account.

Mixing personal and corporate funds can put your limited liability protections in jeopardy. So you’ll want to keep your accounts separate right from the start.

To open your corporate account, you may need to provide items like your EIN, Articles of Incorporation, company bylaws or an authorizing corporate resolution allowing account opening.

For more information, take a look at our article on the key benefits of business checking accounts.

Understand Your Ongoing Georgia Taxes and Reports

As part of operating a registered Georgia corporation, you’ll need to handle ongoing state tax filings and annual reports. Here are some key items to keep in mind.

Taxes

  • Georgia charges a state corporate net income tax of 5.75% on profits
  • There is also a net worth tax ranging from $125 to $5000 depending on assets
  • You may need to collect Georgia sales tax as well
  • S-Corporations face some special state tax rules

Reports

Your Georgia Annual Registration renewal and fee are due by April 1st every year that you operate. This form confirms or updates details like your:

  • Principal office address
  • Officers
  • Registered agent

Failing to file can lead to administrative dissolution of your corporation, so be sure to mark your calendars!

Conclusion

Following the key steps outlined above for naming, registering, setting up, and maintaining your Georgia corporation will get your business legally formed while keeping state compliance in check.

Some final tips as you get your corporation off the ground:

  • Handle any business licenses or operational permits required for your industry
  • Set up payroll, accounting, and other systems
  • Make sure to keep holding annual shareholder and director meetings
  • Maintain detailed corporate records like meeting minutes
  • Issue share certificates and dividend checks per your bylaws

And with that—congrats! Your Georgia corporation should now be ready for business. As always, connect with an attorney if you have any questions along the way. Here’s wishing you tremendous success!


Meow Technologies is a financial technology company, not a bank or FDIC-depository insured institution. Likewise, Meow Technologies is not an investment adviser and none of the information presented herein should be relied upon as financial advice or a recommendation to make any financial decision nor should it be considered to be tax or legal advice. The information is the opinion of Meow Technologies for educational purposes and may not be suitable for all companies. Products, like the one described herein, are offered through Meow Technologies and are not advisory services which are only offered through Meow Advisory, LLC.** The FDICs deposit insurance coverage only protects against the failure of an FDIC-insured bank.**

Get started with Meow

*Disclaimer: Meow Advisory LLC is a registered investment adviser. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply any level of skill or training.
For accounts opened through Atomic Brokerage LLC: Meow Advisory LLC has an engagement with Atomic Brokerage LLC (“Atomic Brokerage”), a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC , to bring you the opportunity to open a brokerage account. Brokerage services for customers of Meow Advisory LLC are provided by Atomic Brokerage. For more details about Atomic Brokerage, please see the Form CRS, General Disclosures, and the Privacy Policy. Check the background of Atomic Brokerage on FINRA’s BrokerCheck.
For subadvisory services for accounts opened through Atomic Invest LLC: Meow Advisory LLC has an engagement with Atomic Invest, LLC (“Atomic Invest”), an SEC-registered investment adviser, to bring you the opportunity to open an investment advisory account. Investment advisory services are provided by Atomic Invest. Companies which are engaged by Atomic Invest receive compensation of 0% to 0.85% annualized, payable monthly, based upon assets under management for each referred client who establishes an account with Atomic Invest (i.e., exact payment will differ). Atomic Invest also shares a percentage of compensation received from margin interest and free cash interest earned by customers with Meow Advisory LLC. Meow Advisory LLC is not a client of Atomic Invest, but our engagement with Atomic invest gives us an incentive to refer you to Atomic Invest instead of another investment adviser. This conflict of interest affects our ability to provide you with unbiased, objective information about the services of Atomic Invest. This could mean that the services of another investment adviser with whom we are not engaged could be more appropriate for you than Atomic invest. Advisory services through Atomic Invest are designed to assist clients in achieving a favorable outcome in their investment portfolio. They are not intended to provide tax advice or financial planning with respect to every aspect of a client’s financial situation and do not include investments that clients may hold outside of Atomic Invest. For more details about Atomic Invest, please see the Form CRS, Form ADV Part 2A, the Privacy Policy, and other disclosures. Brokerage services for Atomic Invest are provided by Pershing Advisor Solutions LLC (“PAS”), a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC.
Neither Atomic Invest nor Atomic Brokerage, nor any of their affiliates, is a bank. Investments in securities are Not FDIC insured, Not Bank Guaranteed, and May Lose Value. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Before investing, consider your investment objectives and the fees and expenses charged by Atomic Brokerage and/or Atomic Invest.
See the Legal Section within the Meow website for additional agreements.

U.K. Gilt pricing quoted net of fees. ~5% U.K. Gilt yield is sourced from Investing.com December 2023 6-month United Kingdom 6-Month Bond Yield. ~5% Treasury Bill yield is sourced from treasurydirect.gov December 2023 12-week U.S. Treasury Bill auction.

**Disclaimer: Meow Technologies is a financial technology company, not a depository, bank or credit union, and your account at Meow is not, itself, an FDIC-insured product.

Meow currently partners with three banking providers. Banking services are provided by Third Coast Bank SSB; Member FDIC, Grasshopper Bank, N.A; Member FDIC, and FirstBank, a Tennessee corporation; Member FDIC.

By opening a Maximum Checking account through Meow and if you choose to receive banking services provided by Grasshopper Bank, N.A, you deposit your funds into a deposit account at Grasshopper Bank, N.A. which sweeps those funds into deposit accounts across a network of Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”)-insured banks, for up to the current standard maximum deposit insurance amount (“SMDIA”) of $250,000 per eligible depositor, per destination institution, for each ownership capacity or category, subject to applicable terms and conditions, including Grasshopper's ICS Deposit Placement Agreement. Grasshopper Bank, N.A. uses a third-party vendor and agent to help administer this sweep process. Visit https://www.intrafi.com/network-banks/ for a list of the banks and savings associations with which we/Grasshopper, N.A. have a business relationship for the placement of deposits at destination institutions, and into which your deposits may be placed (subject to applicable terms with you, and any opt-outs by Grasshopper, N.A. or you). The current maximum deposit insurance amount for your funds is up to $125 million in FDIC insurance through the sweep network of Grasshopper Bank, N.A, subject to change at any time with notice from Meow and/or pursuant to applicable law. Terms and restrictions apply. Subject to applicable rate sheet. Interest rate on checking products quoted in Annual Percentage Yield (APY). Interest rates and yields are effective as per the date on the applicable rate sheet. See applicable terms and restrictions and refer to the applicable rate sheets for additional information.

By opening a Maximum Checking account through Meow and if you choose to receive banking services provided by Third Coast Bank SSB, you deposit your funds into a deposit account at Third Coast Bank SSB. If you also hold funds in a sweep program with Third Coast Bank SSB, Third Coast Bank SSB sweeps those funds into deposit accounts across a network of FDIC-insured banks, for up to the current SMDIA of $250,000 per eligible depositor, per receiving bank, for each ownership capacity or category, including any other balances you may hold at that receiving bank directly or indirectly through other intermediaries, including broker-dealers. Third Coast Bank SSB uses a third-party vendor and agent to help administer this sweep process. Visit Third Coast Bank SSB for a list of the banks and savings associations with which we/Third Coast Bank SSB have a business relationship for the placement of deposits at receiving banks, and into which your deposits may be placed (subject to applicable terms with you, and any opt-outs by Third Coast Bank or you). The current maximum deposit insurance amount for your funds is up to $50 Million in FDIC insurance through the sweep network of Third Coast Bank, subject to change at any time with notice from Meow and/or pursuant to applicable law. Terms and restrictions apply. Subject to applicable rate sheet. Interest rate on checking products quoted in Annual Percentage Yield (APY). Interest rates and yields are effective as per the date on the applicable rate sheet. See applicable terms and conditions and refer to the applicable rate sheet for additional information.

By opening a Maximum Checking account through Meow and if you choose to receive banking services provided by FirstBank, a Tennessee corporation, you deposit your funds into a deposit account at FirstBank, which sweeps those funds into deposit accounts across a network of FDIC-insured banks, for up to the current SMDIA of $250,000 per eligible depositor, per destination institution, for each ownership capacity or category, subject to applicable terms and conditions, including FirstBank's ICS Deposit Placement Agreement. FirstBank uses a third-party vendor and agent to help administer this sweep process. Visit IntraFi for a list of the banks and savings associations with which FirstBank has a business relationship for the placement of deposits at destination institutions, and into which your deposits may be placed (subject to applicable terms with you, and any opt-outs by FirstBank or you). The current maximum deposit insurance amount for your funds is up to $125 million in FDIC insurance through the sweep network of FirstBank, subject to change at any time with notice from Meow and/or pursuant to applicable law. Terms and restrictions apply. Subject to applicable rate sheet. Interest rate on checking products quoted in Annual Percentage Yield (APY). Interest rates and yields are effective as per the date on the applicable rate sheet. See applicable terms and restrictions and refer to the applicable rate sheet for additional information.

***FDIC insurance coverage is only available to protect you against the failure of an FDIC-insured bank that holds your deposits (and does not protect you against the failure of Meow or other third party). Your account with Meow and all services provided to you are subject to the Meow Terms of Service (“Account Agreements”) and other applicable terms and no other representations or warranties, express or implied, are provided to you except as expressly set forth in those written Account Agreements. If you have any questions regarding your account, please contact team@meow.com.

FirstBank Funds Availability Notice

FirstBanks general policy is to allow you to withdraw funds deposited in your account on the first business day after the day we receive your deposit. Funds from electronic deposits will be available on the day we receive the deposit. In some cases, we may delay your ability to withdraw funds beyond the first business day. Then, the funds will generally be available by the SECOND business day after the day of deposit.