Missouri Corporation

For Missouri Corporation prices and State fees, please visit the costs page for forming a Corporation in Missouri.

Missouri corporation and corporation are general, for profit, corporations, refered to as "C Corporations", referring to Chapter "C" of the IRS tax code. A corporation is a separate legal entity and is, essentially, treated as a person, legally. The entity can own property, open bank accounts and credit lines and, under its own name, conduct business. The corporation is responsible for its own debts and actions, therefore (if the company is operated correctly) in the event of a lawsuit that forces the business into bankruptcy, the owners of the corporation are not liable for the corporate debt.

Missouri corporation must observe some operating formalities and maintain its separate legal status. Holding shareholder meetings, at least annually, is one of these formalities. At these meetings the corporation shareholders discuss and decide on critical business matters and approve actions taken by the corporation for the operating period. These meetings should be recorded in the form of meeting minutes, this is a legal record that shows the shareholders are approving actions and the officers are indemnified by the stockholder approval of the business actions.

The board of directors acts as a managerial body for the corporation. A corporate director is a member of this body and is generally elected by the shareholders. Each director must attend meetings of the board, which must be held no less than once a year. Directors must make sure that major corporate actions are clearly written and were taken behalf of the corporation. Directors have a fiduciary responsibility to the shareholders to keep their best interests in mind.