Articles of incorporation.
In plain English
Articles of incorporation, sometimes called a certificate of incorporation, are the founding document that legally brings a corporation into existence. You file them with the state, usually the secretary of state, along with a fee. They typically list the company's name, its purpose, its registered agent and address, and the number of shares it can issue. Filing them is what turns a business idea into a separate legal entity that can own property, sign contracts, and shield its owners from personal liability. LLCs file a similar document, usually called articles of organization.
01Why it matters
Filing articles of incorporation is the step that legally creates the company and its liability shield, so it is the formal line between a personal venture and a separate business entity.
02The math, step by step
A founder files articles of incorporation with the state and pays the fee. From that moment the corporation legally exists as its own entity, able to open accounts and sign contracts in its own name rather than the founder's.
03What this is NOT
Articles of incorporation are NOT the internal rulebook. They are the public filing that creates the entity; the internal rules for running it live in the bylaws or, for an LLC, the operating agreement.
04Receipts
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