The number of authorized shares is specified in the company's articles of incorporation. You can also see the number in the capital accounts section on the balance sheet.
We generally suggest that a start-up initially authorize 10,000-10,000,000 shares of Common Stock (sometimes referred to in other countries as “ordinary shares” or “voting stock”). This amount of Common Stock enables sufficient shares for initial founder grants and for subsequent employee and consultant grants.
Authorized shares are defined as the maximum number of shares that a company is legally allowed to issue to investors, as established in its corporate organization documents, such as its articles of incorporation.
Authorized shares refer to maximum number of shares that a corporation is allowed to issue. This number is usually referenced in a company's Articles of Incorporation. The only way to increase authorized shares is to make an amendment to the aforementioned document.
Corporate bylaws are legally required in Arizona. AZ Rev Stat § 10-206 states that the “board of directors of a corporation shall adopt initial bylaws for the corporation.” This means that adopting bylaws is a legal requirement.
Many experts suggest starting with 10,000, but companies can authorize as little as one share. While 10,000 may seem conservative, owners can file for more authorized stocks at a later time. Typically, business owners should choose a number that includes the stocks being issued and some for reservation.
“Authorized shares” refers to the number of shares the corporation is allowed to issue under its certificate or articles of incorporation. 10 to 15 million is a commonly used range (we set 10 million as default for the Cooley GO Docs Incorporation Package).
If you want to file an annual report, please log into or create an eCorp account and file online. All documents must be submitted with a Cover Sheet. The Cover Sheet is a Miscellaneous form. All forms are in PDF format and are fillable (you can type in them).
The number of authorized shares is specified in the company's articles of incorporation. You can also see the number in the capital accounts section on the balance sheet.
The portion of authorized shares that has been sold to shareholders is called issued shares. Outstanding shares are total number of shares in circulation, meaning they are issued shares minus treasury stock.