Outstanding shares are shares of stock that have been issued. "Authorized shares" refers to the number of shares the corporation is allowed to issue under its certificate or articles of incorporation.Today we're going to talk about the difference between authorized and issued shares in a corporation. Authorized shares become issued shares when "issued" or distributed to a stockholder. Issued shares are drawn from the total pool of authorized shares and can never exceed the number of authorized shares. It provides information on returns filed and taxes collected, enforcement, taxpayer assis- tance, the IRS budget and workforce, and other selected activities. Completing the Application.