Outstanding shares are shares of stock that have been issued. Authorized stock, or authorized shares, refers to the maximum number of shares that a corporation is legally permitted to issue.Enter the total amount of the taxpayer's capital stock and additional paid in capital, but not less than zero. The amount must not be reduced for any. Capital stock authorized is the number of shares of stock that a corporation is entitled to issue as designated in its charter. "Authorized shares" refers to the number of shares the corporation is allowed to issue under its certificate or articles of incorporation. Authorized capital stock is the largest amount of shares a company is permitted to issue. Authorized shares, or authorized stock, are simply a legally allowed maximum number of shares that a company can issue to investors. Authorized shares are the shares set forth in the company's charter – it is the total amount of shares the company is allowed to issue. --A corporation may issue as capital stock a class of nonvoting preferred stock upon terms and conditions provided in the articles of incorporation.