What Is a Corporate Kit and Do I Need One?

There are many documents involved in incorporating your company. A corporate kit is one way to organize and store those documents.

Ready to start your business? Plans start at $0 + filing fees.

Trustpilot star rating bar
Smiling woman in a gray blazer typing on a laptop

Contents

Updated on: July 15, 2024
Read time: 2 min

Forming a corporation requires a lot of paperwork. It's also a special moment that marks the beginning of an exciting business journey. To professionally and formally organize all of your corporation's documents in an attractive manner, you may want to consider a corporate kit. One way to think of a corporate kit is as a corporate record book that has all of your information in one place.

Find out what a corporate kit is and why you might need one for your business.

man reading paperwork in his office

What is included in a corporate kit?

A corporate kit is a three-ring binder that holds the following documents:

  • Articles of incorporation
  • Certificate of incorporation
  • Amendments to articles of incorporation
  • Corporate seal (if you have one)
  • Bylaws
  • Tax ID assignment letter from the IRS
  • Operating agreement form
  • Share certificates
  • Minutes
  • Resolutions
  • Sales contracts
  • Lease agreements

The corporate kit contains all these important documents that control the formation, organization, and management of your corporation—organized together in one place.

A corporate seal is a round graphic that includes the corporation name, year of incorporation, and state of incorporation. Note that it's not something that is required, but some corporations like to have them. If you have one, it can be included in the corporate kit.

Do you need a corporate kit?

You don't necessarily have to have a formal corporate kit—no state requires this to form a corporation—but make sure you keep and organize all of the documents pertaining to your corporation so that you can easily find them and provide them to investors and other interested parties if requested.

You can purchase a corporate kit online. It will come as an attractive, professional presentation in a beautiful binder with your corporation's name on it and tabs separating and identifying the documents. This impressive-looking binder can help you feel official just by having it on your desk and will give you confidence should you need to make a presentation to investors.

However, it is not necessary that you buy a professionally created corporate kit. If you prefer, you can simply gather all of these documents yourself into a binder or an accordion folder and store them that way. There is no requirement that you keep all of these documents together, so if you want to keep them in file folders or envelopes—or even in a stack on your desk—you're perfectly within your rights.

Should an LLC have a corporate kit?

limited liability company (LLC) is not required to have a corporate kit, but your LLC could certainly purchase or create one as a way to organize all the documents associated with your LLC.

While your LLC is not required to keep minutes, you will have other documents such as annual reports, and you may have resolutions. A corporate kit is a way to keep all of these materials organized in a professional manner.

Ready to start your business? Plans start at $0 + filing fees.Start My LLC
Twitter logoFacebook logoLinkedIn logoReddit logo

This article is for informational purposes. This content is not legal advice, it is the expression of the author and has not been evaluated by LegalZoom for accuracy or changes in the law.

33 days ago
Trustpilot star rating bar

The request I made for formation…

The request I made for formation documents was taken care of immediately and professionally. They were very helpful in getting me what I needed.

Bruce Fleishaker
110 days ago
Trustpilot star rating bar

I had the absolute pleasure of working…

I had the absolute pleasure of working with Maria as my business formation specialist at LegalZoom, and I couldn’t be more grateful for her support throughout the process of creating my LLC. From start to finish, Maria was patient, knowledgeable, and incredibly thorough. She took the time to answer every one of my questions—no matter how small—and walked me through each step with clarity and confidence. Starting a business can feel overwhelming, but Maria made the entire experience smooth and manageable. Her dedication, professionalism, and genuine care for her clients truly stood out. Thanks to her guidance, I felt supported and well-informed every step of the way. Thank you, Maria, for your outstanding service and for going above and beyond. You are truly an asset to the LegalZoom team!

Diego Louis
145 days ago
Trustpilot star rating bar

Using Legal Zoom made my business…

Using Legal Zoom made my business formation very easy. The program is user friendly and explains every step clearly.

Anna Silvia Mejia
174 days ago
Trustpilot star rating bar

Legal Zoom is a true one stop shop

This is the second company I have formed using Legal Zoom. They say what they are going to do and they do it. Legal Zoom provides all the tools and services you will need to quickly start your company, allowing you to focus on your business. The business formation specialist I spoke with, Juan was great; extremely knowledgeable and professional while giving me the feeling that I was talking with an old friend.

Steve Robbins
178 days ago
Trustpilot star rating bar

The agent was extremely helpful and…

The agent was extremely helpful and gave me the info that I was looking for. As soon as I got off of the phone with her, I got the official acceptance of my business formation!

Joshua Roberts
189 days ago
Trustpilot star rating bar

Seamless Support from Day One

I was impressed by how quickly Alan, my Business Formation Specialist, reached out to me. Having support from day one is incredibly reassuring, especially as I navigate starting my first business. I look forward to seeing how my relationship with LegalZoom and my experience with their services evolve.

Rosemart Aoki
203 days ago
Trustpilot star rating bar

ClarisseTravel Wine Tourism Agency

I recently utilized LegalZoom's services. The platform was user friendly, making the complex process of business formation straight forward and accessible. The customer service team was knowledgeable and responsive, promptly addressing all my inquiries. The efficiency and professionalism demonstrated by LegalZoom have provided me with confidence and peace of mind. I highly recommend their services to anyone seeking reliable business formation assistance.

ClarisseTravel LLC
203 days ago
Trustpilot star rating bar

The business formation specialist…

The business formation specialist Ramses Cardenas understood my needs and articulated well the company's product. I chose the pro package because it was my best option based on the information Ramses supplied. The process was quick easy and to the point.

Aaron Kinney
Rated4.6out of 5 based on23,703+ reviewson

Showing our favorite reviews