Start a Corporation in Alaska

Yes. You will need to renew your Alaska DBA after five years between October 1st and December 31st of the year the DBA is set to expire. If your business is a foreign entity, you’ll need to renew your DBA every year. You can renew by filing a Renew Business Name Registration form online, by mail, or in person. The cost for renewal is $25.

Yes! There are two ways to change your registered agent in Alaska.

1. Hire us and we’ll complete the change of agent form for you for free.
2. Do it yourself and file a Change Registered Agent or Registered Agent Address with the Alaska Division of Corporations. The form costs $25 to file.

You can file Alaska articles online or by mail. Mailed filings must be sent to the following address:

State of Alaska Corporations Section
PO Box 110806
Juneau, AK 99811-0806

You can get an EIN directly from the IRS. The application is free, and most businesses can apply online. However, if you don’t have a social security number, you’ll need to submit a paper application form. Can’t bear to fill out yet another application? Hire Northwest to get your EIN for you. Just add on EIN service during checkout when you sign up for our incorporation service. Or choose our Corporate Guide Service—an EIN is included.

New corporations must provide information about each beneficial owner and their company applicant. (Corporations formed before 2024 don’t need to give company applicant information.) You’ll also need to provide some basic company information.

Beneficial owner and company applicant information: 

• Full name
• Date of birth
• Residential or business street address
• Personal identification document (such as a driver’s license or passport), including the ID number

Company information:

• Legal business name
• Any DBAs/fictitious business names
• Business street address
• State of incorporation
• Employer Identification Number (EIN)

Yes. Any time information that’s required on the BOI Report changes, (such as the chief officers, company name, or address) you’ll need to file an updated report within 30 days. You can file your updated report for free through BOSS.

No. Unlike the information on your Alaska Articles of Incorporation, your BOI Report won’t be publicly available. The only groups that will be able to access BOI Report information are US government agencies, law enforcement, and financial institutions (for customer verification purposes).

Yes, there are 23 classes of exemption from the BOI Report. The most common exemptions include:

• Large operating companies
• Most financial companies, such as banks and credit unions
• Investment companies registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
• Insurance companies registered with a state or federal agency
• Public utilities companies registered with a state or federal agency
• Tax-exempt entities

Corporate bylaws cover basic policies and procedures for issues such as company finances and management. Bylaws should cover a range of topics, answering key questions like those below:

• Meetings: When and where will meetings for shareholders and directors be held? How many attendees are required to transact business? What are the procedures for voting or proxy voting? How do you call a special meeting? What actions can be taken without a meeting?

• Stock: How are stock certificates issued and transferred? How is voting affected by issues such as corporate stock owners or fractional shares?

• Directors and officers: How many directors must there be? Which officer positions are required? What powers do they have? How do you fill a vacancy or remove a director or officer?

• Finances: What are the procedures for retaining profits, issuing dividends, and paying bills? Who can withdraw money from the corporate bank account or sign checks?

• Records: Where is the corporate book to be kept? What information will be maintained? How are requests for review or access honored? Can records or copies be kept or distributed digitally?

• Amendments and emergencies: Who can amend bylaws and how? Can emergency bylaws be adopted in the case of disaster?

Alaska bylaws can make other provisions as well, assuming additions are in accordance with state law. AK Stat § 10.06.230 (2019) gives examples of provisions bylaws can make, such as requirements regarding annual reports and financial statements to shareholders. According to the same statute, bylaws must also state the number of directors if the number is not listed in the articles.

Creating bylaws can be overwhelming—where do you start? Northwest can help. We give you free corporate bylaws when you hire us to form your Alaska corporation. We know what kinds of topics and questions corporations need to address, and we’ve spent years refining and improving our forms. We offer many other free corporate forms as well, including templates for resolutions and meeting minutes.

Your Alaska Biennial Report is due January 2nd every other year. If you incorporate in an even-numbered year, your report will always be due in even-numbered years. Likewise, if you incorporate in an odd-numbered year, your report will be due in odd-numbered years going forward.

If you miss your filing deadline (and the one month grace period), there’s a weirdly-priced late fee of $37.50. And if you brush off paying this as well, the state will eventually revoke or dissolve your corporation.

These filings can be easy to forget—which is why we send our clients automatic reminders. Or better yet, let us file for you. With our business renewal service, we can complete and submit your biennial report for you for $100 plus the state fee.

A major perk for Alaska businesses: Alaska has no personal net income tax AND no state-level sales tax. (A few local areas, however, have their own sales taxes. Juneau, for example, has a 5% sales tax).

There is, however, a corporate net income tax. The rates are defined by AK Stat § 43.20.011 (2019) as follows:

$0 to $24,999: zero tax
$25,000 to $48,999: 2% of income in excess of $25K
$49,000 to $73,999: $480 + 3% of income in excess of $49K
$74,000 to $98,999: $1,230 + 4% of income in excess of $74K
$99,000 to $123,999: $2,230 +5% of income in excess of $99K
$124,000 to $147,999: $3,480 + 6% of income in excess of $124K
$148,000 to $172,999: $4,920 + 7% of income in excess of $148K
$173,000 to $197,999: $6,670 + 8% of income in excess of $173K
$198,000 to $221,999: $8,670 +9% of income in excess of $198K
$222,000 +: $10,830 + 9.4% of income in excess of $222K

The Alaska Biennial Report costs $100.