Start a Corporation in Colorado

Colorado DBAs must be renewed annually by filing a statement of trade name renewal any time during the three months before the expiration date. When registering your trade name, you can sign up to receive email notifications from the secretary of state’s office regarding your renewal. The first email will be sent at the beginning of the first month you can submit your renewal paperwork, and a second email will be sent one week before your trade name expires.

To renew, you’ll need to use the secretary of state’s Record Identification or ID Search to find the record of your trade name registration, which will enable you to renew online.

Yes, you can be your own registered agent in Colorado. With that said, however, after considering the registered agent requirements most business owners elect to hire a registered agent service instead. Why? Well although being your own registered agent will cost you $0, a Colorado registered agent’s name and address becomes part of the public record.  Additionally, the registered agent is required to be available to accept service of process during normal business hours 5 days a week.

Yes. File a Statement of Change Changing the Registered Agent Information form with the Colorado Secretary of State. (The “Change Changing” bit isn’t a typo—it’s just a weirdly-named filing.) After you place an order with us, you’ll need to file the form online. All Colorado filings are done online. It’s a simple process, but for more info, see our guide on how to change your registered agent in Colorado.

You can only file Colorado articles online.

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.

New corporations must provide information about each beneficial owner and their company applicant. (Corporations formed before 2024 don’t need to list 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/trade 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 Colorado 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?

Colorado bylaws can also go into more detail regarding the above topics and/or include other provisions—the main requirement is that they must be in accordance with state law. For example, CO Rev Stat § 7-106-202 states that shares can be sold for less than par value unless the bylaws (or articles of incorporation) say otherwise.

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 Colorado 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.

The Colorado Periodic Report is just $10. Fail to file on time, however, and you’re immediately hit with a $50 late fee and “non-compliant” status. After 90 days of non-compliant status, you enter “delinquent” status, your late fee goes up to $90, and you have to file a Statement Curing Delinquency.

The filing is due during your anniversary month (the month you first incorporated). For example, if you form your business on August 22, your periodic report will always be due during the month of August. The earliest you can file your report is two months before your due date.

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 annual report for you for $100 plus the state fee.

Colorado has one of the lowest corporate income tax rates in the country—a flat rate of 4.63%.

The Colorado general sales tax is also pretty low at 2.9%. City, county, and specialty sales taxes can be tacked on as well, making the average total sales tax 6.019%. But, don’t be shocked if you’re hit with a higher combined sales tax rate in certain cities, especially tourist hubs. By the time it’s all said and done in Aspen, for example, the sales tax is 9.3%.

Yes. You’ll need to register so that the state can keep track of your corporate income tax and any other taxes your corporation is responsible for paying or collecting. Create an account and login with Revenue Online. You’ll need your EIN before you can register.