Oregon Corporation

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.

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?

Oregon bylaws can make other provisions as well, assuming additions are in accordance with state law. For example, OR Rev Stat § 60.464 (2019) states that shareholders of an incorporation may adopt or amend a bylaw that fixes a greater quorum or voting requirement for shareholders, or voting groups of shareholders, than is required by the state of Oregon.

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 Oregon 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.

$100. This is the state fee to submit your mandatory Oregon Business Renewal each year.

Your renewal and $100 fee are due on the anniversary of when you first registered your business. What happens if you don’t file? After 45 days, the state will dissolve your corporation.

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

Corporations that do business in Oregon are required to file the state’s Corporation Excise Tax and may need to register for and possibly file the Corporation Activity Tax.

The Corporation Excise Tax base is typically income (like a traditional income tax) and has the following rates:

6.6%: $0 to $1 million
7.6%: over $1 million

However, if it results in a higher tax, your tax base could be your corporation’s Oregon sales. In this case, you pay a flat rate. For instance, the rate is $150 for corporations with less than $500K in sales and $500 for $500K to $1 million in sales.

Have an S corporation? S corps pay the the minimum tax of $150.

Some corporations may also be subject to a relatively new tax called the Corporation Activity Tax (or CAT). The CAT is paid in addition to the state’s current corporate income tax and is based on a business’s commercial activity in the state of Oregon.

If your corporation’s commercial activity exceeds $1 million, the tax is computed as $250 plus 0.57% of taxable Oregon commercial activity of more than $1 million. Only taxpayers with more than $1 million of taxable Oregon commercial activity will have a filing and payment obligation. Taxpayers with $750,000 or more of taxable Oregon commercial activity must register for the CAT, and taxpayers with less are exempt from CAT requirements.

While the state has no sales tax, the personal net income tax is one of the highest in the country, topping out at a whopping 9.9%.

Yes, if you conduct business in Oregon, you’re required to register with the Oregon Department of Revenue. You can register on the Department of Revenue’s website. You’ll need your EIN before you can register.

The Corporation Division charges a $100 fee to file Articles of Incorporation.

Hire Northwest to form your Oregon corporation and your total, out-the-door cost is $325. This includes state filing fees, a year of registered agent service, business address, and loads of tools and forms to help get your business up and running.

File online and you’ll typically get an email notification of your approval within a day. Or, if you’re in downtown Salem and don’t mind hunting for parking and navigating a government building, you can drop off your filing at the Corporation Division in person and get your approval either that day or the next. Mail your Articles of Incorporation, and you’ll have to wait for the mail, the Corporation Division’s mail sorting, and a filer to process your submission by hand. You’ll get your approval in a few days (occasionally up to a week).

Oregon doesn’t have a general business license for all businesses. Instead, hundreds of different occupations and activities are licensed on the state level. (You can do an Oregon Licensing Search here).

Cities and counties often have additional requirements too. For instance, in the City of Portland and Multnomah County, all businesses are required to register for a business tax license (initial registration is free, but you’ll have to file city/county taxes each year). In Bend, however, you’ll shell out a $50 application fee to register your business.

For some license applications you may need an EIN or a certified copy of your Articles of Incorporation. At Northwest, we can streamline the process and get these for you—simply add on these items during checkout.

A corporation formed outside of Oregon—but which conducts business in the state—is considered a foreign Oregon corporation. For example, if you incorporated in Washington but decide to open a storefront in Oregon, you would be a foreign Oregon corporation. This also means you would need to register with the state by filing an Application for Authority with the Oregon Secretary of State, Corporation Division. Foreign corporations are also required to file an annual renewal.

Absolutely! We’re happy to start a nonprofit corporation for you. Note that incorporating an Oregon nonprofit requires a different form. The filing fee is lower as well. Oregon nonprofits must also file an annual renewal each year.

It’s a conundrum: you need a local number to display on your website and give to customers, but you don’t want to make your personal number quite so…public. We get it. And we’ve got you covered with Northwest Phone Service. We can provide you with a virtual phone number in any state—plus unlimited call forwarding and tons of easy-to-use features. You can try Phone Service free for 60 days when you hire us to form your corporation, and maintaining service is just $9 monthly after that. No contract required.