Form a Benefit Corporation, for free.
A benefit corporation is a for-profit corporation that writes a public purpose into its legal DNA. Its directors are required to weigh workers, community, and the environment alongside profit, and the company reports on that impact each year. It raises capital and issues stock like any C-corp. We form it in your state at no service cost.
Right now, your mission lives in a pitch deck, not the law.
You're building a company that's supposed to do well and do good. The risk is that the good part is a promise, and promises bend under a funding round or a sale. A benefit corporation writes the mission into the entity itself, so the obligation to weigh people and planet survives new investors and new owners. You don't need to draft that language yourself. You need one clear path, and a team that files these every week.
The first question people ask you: isn't that just a Certified B Corp?
What a benefit corporation adds: and what it doesn't.
A benefit corporation is a normal for-profit corporation with one change: its directors are legally required to consider the company's stated public purpose and its stakeholders, not shareholder profit alone, and to publish a benefit report on how they did. It still issues stock, raises venture capital, and is taxed like any C-corp. What it does not do is make you a charity or hand you a tax break. It changes who the board answers to, and locks your mission in through the moments when it would otherwise get traded away.
- Your mission is core, and you want it legally protected through funding rounds and a future sale.
- You want to signal your values to customers, talent, and mission-aligned investors in a way that's binding, not marketing.
- You still plan to raise capital and issue stock: it's a full C-corp underneath.
- You may pursue B Corp certification later and want the legal structure that supports it.
- You want maximum flexibility with no benefit-report obligation: a standard C-corporation.
- You're a charity that won't distribute profit and wants tax-exempt status: a nonprofit.
- Your investors are wary of stakeholder duties, and you'd rather keep the mission in your bylaws than in statute.
- Still weighing entity types? Our LLC vs. corporation breakdown covers the for-profit side.
The distinction founders conflate: a benefit corporation is a legal entity you file with the state. A Certified B Corp is a private certification from the nonprofit B Lab, based on an assessment score. You can be one, both, or neither. This page forms the legal entity, which is often the prerequisite founders set up first, and certification is a separate step you can take later.
Going with a benefit corporation? Settle two things first.
The two calls that stall founders: your name, and your state.
Make both right here. No signup, no guesswork: real 2026 corporation filing numbers, and names you can check on the spot.
Find a name that fits.
Type a word or two about what you do. We'll spark a set of ideas, then you can check any favorite live against state and USPTO records.
Some states want a "PBC" or "benefit corporation" marker in the name. Run a favorite through the live availability check, or open the full name generator.
What will your benefit corp cost?
Our service fee is $0. You pay only what the state charges to file your Articles of Incorporation, at cost. A benefit corporation files at the same fee as a standard corporation.
State fees are the government's charge, not ours. Full breakdown on the pricing page.
Name picked, state chosen. Now the handoff.
A clean handoff, in four steps.
You make four decisions. We prepare the Articles, the public-benefit language, and the stock setup a future investor expects.
Pick your state
Most states now recognize benefit corporations. Delaware is common for venture-backed founders; your home state works for operating companies. BosAI confirms your state offers the structure.
State your public benefit
Name the purpose the company commits to: environmental, social, or a specific mission. We turn it into the statutory language your state requires.
Set shares + directors
Authorize your shares, name your directors, and appoint a registered agent, included year 1. It's a full C-corp underneath.
We file it
We submit your benefit-corporation Articles of Incorporation and return the stamped approval: same-day in DE, NV, WY, and CO; a few business days elsewhere.
Then the part you're actually waiting for.
The moment your mission becomes binding.
Delaware, Nevada, Wyoming, and Colorado typically approve the same day or the next. Most other states run a few business days. We file the moment your details and benefit language check out, so nothing bounces back over an avoidable error.
Acme Impact, PBC
Benefit-corporation Articles of Incorporation, public purpose on file. Specialist-reviewed before submission.
Priya launched a climate hardware company.
She chose a benefit corporation so the environmental mission would survive her fundraise. Twelve minutes to file. Two business days to approval. That week she had her EIN, a bank account, and a term sheet from an investor who valued the locked-in purpose.
Approval is the start, not the finish. Here's your first 30 days.
What to do once it's filed, in order.
These make the company bankable, financeable, and accountable to the purpose you just filed.
Get your EIN
Your company's federal tax ID, needed to open a bank account, hire, or file taxes. It's free from the IRS, and we file it the same day, including for founders without an SSN.
Adopt bylaws that name the mission
Bylaws set how the company runs, and for a benefit corporation they tie the board's duties to the public purpose you filed. Your board adopts them and authorizes stock by resolution.
Issue stock and start your cap table
Issue founder shares and record ownership cleanly. A benefit corporation raises and grants equity exactly like a standard C-corp, so investors and option holders see a familiar structure.
Open a business bank account
Keeps the company's money separate from yours, which preserves the corporate shield and makes the books clean for investors and your benefit reporting.
Set your benefit-report cadence and annual report
Most states require a benefit corporation to publish a report on its purpose, often yearly and sometimes measured against a third-party standard. That's on top of the ordinary state annual report. A compliance calendar tracks both, and on BOI: U.S.-formed corporations are exempt as of 2026. See who has to file →
You can do these one by one. Or hand the whole sequence to one team.
File once, or stay protected year-round.
- Benefit Articles of Incorporation filed
- Public-benefit language drafted
- Bylaws + organizational resolutions template
- EIN walkthrough
- Everything in one-time
- Registered Agent year 1
- Annual report + benefit-report reminders
- 47-signal compliance monitoring
- Year-round protection, cancel anytime
State fees vary by jurisdiction and are passed through at cost. See full pricing →
And this is where most filing companies stop. We're just getting to the part that matters.
Your company is now formed. Let's build everything that comes next.
Formation is one line in a much longer story. Every stage below already lives on one platform, so you're never starting over with a new provider.
Everything above happens inside File.Business: one platform, from your first idea to the day you exit. It's where you form your benefit corporation, and where you run the whole company.
The questions founders ask right before they file.
Is a benefit corporation the same as a Certified B Corp?
No, and this is the most common mix-up. A benefit corporation is a legal entity you file with your state, which changes your directors' duties and requires a public-benefit purpose. A Certified B Corp is a private certification awarded by the nonprofit B Lab after you pass its impact assessment. You can be a benefit corporation without being certified, be certified while structured as a standard corporation in some states, or be both. Founders usually form the legal entity first, then pursue certification if they want the badge.
How is a benefit corporation different from a nonprofit?
A nonprofit exists to serve a charitable purpose, can apply for tax-exempt status, and generally cannot distribute profit to owners. A benefit corporation is a for-profit company: it has shareholders, issues stock, can raise venture capital, and is taxed like a normal C-corporation. The difference is that its board must weigh a public purpose alongside profit. If your goal is a tax-exempt charity, look at a nonprofit; if it's a mission-driven business that still makes and shares profit, a benefit corporation fits.
Will investors still fund a benefit corporation?
Many will, and a growing set of investors specifically seek out mission-locked companies. Because a benefit corporation is a full C-corp underneath, it issues the same stock, option pools, and preferred shares a venture round needs. The one thing to discuss early is that directors must consider stakeholders, not shareholder return alone, which most impact and generalist investors accept. If you're targeting investors who want pure profit-maximization duties, weigh that against how much the mission lock matters to you.
What is the benefit report, and how often is it due?
A benefit report is a public account of how the company pursued its stated purpose. Most states require it, commonly once a year, and some ask that it be measured against a recognized third-party standard, while a few require it be filed with the state. It's separate from the ordinary state annual report. Missing it can put your benefit-corporation status at risk, so we set the cadence up front and a compliance calendar reminds you before it's due.
Can I convert my existing C-corporation into a benefit corporation?
Usually, yes. Most states let a standard corporation become a benefit corporation by amending its charter to add the public-benefit purpose, though it often requires a higher shareholder approval threshold because it changes directors' duties. Going the other direction is possible too. We can prepare the amendment and the shareholder approvals, and the reverse if your plans change. It's cleaner to file as a benefit corporation from the start if you already know that's the goal.
Does a benefit corporation pay less tax?
No. A benefit corporation is taxed exactly like the corporation it is: a C-corp by default, with the option to elect S-corp treatment if it qualifies. The benefit designation is about governance and accountability, not taxes, and it doesn't confer the tax exemption a charity can seek. Choose it for the mission lock and the signal it sends, not for a tax break, and plan your taxes as you would for any corporation.
Which states allow benefit corporations?
A large majority of US states now have a benefit corporation statute, including Delaware, where the structure is the public benefit corporation (PBC). A handful of states haven't adopted one yet, and the exact rules, such as whether the benefit report must be filed with the state, vary. We confirm your chosen state offers the structure and apply its specific requirements before filing, so you don't discover a gap after the fact.
Can a non-US resident form a US benefit corporation?
Yes. Like any US corporation, a benefit corporation doesn't require its owners to be citizens or residents. The one extra step is the EIN: without a Social Security Number, we obtain it for you directly from the IRS, which opens US banking and payment processors like Stripe. Start with our EIN guide, and if you'll operate across state lines, read foreign qualification.
Do the directors face more legal risk?
The duties are different, not necessarily heavier. A benefit corporation's directors must consider the public purpose and stakeholders when making decisions, which actually gives them cover to weigh mission against short-term profit without breaching their duties. Most statutes limit who can sue over the benefit purpose, often to shareholders above a threshold, and clarify that directors aren't personally liable for the company failing to achieve its stated benefit. It changes the lens, and for mission-driven boards that's the point.