Michigan Business Forms and Resources Center
Starting your own business is hard enough even without the mountains of paperwork involved. Let us help with some of the documents you might need to file or even create. On this page we have three types of Michigan business forms available for free:
1) All forms from the State of Michigan (LARA). Instead of navigating the pages of hyperlinks from one agency to the next, we’ve put them all right here in one place for you to download.
2) Our own legal forms created by our in-house attorneys. These are forms you would otherwise have to create from scratch—or worse yet, hire someone to make for you.
3) Business reference documents for any additional questions you might have. Sometimes you just need to look up an answer. We save you time by gathering all the information you’ll need right here.
State of Michigan (LARA) forms
All the forms (organized alphabetically) in this section are available on the State of Michigan LARA website. We have simply put them in one easy-to-find spot.
Michigan Articles of Organization
Consider this form as the birth certificate of your company. To file Articles of Organization, you will need to fill this form out correctly and submit it to to the state.
Assumed Name Certificate
An Assumed Name is commonly called a DBA (doing business as). Many companies choose to operate under an assumed name for franchising opportunities and/or branding purposes. To obtain a DBA, you’ll need to file an Assumed Name Certificate ($10 for corporations, $25 for LLCs) with the state.
Michigan Business Taxes Registration Booklet
Make sure you have your bases covered when it comes to Uncle Sam’s portion. The Michigan Business Taxes Registration Booklet provided by the Michigan Treasury Department gives you instructions on registering your business for taxation as well as the correct forms to fill out.
Michigan Certificate of Dissolution form
Ending a business requires documentation. With the Certificate of Dissolution form, you can legally end your company’s existence.
Expedited Service Request
Need your articles filed fast? You’ll need to include an Expedited Service Request form when you file your business formation paperwork.
Application to Reserve a Business Entity Name
Got a name you really like, but you’re not ready to file your incorporation paperwork? Call dibs on that awesome name with the Application to Reserve a Business Entity Name.
Michigan Registered Agent Legal Forms Template
Our team of legal experts have created these Michigan business forms to help you start and maintain your business.
LLC Legal Forms:
Annual Meeting Minutes
When LLC members meet and make decisions, it should be clearly documented. Our template makes sure you have crossed all your Ts.
Membership Certificate
Formally document individual members’ ownership in your company using our membership certificate template.
Michigan Operating Agreement
An operating agreement is an optional document that may outline your company’s business structure, how the profits and losses are distributed, and the process to dissolve your LLC. Drafting an operating agreement is a good move because banks usually want to see an operating agreement before you can open a business account.
We have operating agreement templates for:
Corporation Legal Forms:
Annual Board of Directors Meeting
Record the details of the most important meeting your corporation will have all year with our annual board of directors meeting template.
Annual Shareholders Meeting
Note any changes/updates to your business or board of directors using the annual shareholders meeting form.
Bylaws
Formalize the operations and procedures of your corporation. Having a set of corporate bylaws is a crucial step toward ensuring success.
Certificate of Stock
Issue a corporate stock certificate to document a shareholder’s stock ownership using this template.
Corporate Resolution
Making a big decision? Have it properly documented with all the important details.
Initial Corporate Resolution
Get your business off the ground and heading toward success with this founding document.
Reference Documents
Sometimes you need to look up an answer. We’ve gathered some of the most-used reference guides and put them right here.
Annual Statement
All the ins-and-outs of your annual statement filing are explained in detail.
Beneficial Ownership Information Report
Discover everything you ever wanted to know—and maybe more—about filing your federal Beneficial Ownership Information report with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).
Business Name Guide
What’s in a name? A lot apparently. LARA created a business name guide to show you what you can and cannot include in your business’s name.
Business Name Restrictions
There’s a lot of no-no’s for naming your business. LARA has 82 pages of Business Name Restrictions.
Common Corporation Filing Problems
The folks at LARA have seen the common mistakes of those who file and fail, so they created this helpful guide, Common Corporation Filing Problems, to help you navigate the filing process.
Corporation Filing Information
Here’s everything you need to know about filing your corporation with the state of Michigan in one handy corporation filing information document.
Entrepreneur’s Guide
Don’t know the difference between an LLC and an LLP? The Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) created an entrepreneur’s guide to familiarize people with common business terms.