Post-incorporation checklist. First 12 months for founders.
After incorporation, founders face a long list of follow-on tasks: EIN, bank account, founder stock issuance with 83(b) elections, IP assignments, operating cadence, hiring, fundraising prep, BOI, tax filings. This guide walks through the standard 12-month timeline for a newly-incorporated Delaware C-Corp or LLC, with month-by-month and quarter-by-quarter checkpoints.
Start here.
EIN, banking, founder stock + 83(b), bylaws/OA adoption, BOI filing.
State business registrations, IP assignment, initial contracts and templates.
Mid-year review, books reconciliation, employment infrastructure.
Annual report, tax preparation, investor diligence readiness.
Compliance tracking, ongoing entity hygiene, cap table maintenance.
The full picture.
Month 1: Essentials
EIN obtained (same-day for US founders; 1-3 weeks for foreign). Business bank account opened. Founder stock issuance with signed Stock Purchase Agreements. 83(b) elections filed within 30 days (critical - missing this is a six-figure mistake). Bylaws (corp) or Operating Agreement (LLC) adopted. BOI filing to FinCEN within 30 days. Initial corporate resolutions adopted at first board/member meeting.
Month 2-3: Operations Foundation
State business registrations (sales tax permit, employer registrations if hiring). IP assignment agreements for founders. Initial contracts in place: NDA, customer template MSA, vendor templates. Books and accounting set up (Quickbooks Online, Xero, or our books service). Compliance tracking initiated.
Month 4-6: First Hire / First Customer Phase
First employee or contractor (if applicable): payroll service setup, workers comp insurance, employment agreements, IP assignment. First major customer contracts using template MSA. State tax registrations in nexus states.
Month 6-9: Mid-Year Review
Books reconciliation: are revenue and expenses accurately categorized? Cap table review: are option grants up to date? Compliance review: are state registrations current? Compliance check on BOI and any quarterly filings (941 for employees).
Month 9-12: Year-End Prep
Annual report filing (state-specific timing). Tax preparation: estimated tax payment Q4 (January 15). 1099-NEC issuance to contractors (January 31). W-2 issuance to employees (January 31). State employer year-end reports.
Ongoing: Compliance Cadence
Quarterly: 941 employer filings (April 30, July 31, October 31, January 31). Quarterly estimated tax (April 15, June 15, September 15, January 15). Monthly: bookkeeping reconciliation, payroll, sales tax filings (if monthly). Annual: state annual report, federal and state tax returns, BOI updates.
Investor Readiness
Data room: incorporation documents, bylaws/OA, cap table, financial statements, customer contracts, IP assignments, employment agreements. By month 12: data room should be assembled and current.
Common Mistakes
Missing 83(b) deadline (30 days from grant). Skipping IP assignments from contractors. Operating without business bank account (commingling pierces the LLC veil). Failing to file annual report. Not tracking state registrations as you expand.
Common questions.
What is the first thing I should do after incorporation?
When do I file 83(b)?
When do I file BOI?
Do I need an operating agreement immediately?
When do I hire my first employee?
When do I file first tax returns?
How do I track compliance?
When do I issue 1099-NEC?
Founder-ready foundation.
Form your entity, get the EIN, set up banking, manage the cap table, file BOI. All in one place.
Educational guide. Specific situations require professional legal and tax advice.
On the $129/yr Compliance Annual Filings plan, we cover state late fees.
When you autofile your annual report through the $129/yr plan and we miss the deadline, we pay the state's late fee. The guarantee applies to that specific plan and the filings it includes. Other File.Business services are billed at the prices on this page.