State Information

When choosing a name for your newly begun corporation in Iowa, it should be remembered that the name of the entity will be unique and will identify you as a separate entity transacting business in the state. The name of a corporation must end with “Incorporated,” “Corporation,” “Corp” or “Inc.”. When developing a name for a limited liability company it must end with “Limited Liability Company” or “LLC”.
Because the name will be identifying your corporation or LLC as a unique entity, you should note that the name will not be accepted if it is likely to confuse the public or if it too closely resembles the name of another corporation or LLC formed in Iowa.
During the naming process, do not use any type of punctuation such as dashes, underscores, asterisks, periods or commas in name selection. It is advantageous to try to name your corporation or LLC so that it identifies with the goods or services you provide, but this is not required.

A corporation formed in Iowa can have several members as directors but is only required to have one. Since the board of the company is responsible for managing the corporation, it is suggested that the board be comprised of individuals that are officers or shareholders who have some type of daily involvement with the corporation. Iowa has no minimum age requirements for a director.

Iowa based corporations are expected to file the Iowa Corporation Income Tax return, Form IA 1120 annually, whether a “C” or “S” corporation. The amount of tax is dependent on a number of factors and there is a minimum amount due.
A Limited Liability Company within Iowa is required to file as either a corporation or a partnership dependent on the election made on the SS-4. Iowa maintains an individual income tax so employers are expected to withhold state income tax and unemployment tax. Iowa maintains a sales and use tax of 5% with different jurisdictions having the option to add to the state rate.

The registered agent must have a physical street address within Iowa state. PO boxes are not acceptable, within Iowa.