How to Start an S Corp in Oklahoma

Factors to Consider Before Starting an S Corp in Oklahoma

Before forming an S corp, you have to consider the following factors:

• Is an S corporation the best strategy for your business?
• S corporation restrictions
• Why a limited liability company (LLC) is the best structure for S corp tax status
• Are S corp tax advantages right for you?

Is an S Corporation the Best Strategy for Your Business?

For help with choosing the right structure for your business, visit our Choosing a Business Structure guide.

S Corporation Restrictions

S corps have several restrictions, such as being limited to one class of stock and 100 shareholders. Read our What Is an S Corporation guide for full details.

Are S Corp Tax Advantages Right for You?

An S corporation is a tax designation that can be elected by an LLC or corporation. With an S corp, business owners are considered employees of the company and must receive a reasonable salary. Since all S corps technically have employees, the s corp must run payroll. 

In order to benefit from an Oklahoma S corp tax designation, your business needs to make enough money to offset payroll expenses. Furthermore, S corps are beneficial for business owners who take large distributions in addition to their salary.

To learn more about the tax advantages of an S corp, read our LLC vs. S corp guide and take a look at our S Corp tax calculator.

How to Form an Oklahoma S Corp

There are two main ways to start an S corp:

• By forming an LLC and electing S corp tax status from the IRS when you request your employee identification number (EIN)
• By forming a corporation and electing S corp status from the IRS

We recommend forming an LLC because it’s simpler and more cost-effective.

Not in Oklahoma? Check out our other How to Start an S Corp guides to learn more.

Recommended: If you have an existing LLC, visit our How to Convert an LLC to S Corp guide.

Steps for Forming an LLC and Electing S Corp Status in Oklahoma

Starting an Oklahoma LLC and electing S corp tax status is easy. You can use our guides to start an LLC with the S corp status yourself, or you can hire a service provider like Northwest to guide you through this process.

There are five basic steps to start an LLC and elect S corp status:

Step 1: Name Your LLC

Step 2: Choose a Registered Agent

Step 3: File the Articles of Organization

Step 4: Create an Operating Agreement

Step 5: Get an EIN and File Form 2553 to Elect S Corp Tax Status

Step 1: Name Your LLC

Choosing a company name is the first and most important step in starting your LLC in Oklahoma.

Be sure to choose a name that complies with Oklahoma naming requirements and is easily searchable by potential clients.

1. Follow the naming guidelines for an Oklahoma LLC:

• Your name must include the phrase “limited liability company” or “limited company” or one of their abbreviations (LLC, L.L.C., LC, or L.C.). The word “limited” may be abbreviated as “LTD.,” and the word “Company” may be abbreviated as “CO.”
• You must have approval to include the following words: savings and loan, building and loan, savings association, and savings bank.
• Your name cannot include words that could confuse your LLC with a government agency (FBI, Treasury, State Department, etc.).
• Your name must be distinguishable from any existing business in the state. This includes Oklahoma reserved names.

You can also read the Oklahoma state statute about LLC naming guidelines for more information.

2. Is the name available in Oklahoma? You can use the business name availability search on the Oklahoma Secretary of State website to see if your desired LLC name is available.

3. Is the URL available? We recommend checking to see if your business name is available as a web domain. Even if you don’t plan to create a business website today, you may want to buy the URL in order to prevent others from acquiring it.

Step 2: Choose Your Oklahoma Registered Agent

You must elect a registered agent for your Oklahoma LLC.

An LLC registered agent will accept legal documents and tax notices on your LLC’s behalf. You will list your registered agent when you file your LLC’s Certificate of Formation.

Many business owners choose to hire a registered agent service. Many of these services will form your LLC for a small fee and include the first year of registered agent services for free.

Step 3: File the Oklahoma LLC Articles of Organization

The Oklahoma Articles of Organization is used to officially register an LLC.

File Your Oklahoma Articles of Organization

OPTION 1: File Online With the Secretary of State

File Online

– OR –

OPTION 2: File by Mail or in Person

Download Form

State Filing Cost: $100, payable to the Secretary of State (Nonrefundable)

Filing Address:
Secretary of StateOklahoma Secretary of State
421 NW 13th St., Suite 210
Oklahoma City, OK 73103

Step 4: Create an LLC Operating Agreement

An LLC operating agreement is a legal document that outlines the ownership and member duties of your LLC.

For more information, read our LLC Operating Agreement guide.

Our operating agreement tool is a free resource for business owners.

Step 5: Get an EIN and Complete Form 2553 on the IRS Website

An EIN is a number that is used by the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to identify and tax businesses. It is essentially a Social Security number for a business.

EINs are free when you apply directly with the IRS.

Elect S Corp Tax Status
During the online EIN application, the IRS will provide a link to Form 2553, the Election By a Small Business form.

Visit our Form 2553 Instructions guide for detailed help with completing the form.

This is the form to elect S corp tax status for your LLC:

Keep Your Oklahoma S Corp Compliant

After you obtain S corp status for your Oklahoma business, you’ll want to ensure it remains in good standing with the state’s laws and guidelines. Oklahoma requires businesses to stay current on local and state taxes as well as file an annual certificate — also known as an annual report — each year. 

File the BOI Report

Oklahoma S corporations are required by federal law to file a Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) report. This report provides important details about who owns and controls the company, helping to ensure the business is transparent and compliant with federal regulations. Filing this report on time is essential to avoid fines and keep your business in good standing with the law.

You can complete your BOI report filing on the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) website.

Open a Business Bank Account

For Oklahoma S corps, keeping your business and personal finances separate is vital. Opening a business bank account is an important step to show that your business is a separate entity from you personally. This separation protects your personal assets, makes it easier to track business expenses, and simplifies tax filing. Keeping business money separate also helps your business stay legally compliant and organized.

Explore our Best Banks for Small Business guide to find banking options that suit your needs.

Oklahoma S Corp Annual Certificate

Oklahoma requires all businesses to file an annual certificate with the Oklahoma Secretary of State. It’s due every year by the end of the anniversary month in which you formed your business. 

Filing this report helps to keep your business records up to date with the state of Oklahoma and ensures your business remains compliant. If you fail to file the report, you run the risk of the dissolution of your Oklahoma S corp. 

Visit our Oklahoma Annual Certificate guide for a step-by-step overview of the filing process.

Oklahoma S Corp Taxes

S corporations benefit from pass-through taxation, meaning the business’s profits pass-through to S corp owners’ individual tax returns. S corp owners make money from their reasonable salary and distributions, and Oklahoma S corp owners can expect to pay the following taxes:

Federal Self-Employment Taxes

Self-employment taxes cover social security and medicare. The self-employment tax rate is 15.3%, and money you take as salary will be subjected to the self-employment tax. However, distributions are not subjected to this tax.

Federal Income Taxes

Your federal income taxes will depend on your tax bracket, and the cutoffs for individual tax brackets as well as the percent owed will change each year. Both your salary and distributions are subjected to federal income tax.

Oklahoma Income Taxes

Oklahoma has a graduated income tax rate that ranges from 0% to 5%, depending on your income. A graduated income tax can benefit your business by ensuring the state taxes it at a different percentage based on its income for the year. This can enable you to save a lot of money in taxes, making Oklahoma one of the more business-friendly states with an income tax in place. 

Oklahoma Sales and Use Tax

Oklahoma has a standard sales tax of 4.5% across the state. Cities and towns can levy their own sales and use tax, which they then add to the standard statewide sales tax. Check out the Oklahoma Tax Commission website for more details.  

Additional State Taxes

As an Oklahoma business owner, you may need to pay additional state-specific taxes. Some examples of the other taxes that may apply to your business include:

• Alcohol and Tobacco Permits
• Franchise Tax
• Agricultural Permits
• Motor Fuel Tax
• Gross Production Tax

Visit the Oklahoma Tax Commission website for more information.

Oklahoma Local Taxes

Your business also may need to pay local taxes, depending on its location — whether that’s in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, or any of the state’s smaller towns. Check with your local municipality for more information to ensure your business complies with the local laws.