A Shelf Corporation, Shelf Company, or Aged Corporation, is a company or corporation that has had no activity. It was put on the "shelf" to "age". The company can then be sold to a person or group of persons who wish to start a company without going through all the procedures of creating a new one.

2. Why buy a Shelf Corp?
Common reasons for buying a Shelf Corporation include:

• To save the time involved in taking the steps to create a new corporation.
• To gain the opportunity to bid on contracts. Some jurisdictions require that a company be in business for a certain length of time to have this ability.
• To create an appearance of corporate longevity, which may boost investor or consumer confidence.
• To gain access to investment capital.
• To gain easier access to corporate credit.

We would also like to add that Shelf Corporations can be used as important tools in Asset Protection Strategies, Legal Tax Reduction Strategies, and as a transaction catalyst in Merger and Acquisition transactions by facilitating spin-offs of corporate divisions. The possibilities are endless.

3. Which Shelf Corp is right for me? (C-Corp or S-Corp)
This is a very common question and the answer is that it depends on how you want to be taxed by the IRS.  Click here for an article on the subject, but to clarify an important point, Shelf Corporations will always come as C-Corps, and you may elect S-Corp Status at any time by filling IRS Form 2553.

4. What are the major mistakes most Buyers make?
Most Shelf Corporation Buyers will make the following very expensive mistakes if they are not careful:

• Pay a High-Price for a Shelf Corp that supposedly comes with Established Credit (But it really doesn't)
• Pay for a Shelf Corp that supposedly comes with a Personal Guarantor (Recipe for Fraud)
• Pay for a Shelf Corp that supposedly comes with Tax Returns (Recipe for Fraud & Jail Time)
• Pay for a Shelf Corp that has Bad Credit and/or Hidden Liabilities (Shelf Corp "Lemon")
• Pay for a Shelf Corp that is not owned by the Seller (Fake Seller - Like buying Land on the Moon)

5. What are the most common Shelf Corp Scams?

• Established Credit Scam:
  This is by far the most common of the scams and the most lucrative for the scammers. In this scam, the scammer may be a "legitimate" incorporation service or business credit building service, or even a company just selling shelf corps, but what makes this a scam is that they will try to sell you a Shelf Corp that supposedly comes with established credit and cash lines of credit which they make it look like you would be able to access right away after purchasing the shelf corp. You get so excited about obtaining the easy money they are offering that you pay a high price for the shelf corp and then find out that the cash lines of credit either don't exist yet (and you need to apply and be approved for them - Good luck on that), or are not really cash lines of credit but rather a pre-approval letter from a company friendly to the scammer stating that you are pre-approved to buy up to $1 Million (for example) in Real Estate using the Shelf Corp (but of course, you need to come up with the $400,000 Down-Payment from somewhere, and the Loan offered is really a Hard Money Loan with a 10%+ Interest Rate and 3+ Points to close. Did you really need a shelf corp to do that - No, you just got ripped-off because you did not read this first!).
  
• Personal Guarantor or CFO Scam:
  This one is the same as the Established Credit Scam, except in this scam they will offer you a stand-in "CFO" or Personal Guarantor that will use his 720+ Credit Scores in conjunction with the Shelf Corporation to obtain Unsecured Financing from Lenders. So, you think to yourself..."umm, if someone else is the Personal Guarantor, then I can charge up those Lines of Credit with no risk to my Personal Credit at all". You also think for a second "but who would be stupid enough to personally guarantee my loans?", but then your greed takes over your mind and you brush that aside with some sort of naive rationalization, and you do the deal. You then find out that either there is no Personal Guarantor, or that the Personal Guarantor also got scammed into thinking he was not responsible for the Loans, or worse, the Personal Guarantor is someone whose identity was stolen to be used for this purpose. So, now you lost your money, committed fraud, and got into a legal battle with the Guarantor over who owes the money to the Banks (that is if you are so lucky to actually get any financing in the first place - most people never even get that far). Please watch out for this scam.
  
• Tax Return/Financials Scam:
  This scam can be combined with the two scams above - The only difference here is that the scammers offer you a Shelf Corp that already has Tax Returns and Financial Statements showing Sales and Profit and Bank Deposits. These, of course, are all Fake, Fraudulent, Made-Up Documents that if you actually use to apply for financing can lend YOU in Jail (not the scammers, just you). This one is harder to fall for because you would have to convince yourself to use Fake Tax Returns on a Loan Application, but some people don't seem to mind and end up losing everything because of this scam.
  
• Secretary of State Data Harvesting Scam:
  This is the hardest one to detect. You will often find this one on Craiglist or some other Classified Website, since the scammers are usually just one-man shows with no website. The way this scam works is that the scammer advertises a shelf corporation for a really low price so you think it is such a great deal and buy the Shelf Corp from him. Months or Years later you get a call from someone saying they own the Shelf Corp and that you are not allowed to use it. After a lot of problems you find out this someone was the original incorporator of the Shelf Corp and that he never sold it to you. So, who sold it? The scammers, of course. They sold you a Corporation they did not own, and they did it without the real owner knowing about it. In this case, you would lose all your money and probably any assets you may have put in the name of the Shelf Corporation, and you may even be sued by the real owner.
  

6. Shelf Corps & Business Credit: There are Companies out there offering Shelf Corporations with existing Cash Lines of Credit and/or Tax Returns and/or Financials.  Are these offers real or are they scams?
A Shelf Corporation by definition is a Business Entity with no Assets and no Liabilities – It is a blank slate.  We are well aware of Companies out there selling Shelf Corporations at very high price points along with Fraudulent Tax Returns and Financials, and even worse, Bogus Credit Lines that either do not exist or that they are unable to obtain after you pay them for the Shelf Corp.  If you buy a Shelf Corporation with any existing Credit, Credit Lines, Tax Returns, or Financials, you are guaranteed to lose your money and if you actually use the Fake Tax Returns on Loan Applications, you may end up losing your liberty too, so please don’t fall for these scams.  If it looks too good to be true, it’s probably a scam. Here is a Well-Respected Report on the Subject - check it out but please make sure you read ALL of the Report, not just the headline, otherwise you will get the wrong message.

7. Shelf Corps & Unsecured Financing: How can I obtain Unsecured Financing using my Shelf Corporation? 
If you are purchasing a Shelf Corporation for the only purpose of obtaining financing, think twice.  Although Shelf Corporations can and will allow you to obtain more Unsecured Financing, and obtain it much faster, if you lie on your Loan Applications you could find yourself in murky waters.  So, can Shelf Corporations be used to obtain Unsecured Financing?  Yes they can, and we can refer you to the best Unsecured Financing Sources in the Business, however, you must build and operate a Real and Legitimate Business that has a purpose other than simply obtaining financing.  After all, what are you planning on doing with the Loans Proceeds?  Hopefully you are planning on building a successful business and not using the money as retirement funds or gambling chips. Just be honest and you will obtain the financing you need safely and legally.

8. Which States have No Income Tax?
NO Personal Income Tax: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. For a complete list of Personal Income Tax Rates, click here.

NO Corporate Income Tax: Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. For a complete list of Corporate Income Tax Rates, click here.

No Personal Income Tax AND No Corporate Income Tax: Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming.

9. Which States that have no Personal or Corporate Income Tax are the cheapest to operate out of?
Wyoming is the cheapest.  $110 Filing Fee.  $50 Renewal Fee.

10. On your Contract, you mention “Maximum Possible Credit” next to each Shelf Corporation Age.  What does this mean?
This is simply a realistic estimate of the amount of Unsecured Credit that can be obtained using a Shelf Corporation, based on the Age of the Shelf Corporation.  This Amount includes both Cash Credit as well as Trade Credit, and is dependant upon your ability to adhere to a good Business Credit Building Program.  We will be happy to refer you to the Best Companies in this field to help you build your Business Credit and obtain Unsecured Financing as quickly as possible. It can certainly be done, but it does take some discipline and determination on your part.

11. Do you provide Business Credit Building Services?
Yes and No.  While we know very well the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Business Credit Building Companies out there and can refer you to the Best Corporate Credit Program at the lowest possible price, we do not provide this service in-house.  Why, you may ask?  Because we are focused on one thing and while providing the Best Service.  Period and end of story.  If we were to provide Business Credit Building Services it would take away from our Main Focus. Further, if you purchase a Shelf Corporation Package that already includes the Business Credit Building Program, then you are probably over-paying for the Shelf Corp because of the Credit Program, or you are getting a throw-away Credit Program worth $10, or both.  We recommend that you keep the Shelf Corp Purchase separate from the Business Credit Building Program – This strategy will always get you the best Deal on both the Shelf Corp and the Business Credit Program – They are two separate things – Keep them that way.

12. Where do your Shelf Corporations come from?  Where are they incorporated?
Most of our 1, 2, and 3 Year-Old Shelf Corporations come from Wyoming, and any Shelf Corporation older than that will usually come from Nevada, but this could vary depending on our current Inventory of available Shelf Corps.       

13. What forms of Payment do you accept?
We currently accept Wire Transfers, ACH Deposits, Counter Deposits, and GoogleCheckout (All Credit Cards Accepted).

14. What happens after I make payment for the Shelf Corp? When will I pick the name of the Shelf Corp?
Once we receive your Payment for the Shelf Corp of your choice, we will contact you to pick the name of the Shelf Corporation.  We will provide you with a list of available names and you will be able to pick the one that you like best. Although very unlikely to happen, if for any reason you do not like any of the names, just let us know and we will promptly refund 100% of your money.

15. Can I change the name of my Shelf Corporation?  What are the Pros and Cons?
While you are free to change the name of your Shelf Corporation, we don’t advise it as a name change goes against the concept of a Shelf Corporation.  The best advice we can give you is to simply file a Trade Name for the Brand Name you would like to use for your Business. For example, “ABC Enterprises Inc” could do Business using the Trade Name “Super Consulting Group” if that is the name they want to be recognized by.

16. Does the name of the Shelf Corporation affect the type of Business I can use it for? What names do your Shelf Corporations have?
Our Shelf Corporations will always have a neutral/generic name that can be used to operate a Business in any Industry you choose.  However, if you purchase a Shelf Corporation from another source you could later find out that the name of the Shelf Corporation is so Industry-Specific that it is incompatible with your intended Business purpose.

17. What is a Registered Agent, and can I be my own Registered Agent?
A Registered Agent is a business or individual designated to receive service of process (SOP) when a business entity is a party in a legal action such as a lawsuit or summons. The registered agent's address may also be where the state will send the paperwork for the yearly renewal of the business entity's charter. The registered agent for a business entity may be an individual member of the company, or (more often) a third party, such as the organization's lawyer or a service company.

18. What is a Federal Tax ID # and why do I need one?
An Employer Identification Number (EIN) is also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number, and is used to identify a business entity, just like a Social Security Number identifies an Individual. If you want to open a Business Bank Account and/or hire any Employees, then you need one.

19. How does a Virtual Office work?  Can I receive Mail and operate my Business from another State in the Country without having to travel back and forth?
A Virtual Office is a Mail Forwarding Service that usually includes Receptionist Services and acts as the Physical Address and Location of a Business. A Virtual Office makes it possible for a Business Owner to operate a Business from anywhere in the World without being physically present in the State where the Business is incorporated.