Articles of Organization vs Articles of Incorporation

In the world of business, two commonly confused terms are the Articles of Incorporation and the Articles of Organization. The Articles of Incorporation are the documents that are submitted by a business or company that is seeking to become incorporated. The Articles of Organization will refer to the documents drafted and required to form a limited liability company, or LLC. However, both the Articles of Organization and the Articles of Incorporation will prove to be somewhat similar in terms of content.

The main difference between the two is that they accomplish two different kinds of business establishments. In certain states, the Articles of Organization will oftentimes be referred to as a Certificate of Organization in order to avoid any kind of confusion that may prove to be common between the two terms.

Like the Articles of Incorporation, the Articles of Organization will typically also require the expertise of an attorney in order to be properly drafted. Furthermore, similar types of information will also be included, such as the name of the company and its location, the purpose for the company or business in becoming an LLC, and a description of of the nature of the business or company. The Articles of Organization must also provide the identification of a registered agent, while in the Articles of Incorporation a list of three officers is required.

NEXT: How To Start a Business