Guides
Everything we know about electing S-corporation status, written plainly and checked against primary IRS sources. 18 guides, no fluff.
The form itself
What Form 2553 is, what goes in every box, and what a completed one looks like.
Form 2553 example
Two invented businesses, filled in box by box — one timely, one late — so you can see what a finished election actually looks like.
Form 2553 instructions
Line-by-line instructions for every box on the form, plus the four things that most often get an election rejected.
Form 2553 PDF
Where the official PDF lives, which of its fields accept typing, the two that never will, and how to print it so the filing survives the fax machine.
Form 8832 vs 2553
Two forms, two layers, one common mistake. When an LLC needs the classification election, when the S election covers it automatically, and when it does not.
How to fill it out
One form, filled in over your shoulder: a single-member LLC electing for next January, then the variations for co-owners and late filers.
What is Form 2553?
The gentlest starting point: what the form does, what an S corporation actually is in tax terms, and what you are signing up for.
Filing and logistics
Where to send it, how to fax it, and why you cannot file it online.
Filing Form 2553 online
You cannot e-file Form 2553. Why no path exists, the single electronic exception for late elections, and what the online services are actually doing on your behalf.
Form 2553 deadline
The 2-month-and-15-day rule, counted correctly, with worked examples — and why missing it moves your election rather than killing it.
Form 2553 fax number
Both IRS fax numbers, which states go to which, and how to tell whether your fax reached the right service center.
Processing time & status
The day-by-day timeline after you file: the 60-day wait, Notice CP261, how to check status by phone, and what to do about silence or a rejection.
How to file Form 2553
The whole filing as one procedure — decision, deadline, form, signatures, routing, proof, and the wait for CP261 — with each step linked to its deep dive.
Where to fax Form 2553
Both IRS fax numbers, how routing is decided, and the cover-sheet and proof-of-filing details that decide whether faxing actually works.
Where to mail Form 2553
Both IRS mailing addresses in full, the state lists that decide which one is yours, and the certified-mail habit that makes the postmark provable.
Late elections
Missed the deadline? What relief is available and whether you qualify.
Late S corp election
Every Rev. Proc. 2013-30 condition treated as a pass-or-fail gate, with the fact patterns that fail each one.
Rev. Proc. 2013-30
A working reference to the revenue procedure itself — every condition, the verbatim header language, the signature set, and where the procedure stops.
Deciding
Whether an S corporation is worth it for you, and what salary to pay yourself.
Is an S corp worth it?
The real arithmetic, including the Section 199A clawback and the non-tax costs, plus the cases where electing is a net loss.
LLC vs S corp
Why the two are not alternatives, what changes when an LLC elects S status, and the profit level where the election starts to earn its keep.
Reasonable compensation
The one number the IRS actually audits. What the standard is, how to build a figure from market data, and how to document it.
Looking for your state?
Electing S status federally does not settle your state treatment. We have a guide for all 50 states and DC, covering separate elections, entity-level taxes, and payroll registration.