To open a C Corp bank account, you need an Employer Identification Number from the IRS, a certified copy of your Articles of Incorporation, a Board resolution naming your authorized signers, and government-issued photo ID for every signer and beneficial owner. Most banks finalize the account at an in-person appointment with a business banking specialist, and the paperwork takes longer to assemble than the meeting itself takes to complete. Get everything in order before you call the bank and you’ll open the account in one visit.
What to Gather Before You Go
Banks vary slightly in their intake forms, but the core documents are the same everywhere. Missing one piece usually means rescheduling.
Employer Identification Number
The EIN is a nine-digit number the IRS assigns your corporation for tax filing and reporting.1Internal Revenue Service. About Form SS-4, Application for Employer Identification Number (EIN) No bank will open a corporate account without one. The fastest route is the IRS online application, which issues the number immediately upon approval.2Internal Revenue Service. Get an Employer Identification Number You can also apply by mailing or faxing Form SS-4, but that takes weeks instead of minutes.
The online session must be completed in one sitting and times out after 15 minutes of inactivity, so have the responsible party’s Social Security number and the corporation’s formation details ready before you start.2Internal Revenue Service. Get an Employer Identification Number Print the confirmation letter as soon as it appears. That letter is what you bring to the bank.
Certified Articles of Incorporation
The bank needs proof the corporation legally exists. That means a certified copy of the Articles of Incorporation from the Secretary of State or equivalent filing office in the state of incorporation. The certification stamp confirms the document is the current version on record. Depending on your state, the same document may be called a Certificate of Incorporation, Certificate of Formation, or Corporate Charter, and banks accept these interchangeably.3Bank of America. Corporation Application Requirements
The bank reviews the Articles to confirm the corporation’s legal name and its initial directors or incorporators, which is how the institution verifies that the people opening the account actually have authority over the entity. If the corporation has been in existence for a while, the bank may also ask for a Certificate of Good Standing confirming the entity is current on state filings and fees. Banks typically want one issued within the last 30 to 90 days.
Board Resolution Authorizing the Account
A corporation acts through its Board of Directors, not through individual shareholders, so the bank needs written evidence that the Board formally approved the banking relationship and named specific people as signers. This document is called a Corporate Resolution or Board Resolution.4Citibank. Establishing Authority
The resolution should identify the bank by name, describe the type of account being opened, list each person authorized to sign checks, initiate transfers, and manage the account, and spell out any dual-signature requirements for transactions above a set dollar amount. A vague resolution creates problems later when the bank refuses a transaction because a signer’s authority wasn’t clearly established. Some banks also ask for a copy of the corporate bylaws to confirm the Board’s authority to pass the resolution, so if your bylaws aren’t yet adopted, handle that before the banking appointment.
ID for Signers and Beneficial Owners
Every person named as an authorized signer must present government-issued photo identification, such as a driver’s license or passport. This comes from federal anti-money-laundering rules known as the Customer Identification Program, which applies to all banks.5eCFR. 31 CFR 1020.220 – Customer Identification Program Requirements for Banks
Beyond the signers, banks must identify the corporation’s beneficial owners under a separate due diligence rule. A beneficial owner is any individual who directly or indirectly owns 25 percent or more of the corporation’s equity, plus one person with significant control over management, such as the CEO or president.6eCFR. 31 CFR 1010.230 – Beneficial Ownership Requirements for Legal Entity Customers The bank will ask for names, dates of birth, addresses, and identification numbers for each of these individuals, and you’ll fill out a certification form at the appointment.
A Note on Corporate Transparency Act Reporting
Don’t confuse the bank’s beneficial ownership collection with the separate FinCEN reporting requirement that got so much attention. As of 2025, the Treasury Department exempted all domestic companies from the obligation to report beneficial ownership information to FinCEN, and enforcement of penalties against U.S. companies and their owners has been suspended.7U.S. Department of the Treasury. Treasury Department Announces Suspension of Enforcement of Corporate Transparency Act Against U.S. Citizens and Domestic Reporting Companies FinCEN’s interim final rule narrows the reporting requirement to foreign-formed entities only.8Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. FinCEN Removes Beneficial Ownership Reporting Requirements for U.S. Companies and U.S. Persons None of that changes what the bank itself collects. The bank’s obligation to identify beneficial owners at account opening comes from Bank Secrecy Act regulations, which remain fully in effect.
Picking the Right Bank
Switching banks after the account is open means re-doing most of the paperwork above, so it’s worth a little comparison up front. A few things to check:
- Monthly fees and waiver thresholds. Business checking at major banks commonly runs $15 to $30 per month, often waived if you keep a minimum daily balance. Those minimums vary widely, from $5,000 or more at some institutions to no minimum at all elsewhere.
- Transaction limits. Many business accounts cap the number of free transactions per month. If your corporation processes a high volume of payments, ask what the overage fees look like before you commit.
- Payment capabilities. If the corporation needs ACH transfers, wire services, or payroll processing through the account, confirm those services exist and understand the per-transaction costs.
- Opening deposit. Nearly every business checking account requires an initial deposit to activate, ranging from as little as $25 to several hundred dollars depending on the institution and account tier.
National banks offer wider branch networks and more sophisticated treasury services. Community banks and credit unions often charge lower fees and give more personal attention to smaller businesses. The right choice depends on how the corporation actually operates.
At the Appointment
Some institutions accept preliminary applications online, but finalizing a C Corporation account almost always requires an in-person meeting with a business banking specialist. The bank needs to physically inspect the certified Articles, verify identification, and collect original signatures. Schedule ahead rather than walking in, because business bankers at many branches work by appointment only.
Bring everything: the EIN confirmation letter, certified Articles, the executed Board Resolution, government-issued ID for all signers, and beneficial ownership information. The banker uses these to complete the institution’s internal application and create the official signature card, which is the document that legally binds the corporation to the account agreement.
You also need to provide a physical business address. Federal regulations require banks to collect a principal place of business or other physical location for non-individual customers.5eCFR. 31 CFR 1020.220 – Customer Identification Program Requirements for Banks A P.O. Box does not satisfy this requirement.9Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. Customer Identification Program Rule – Address Confidentiality A home office address qualifies if that’s where the corporation operates. You can still use a P.O. Box or registered agent address for mail, but the bank’s records need the physical location.
Fund the account with the required opening deposit during the appointment. The initial deposit should come from a documented source, ideally a shareholder equity contribution recorded in the corporate minutes, not from someone’s personal checking with no paper trail. After the appointment, the bank typically runs a verification period, confirming the authenticity of your state filings and EIN registration. Full access to features like business credit cards or higher wire transfer limits may be restricted until verification finishes.
Keeping the Account in Good Shape After Opening
The reason a C Corporation needs its own account in the first place is that the corporate form shields shareholders’ personal assets only as long as the corporation actually behaves like a separate entity. Courts can disregard the corporate structure and hold shareholders personally liable when the business was never truly operated independently from its owners.10Legal Information Institute. Piercing the Corporate Veil Mixing personal and business funds is the single most common way owners undermine that shield.
So the rule after opening is simple: corporate money stays in the corporate account, and personal money stays out. Every deposit should trace to a corporate activity, and every payment should serve a legitimate business purpose. Shareholders who need money from the company receive it through formal channels, whether that’s salary run through payroll, a dividend declared by the Board, or a documented expense reimbursement. Informal transfers between the corporate account and a shareholder’s personal account are exactly the kind of evidence a court examines when deciding whether the corporation was ever really separate from its owners.
Any change in corporate officers, directors, or authorized signers requires a prompt update with the bank. The Board must pass a new resolution reflecting the change, and the bank needs that resolution along with identification for any new signer. Failing to update the signature card creates two problems: a former officer may retain access to corporate funds, and current officers may find themselves unable to execute transactions because their authority isn’t on file. Address changes, amendments to the Articles that change the corporate name, and changes in beneficial ownership all need to be communicated too, because banks are required to keep this information current under the same rules that governed the account opening.