How to count your owners
Count every person or company that will own part of the business. You can add up to 10 owners online, and you add their details after checkout.
On this page
The Owners step asks "How many owners or shareholders will your new company have?" Count every person or company that will own part of the business.
How to answer
- Pick 1, 2, 3 or 4.
- More than four? Enter the number in More than 4? Enter a number up to 10.
- Continue to the next step.
You don't enter names here. You add each owner's details after checkout, on the Owners step of your company details.
Limits to know
- Up to 10 owners can be added online. If your company will have more, contact us before you start.
- Owners are added as people online. If one of the owners is a company, use Is one of the owners a company? Tell your team. on the Owners step after checkout, and our team adds the company owner by hand.
- At least one owner must be a person, because a person signs the EIN application (Form SS-4).
The main owner
The next step asks whether the main owner has an SSN. The main owner is the person who owns the largest share of the company. See Do I need an SSN to get an EIN?