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Authorized Shares Form

Use a Authorized Shares template to make your document workflow more streamlined.

What the authorized shares form records

An Authorized Shares Form records the maximum number and classes of shares a corporation is permitted to issue under its formation documents or governing state filing. It gives owners, directors, investors, and filing professionals a focused record of the corporation’s equity authorization before shares are issued. The completed form should match the corporation’s charter, amendment, or Secretary of State filing. With signNow, a team can upload the form, place fields for the responsible signers, collect signatures, and preserve the signed copy and audit trail for corporate records.

Why teams look for DocuSign alternatives

Organizations seek alternatives when they need different pricing models, stronger native automation, simpler bulk affidavit workflows, or more flexible identity-verification options than those available in a legacy envelope-based vendor.

Why teams look for DocuSign alternatives

Business types that use this form

The form is most useful wherever a corporation must document its authorized equity structure and preserve approval evidence.

  • Solo founders use the form to organize authorized share information before opening a corporate bank account, documenting an initial equity plan, or asking counsel to review formation records.
  • Corporate legal teams use it to coordinate director approvals, charter amendments, and investor diligence while preserving a controlled signed copy instead of circulating inconsistent email attachments.
  • Enterprise finance and governance teams use it alongside capitalization records, board materials, and state filings when multiple signers must approve or confirm the corporation’s authorized share structure.

These tasks are executed by both individual contributors and centralized administrators depending on organizational policy and required controls.

Who uses the authorized shares form

Founders and directors

Corporation founders and directors use the form to document authorized share limits before approving issuances, amendments, or equity transactions. It helps keep the signed record aligned with the company’s charter and state corporate filing.

Corporate professionals

Corporate attorneys, paralegals, and finance teams use it when organizing capitalization records, coordinating approvals, or sending an authorized-shares record to investors and other transaction participants.

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How the form workflow works

The signNow workflow moves the Authorized Shares Form from an editable corporate template to a signed, traceable record.

  • Upload form: Upload the corporate template to signNow.
  • Review fields: Auto-detect fillable fields and review placements.
  • Send for signing: Assign corporate signers and send invitations.
  • Archive record: Store the signed form with its audit trail.

Complete the authorized shares form

Prepare the corporate record carefully, then use signNow to collect signatures and preserve the completed version.

  • Upload:

    Upload the Authorized Shares Form to signNow.
  • Prepare:

    Review detected fields and add missing roles.
  • Send:

    Enter signer details and send invitations.
  • Complete:

    Collect signatures and download the completed record.

Recommended workflow settings

Use controlled signing, a complete audit trail, and secure record storage for every Authorized Shares Form.

SettingRecommendation
Authentication methodEmail verification with SMS OTP
Signature typeTyped or drawn electronic signature
Audit trailEnable signNow audit trail
Document retentionRetain with corporate records
EncryptionAES-256 at rest and TLS 1.2/1.3 in transit

Key features for this form

signNow connects field preparation, signer routing, audit evidence, and record export around the Authorized Shares Form workflow.

Field preparation

Upload the Authorized Shares Form and use detected fields to prepare share counts, class information, dates, and signer assignments before sending.

Signer routing

Route the corporate record to founders, directors, officers, or counsel in a defined signing order when the approval process requires sequential review.

Audit trail

Capture signer actions, timestamps, and document history so the completed form has supporting evidence for internal corporate-record review.

Reusable templates

Use reusable templates when the corporation repeats the same authorized-shares workflow for amendments, subsidiaries, or governance documentation.

Mobile signing

Collect signatures through desktop or mobile workflows while keeping the Authorized Shares Form in one controlled signing process.

Record export

Download the signed form and completion evidence for storage with the charter, board approvals, and related capitalization records.

Integrations for corporate records

Connect signNow with named business systems to route the Authorized Shares Form, preserve signed records, and keep corporate workflows connected.

Salesforce
Procore
Zapier
Microsoft Teams
Hub spot
Box
Microsoft

Best practices for completing the form

Accurate corporate records depend on matching the form to governing documents, assigning the right signers, and preserving evidence of execution.

Match the charter before sending

Compare each entered share count and class designation with the corporation’s charter, articles, or approved amendment. Resolve discrepancies before sending the form because signNow preserves the signed version, not an authoritative correction.

Assign authorized corporate signers

Use signNow fields for the exact corporate roles required by the organization’s approval process. Assign each signer deliberately, and avoid collecting a signature from someone whose authority is not documented.

Preserve the signed evidence package

Export the completed PDF and its signNow audit trail after signing. Store both with the corporation’s capitalization records, board approvals, and related state filing materials.

Control revisions after execution

Restrict editing after the Authorized Shares Form is sent. If a share count or class changes, prepare a new version and retain the earlier signed record rather than overwriting it.

Common completion challenges

  • Entering an authorized share count that differs from the corporation’s charter can create conflicting capitalization records and delay corporate approvals.
  • Assigning the form to an employee without documented authority can weaken evidence that the corporation approved the recorded share authorization.
  • Leaving class names or voting rights blank can make the signed record difficult to reconcile with the governing corporate documents.
  • Sharing the completed form without its audit trail can make later review of signer identity, timestamps, and document history less complete.

Authorized shares form troubleshooting

These answers address field preparation, electronic-signature validity, plan selection, and evidence preservation for this corporate record.

Upload the Authorized Shares Form as a PDF and check whether signNow detected every intended field. Add or reposition fields manually before assigning the form to corporate signers, then preview the recipient experience.

The Business plan includes templates, audit trails, and legally binding eSignatures at $8/user/month with annual billing. If the workflow needs bulk send, Business Premium is listed at $15/user/month annually.

For a consumer-facing electronic transaction, ESIGN requires disclosure of the right to receive paper records and the ability to access electronic records under 15 U.S.C. §7001(c). Review whether that rule applies before sending.

ESIGN and UETA generally recognize electronic signatures when intent, consent, attribution, and record retention are established. State corporate filing rules and the company’s governing documents may impose additional requirements.

Compare the completed form with the corporation’s charter or approved amendment before signing. signNow can preserve the executed record and audit trail, but it does not determine whether the entered share authorization is legally correct.

Use signNow’s audit trail and export the signed PDF after completion. Retain them with corporate records and related approvals so reviewers can connect the signer actions with the final Authorized Shares Form.

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