A shareholder agreement is a legally binding document that outlines the rights, responsibilities, and rules governing shareholders in a company, addressing issues like ownership percentages, decision-making, and dispute resolution.
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Last Updated: January 12, 2026
A shareholder agreement is a legally binding contract among the shareholders that outlines how the company will operate and defines the shareholders’ rights, protections, and obligations. While shareholder agreements are optional, it’s a good idea to put all such agreements in writing to avoid problems later.
Startup companies and closely held corporations, as opposed to publicly traded companies, are the most likely to need and have shareholder agreements.
Shareholder agreements have some other names. One of the primary names is stockholders’ agreements. No matter what they’re called, shareholder (or stockholder) agreements are different from corporate formation documents, such as the Articles of Incorporation.
It’s up to each group of shareholders to decide what they want to include, but the following provisions are common shareholder agreement examples.
The contract begins with the date, the parties to the agreement, and a section identifying the management of the company.
A capitalization table is a list of the securities a company has issued and who owns them. It clarifies each shareholder’s percentage of ownership.
Particularly for a small business or a legal entity in which shareholders will have management authority, it’s important to clarify who will make decisions. Though some of this information may be in the Articles of Incorporation, the shareholders can provide greater detail in the shareholder agreement.
A key component of the shareholder agreement is outlining rules for valuing and transferring stock shares, including defining:
It’s also important to decide the process for amending these rules and restrictions.
Minority shareholders do not by default always have the same rights as majority shareholders. If they want to ensure they’re able to attend shareholder meetings or receive dividends, for example, they should include these provisions in a shareholder agreement.
The agreement should specify when the shareholders should expect to receive notifications (such as quarterly reports) and whether they may attend corporate meetings.
Any contract should include provisions for how disputes will be resolved (arbitration, civil litigation, etc.) and what jurisdiction’s laws will apply.
More companies are now including provisions setting forth environmental goals and policies. Shareholders may also want to clarify ethical guidelines for the company.
One of a shareholder agreement’s advantages over the Articles of Incorporation is that it may be kept confidential. As private contracts, shareholder agreements need not be publicly filed.
Shareholder agreements also may protect the corporation by prohibiting shareholders from competing with the company or directly soliciting its clients.
Putting all the shareholders’ rights in writing can reduce the management’s ability to run the company in a flexible manner. This is particularly true if the agreement contains a great deal of reserved matters, or those that require approval of all of the signatories instead of just a majority.
Protecting minority shareholders’ interests also can impede majority shareholders’ ability to make decisions.
A shareholder agreement’s business definition is a binding contract among shareholders outlining their rights, protections, and obligations as well as how the company will operate.
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Small business owners who expect to have shareholders would be wise to form a corporation, and ZenBusiness can help with that step. Essentially, ZenBusiness will help manage the paperwork and red tape, allowing small business owners to focus on what they love: running their businesses.
Disclaimer: The content on this page is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or accounting advice. For specific questions about any of these topics, seek the counsel of a licensed professional.
Written by ZenBusiness Editorial Team
The ZenBusiness Editorial Team has more than 20 years of combined small business publishing experience and has helped over 850,000 entrepreneurs launch and grow their companies. The team’s writers and business formation experts are dedicated to providing accurate, practical, and trustworthy guidance so business owners can make confident decisions.
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