Instead, the profits and losses of the business are “passed through” the business and reported on the owners’ personal income tax returns. The biggest benefit of forming a Corporation is personal liability protection. Shareholders of a corporation have limited liability protection, which means creditors can’t come after an owner’s personal assets to collect a debt. There are international US business services that provide a full-service experience from forming your business to setting up your US bank account, in one package.

Read more about Open a company in the US here. The LLC allows for pass-through taxation, as its income is not taxed at the entity level; however, a tax return for the LLC must be completed if the LLC has more than one owner. Any LLC income or loss as shown on this return is passed through to the owner(s).

All Included

You can hire a standalone registered agent instead of a formation service if you need one. A C corporation is a corporation with profits taxed separately from the shareholders’ business earnings. If you incorporate as a C corporation, your business receives limited liability protection. This means that if someone sues your business or your business files for bankruptcy, your personal assets cannot be seized as part of a ruling. Neither can those of your co-owners – and a C corporation can have an unlimited number of owners, more commonly known as shareholders. After choosing a unique name and appointing a registered agent, you can proceed to handle the paperwork. Clerky, which was founded by former startup lawyers, offers tools to help with hiring and fundraising, and can forward your incorporation documents to a lawyer for review.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Incorporation

Residents with stable locations and office leases where you can receive, for example, your company’s state documents and utility bills if you have any. Luckily, most states have vague and often beneficial rules for when you need to register your business. Making sales online, for example, rarely requires registration in every state, and very few U.S. businesses actually need to register in more than one state. U.S. businesses get created at the state level by filing paperwork with the state’s business registration division, typically called a Secretary of State or a Corporations Division.

Corporations have well-established legal precedents and a uniform management structure, and corporate shares are easy to transfer from one shareholder to another. Because of this, corporations are often the favored business structure of large companies and investors. You can form a corporation yourself, use an online business formation service or consult with an attorney. A sole proprietorship is an unincorporated business that has just one owner. Generally speaking, it’s the easiest and quickest way to start a business – that’s why most small businesses operate as sole proprietorships.

Operating Agreement

Secretary of State staff is not authorized to provide legal counsel or advise on how your business should be organized. Wondering what forms you need to launch your Limited Liability Company (LLC)?

Once you choose a few options for your LLC name, remember to check if other companies aren’t already using those names. Check on Google, social media, and the business database of the state you chose.