If you operated your business as a sole proprietorship or general partnership, your EIN was your Social Security Number. When you incorporate or form a limited liability company (LLC), you must apply to receive a new number from the IRS.

In order to obtain an EIN, Form SS-4 must be completed and filed with the IRS. Certain states also require corporations and LLCs to obtain a state tax identification number. To learn if your state requires this, you should contact your state taxation authority.

BizFilings has two EIN-related offerings. With the SS-4 Form Preparation Service, BizFilings will prepare this form on behalf of your business, and then send it to you for you to submit to the IRS. This service is included in our Standard and Complete Formation Service, or can be added to our Basic Formation service for $25.

With the EIN Obtainment Service, BizFilings will prepare form SS-4, submit it to the IRS, and obtain the number on behalf of your business. This service is included with our Complete Formation Service and can be added to our Standard Formation Service for $45, or selected with our Basic Formation Service for $70.

To take advantage of BizFilings’ formation services, click here to access our order form.

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The primary advantage of incorporating a business is the limited liability the corporate entity affords its shareholders. Typically, shareholders are not personally liable for the debts and obligations of the corporation; thus, creditors will not come knocking at the door of a shareholder to pay debts owed by the corporation. In a partnership or sole proprietorship the owner’s personal assets may be used to pay debts of the business.

Other advantages of incorporating a business include:

* Incorporating may establish credibility for a new business with potential customers, employees, vendors, and partners.
* The ownership of a corporation is easily transferable through the sale of stock.
* Corporations have unlimited life extending beyond the illness or death of owners.
* Certain expenses, such as insurance, travel, and qualified retirement plans are typically tax-deductible.
* Additional capital can be easily raised through the sale of stock (shares) in a corporation.

The main disadvantage to forming a C corporation is often considered to be the potential for double taxation. C corporations are considered separately taxable entities by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and taxes must be paid on the profits of the corporation. If a corporation then distributes its profits to shareholders in the form of dividends, the dividend income is also taxed as regular income to the shareholders. In this case, the corporation’s profits are taxed twice, first as income to the corporation and second as dividend income to the shareholder, creating the “double-tax.”

However, not all income a shareholder receives from a C corporation is subject to the double tax. For example, if the shareholder is also an employee of the corporation, that shareholder will most likely receive a salary payment from the corporation. As long as the salary paid to the shareholder is considered by the IRS to be reasonable (or similar to the market salary rates for that position), it is treated as a business expense and is deductible to the corporation. This helps reduce the amount of taxable income the corporation has.

In order to eliminate the possibility of double taxation, C corporations can elect to be taxed as an S corporation with the IRS. With S corporations, the profits and losses of the corporation are reported on the individual tax returns of the shareholders, and any necessary tax is paid at the individual level. This taxation method is called “pass-through” taxation, since the profit or loss of the corporation is passed through to the shareholders.

Other aspects of C corporations that can be considered disadvantages include:

* Corporations are more expensive to form than sole proprietorships and partnerships.
* There are more corporate formalities, such as annual paperwork, and more state and federal rules and regulations, than with sole proprietorships and general partnerships.

When evaluating whether the corporate structure is right for your particular business, it is advisable to first determine the goals of your business, and then to assess the advantages and potential disadvantages of the different business structures in relation to those goals. You may also wish to seek the advice of an attorney or accountant.

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If the primary objective of the business form is personal liability protection, LLC form will serve the purpose. Forming LLC or Corporation needs certain legal formalities to be complied with. However, corporations are high maintenance business forms. Unless the business owners do not foresee considerable growth or intend to take the business to the public, forming and maintaining a corporation is not worth the hassle. Another plus for forming LLC is in LLC Taxation. Corporations have to file an individual tax return as a legal entity or ‘person’ and pay state and federal taxes directly. Again, when the profits are distributed as dividend among the shareholders, they have to declare it as personal income and pay tax. Sort of double taxation. The members, as the business owners of an LLC is called, can elect to be taxed as sole proprietorship, partnership or even a corporation, whichever is most beneficial to them.

How to LLC formation, the state laws regulate the formation and operation of LLCs. Each state has different rules and procedures for incorporation or organization of an LLC. Refer to your state LLC regulations to understand the requirements for forming and operating LLC. In all states one basic requirement is filing the Articles of organization. The nomenclature may change in each state but the purpose is the same. An available valid name has to be chosen for your LLC. Then file the articles of organization in that name and provide all the information in the articles as required by the state. You need a person or entity with a local address to act as your registered agent and that person’s written consent to act so must be provided. Some states stipulate an Operating Agreement duly executed and signed by the proposed members as a part of the business registration process. Even otherwise, an operating agreement is beneficial to the business in many ways.  It will provide clarity to business’s operational and organizational structure and a separate identity from that of the members. A publication of the intent to form the LLC may be required in some states.

For forming a LLC in any state, the basic requirement is to file an article of organisation and pay the filing fees. You require a valid name to form LLC. Make sure that the name is not similar to another business in your state. Some states provide name availability check option and you may check on the internet also. The name as stated in the articles should end with ‘Limited Liability Company’, ‘LLC’ or another abbreviation which clearly states the limited liability status of the business. The articles of organisation must state all the critical information about the LLC members and the purpose for which it is formed. The articles should also state a person or entity as a registered agent with a local street address for process service. Some states may have more requirements for forming LLC. An LLC operating agreement is required as a part of articles by some states. Even if the operating agreement is not a legal necessity, it is advisable to have one for your LLC. It will provide your LLC a separate identity and establish the limited liability status firmly in the eyes of law. Publication of the intent to form the LLC is also a legal requirement in some states. Some states prohibit formation of LLC for business like banking, insurance or professions.

1) the intention to jointly operate

2) sharing of profits or losses

3) joint control and ownership of property.

In a partnership, unless expressly stated otherwise all partners have equal rights and responsibilities. All partners have equal right to a share in profits and are personally and jointly responsible for all the activities of the partnership at its agents. However, the rights and responsibilities of each partner can be specified through a partnership agreement.  The partners can state the capital contribution of each partner, the resultant share in profits, operational responsibility of each partner, any special consideration payable to a partner for a business expertise that partner contributes to the business and such other terms and conditions of the partnership business. An important point to note here is that regardless of any stipulations in a written partnership agreement, all partners are still personally liable to the business debts and obligations without any limit. If a claim arises out of the business and one of the partners is personally not able to pay, the other partner or partners have to settle the claim with their personal assets and then sue the defaulting partner to compensate.

There some forms of partnership that limits the personal liability of partners such as a limited partnership or limited liability partnership. Despite the similarity in name, both forms are distinct in its nature. A limited partnership has a general partner and one or more limited partners. Only the general partner is active in business operations and has complete decision making power and is personally responsible for the partnership’s activities. The limited partners have a share of business but have no active involvement in the operations. Generally this form is used in a family limited partnership to protect joint family property. The dominant member of the family acts as the general partner and other members as limited partners. In a Limited Liability Partnership, all partners have limited personal liability to the partnership activities. This form is used in professions where misconduct or negligence of one partner may affect the whole partnership and to protect other partner or partners for being personal responsible for such misconduct or negligence.

The state laws govern the incorporation of your small business. The incorporation rules vary in each state. The key procedure for incorporating a business is to file a certificate of incorporation with the state and pay a filing fee. In some states the certificate of incorporation is also called the articles of incorporation. The ownership in a corporation is structured as units of stock or shares, which is subscribed to and promised to pay for by the shareholders. The corporations can be of two types namely an S Corp or a C Corp. The basic legal structures of both forms are similar. The main differences are the share holding and taxation. Shares in an S Corp are restricted to natural US citizens and limited to a maximum of 100. There are no such restrictions in a C Corp. C Corporations are subject to corporate taxation where as the S Corporation advantage is that the profits are passed through to the share holders and taxed as their personal income.

Limited Liability Companies also offer personal liability protection to its owners who are called members. The advantage in LLC Vs. Corporation is that in the eyes of the general public, corporations are ‘perpetual’. LLCs are considered to be bound to the life of its members. One advantage in LLC is that procedure for taxation can be decided by the members and they can elect to be taxed as a partnership or a corporation. The advantage in LLC Vs. S Corp is that LLCs are relatively easy to form and less cumbersome to operate.  Members of an LLC can elect to be taxed as an S Corporation and avoid the double taxation of a C Corporation.

The advantage in LLC Vs. S Corp is that LLCs are relatively easy to form and less cumbersome to operate. Members of an LLC can elect to be taxed as an S Corporation and avoid the double taxation of a C Corporation.

Incorporating your company shows your seriousness and can be essential when raising venture capital from businessmen like Rick Bolander and angel investors.

To protect your personal assets from business liabilities or obligations, you should adopt a legal business structure that provides personal liability protection to business owners. The common forms in use are Corporations and Limited Liability Companies. Both forms limit the personal liability of business owners to the capital contribution and all other business debts or obligations do not cross over except in certain circumstances. Forming a LLC or Corporation requires compliance of formal procedures with state government.  Corporations re structured by units of shares and shareholders subscribe to particular number of units. Corporations have a separate legal existence and are perpetual in its continuity. A Limited Liability Company is formed by one or more persons by filing an Articles of Organization in accordance with the state rules and regulation governing such formation. For forming an LLC some states insist on filing the LLC Operating Agreement along with the Articles.

In Taxation rules, the corporation is treated as a person and has to file all the necessary returns stipulated by the revenue codes. The Corporation is taxed directly on its profits. When these profits are distributed among shareholders they have to declare that as income and pay tax on it if application. There exists another type of corporation, which is not subjected to this double taxation, a S Corp. In an S Corp or LLC the profits pass through to the shareholders or members and is declared and taxes paid through personal tax returns.

Setting up an LLC in your home state is easy and simple as is in most states. All states provide online resources on the formalities and procedures required for setting up an LLC. Generally business registrations are handled by the Secretary of State or Corporations Commissioner’s offices. In some states it is the revenue division that handles the process. These agencies provide detailed instructions in setting up an LLC. You may have to consult a lawyer to draft your LLC operating agreement if your state laws stipulate filing the same for a valid registration.

Some of the basic steps and requirement in forming an LLC are:

LLC Name

You need a name to register your LLC in your state. It should be a valid name and must end with ‘Limited Liability Company’ or ‘LLC’ or a derivative which clearly states the limited liability status of the company. The name cannot be identical or closely similar to that of an existing business. Some states do have a name availability check option with their registration process.

Articles of Organization

This is called a Certificate of Organization in some states. To obtain a valid registration for your LLC you have to file an Articles or Certificate of Organization with the state and pay the required fee. This is a basic requirement with all states. All states indicate the information needed in the Articles in a pre-printed form or through instructions. You have to carefully understand the requirements, complete the form and sign it as the organizer.

Operating Agreement

Some state laws stipulate that the LLC operating agreement be filed along with articles for a valid registration. Anyhow, an operating agreement is crucial in the existence of an LLC. The most important fact is that it will provide individuality to the LLC.

Registered Agent

The LLC requires a local person or entity to act as its registered agent. The Articles or Certificate must contain the agent’s name and local address and the persons consent to act as the registered agent.

Public Notification

Some states require that a public notice be issued regarding the intent of forming the LLC with the proposed name.

As the requirements vary with each state, it is advisable to refer to your states regulations to form LLC.

The advantages in incorporating a small business are many. The foremost is the personal liability protection it offers. As business expands the associated risks also increases proportionately. By forming a corporation, you are creating a legal entity that has a separate existence in the eyes of Law. That entity is responsible for all its business operations and personal liability of the business owners (or share holders as they are called) is limited to their capital contribution.  Your personal assets are safe from being drawn into the business. Limited Liability Companies also provide such personal liability protection. However, the business continuity and sale and purchase of business interest are moot. Generally LLC has no separate existence from that of its members unless expressly specified otherwise. Corporations are ‘perpetual’. It has a separate existence from its shareholders. Death or disability of a share holder does not affect its existence in normal course. Stocks or shares are relatively easily transferable. Due to this advantage, investors are willing to invest in corporations when compared to other business forms. So, it is easy to attract funds for expanding your business as a corporation.

There are two types of corporations. S Corp and C Corp. The basic structures of both are similar. There are certain limitations in forming an S Corp. The main difference is the tax classification. C Corporations are subject to corporate taxation. It has to file a business profit or loss return and directly pay tax on its profits if applicable. Then again when the profits are distributed among share holders, they have to declare that as income and pay tax on it. In a LLC or S Corp, the profits can pass through to the members or share holder in proportion to their stock holdings. The members or share holders can declare the same in their personal returns and pay tax. Basically C Corp profits are subject to double taxation.

A legal business structure is imperative in operating a business in any of the states. Some forms of business do not involve many legal or statutory formalities in formation and its operations. Sole Proprietorships and General Partnerships can be formed by simple intent of the principal(s). However you will need to obtain all the obligatory permits and licences to operate the business. Forming a Limited Liability Company or a Corporation entails formal procedures. The organisation of LLC or the incorporation of a corporation is governed by state statute. These rules and regulations vary in each state. For forming a LLC you have to select a name and file an Articles of Organization with the state agency handling business registrations and pay a filing fee. Some states have a few more requirements for forming LLC such as filing an LLC Operating Agreement and publication of the intent to form LLC.

Forming a corporation involves lengthier procedures than forming a LLC. A corporation has a separate legal entity from that of its business owners, formally termed as share holders. The corporation is constituted by units of stocks or shares which each share holder subscribes to and promise to pay for. The basic charter for operating business as a corporation is its Articles of Incorporation. The promoters or incorporators have to provide all critical information on the purpose of formation and the organizational structure as required by the state. There are two types of corporations, C Corp and S Corp.

Taxation formalities in each of the business form vary. The sole proprietorship is considered as having no individual existence or a ‘disregarded entity’ and the business owner files business tax returns along with personal returns. Partnerships have a similar system where the profits or loss from business is declared proportionately through partner’s personal tax filing. Partnership has to file an information return separately. LLCs or S Corps has a pass through taxation system as that of a partnership. Corporations are taxed directly and have to file separate tax and information returns.