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LLC * Four Reasons Not to Form a Limited Liability Company Stephen L. Nelson, CPA, MBA, MS-Taxation
Don't get me wrong. I think LLCs, or limited liability companies, are great. At modest cost, they often let you minimize your legal liability. LLCs also give you tremendous tax flexibility, because with an LLC you can choose to be treated as a corporation, an S corporation, a partnership (if there are multiple owners), or a sole proprietorship (if you're the only owner). In spite of these big benefits, four good reasons exist for not forming a limited liability company for your next business. Here they are: State Income & Franchise Taxes All states charge at least a modest fee--sometimes less than $100--to set up an LLC. And that's not so bad, but here's what is bad. Some states like California also levy additional unfair annual fees and franchise taxes on even the smallest LLCs. California's minimum annual LLC franchise tax, for example, is a whopping $800. Ouch. If you're operating in states with high annual LLC fees and taxes, you need to think twice about using an LLC unless your business is big enough to easily shoulder any extra fees and taxes. Complicated Bookkeeping and Accounting For sole proprietors, an LLC may complicate your accounting if you choose to have the LLC taxed as a regular corporation or an S corporation. This extra complexity stems from the fact that a corporate tax return requires balance sheets once the business has more than $250,000 in revenue or assets. And to produce a balance sheet, you need to use correctly a full-blown accounting system such as QuickBooks. Checkbook programs like Microsoft Money and Quicken don't really work. Be careful that you don't over-complicate your accounting without good reason. Extra Paperwork and Red Tape A limited liability company burdens you with significantly less red tape and paperwork than a corporation. Which is awesome. However, an LLC still requires more paperwork than a simple sole proprietorship. (Often a sole proprietorship requires no paperwork.) At a minimum, for example, an LLC will probably be required to file annual reports with the state agency that supervises limited liability companies and corporations. An LLC should probably have an operating agreement. In some states, LLCs also have the paperwork to file depending on the type of business. Modest Liability Protection Even if you operate your business as an LLC, you may not get much liability protection if you do all the work yourself (because you're a one-man or one-woman operation) or if you have to provide personal guarantees to lenders, customers and vendors. This may be you don't get much or any extra liability protection from operating as an LLC. This may mean that you just need to be easily careful and have a good insurance policy. Closing Caveats Limited liability companies are often the perfect platform for a new business. But think carefully about using an LLC for a very small business if you want to keep things extremely simple and very cheap.
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Idaho Lawmaker: Bring A Bill To End Tax Exemptions - New York Times
Idaho Lawmaker: Bring a Bill to End Tax ExemptionsNew York TimesBy AP BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- Quit talking about repealing tax exemptions. Bring a bill to do it. That's the message Rep. Dennis Lake, the...
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Refund Status
Check the status of your California state refund. ... Revise el estado de su reembolso. You will need the following to check the status of your Personal Income Tax refund:
IRS E-file: Filing Your Taxes Online Was Never Easier!
IRS e-file Options For: Individual Taxpayers: File your 2008 Individual Income Tax Return electronically (available through October 15, 2009). You can file online for free through ...
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LLC formation author & CPA Stephen L. Nelson has written more than 150 books. Formerly an adjunct tax professor at Golden Gate University--the nation's largest graduate tax school--Nelson is also the author of QuickBooks for Dummies. Copyright © by 2006 by Stephen L. Nelson, CPA. Contact him at http://www.stephenlnelson.com.
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Online Tax Preparation General Articles about Taxes
Understanding the Recovery Rebate Credit
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The Internal Revenue Service warns that many taxpayers are mistakenly trying to double-dip on last years federal tax rebate when they file their tax returns this year -- and the IRS is catching the errors.
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There are many different tax programs, which are adequate to different kinds of needs, so the users have various options. For taxpayers with more complex tax situations, TurboTax software would be the...
$7500 First Time Homeowner Tax Credit
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Those who bought a main home recently or are considering buying one may qualify for the first-time homebuyer credit. Normally, a taxpayer qualifies if she didnt own a main home during the prior three...
Get Help From A Tax Attorney
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All the people have to handle tax problems, which can be very difficult if you have to manage these troubles by yourself. And things can get worse if one day the IRS comes knocking on your door. You don't...
Small Business Tax Credit - Americans with Disabilities Act
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Many small businesses complain when confronted with the expense of complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Most do not realize that there are a number of tax incentives available to offset...
Fraudulent Tax Shelters - KMPG Goes Down Hard
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In the largest criminal tax case ever filed, KMPG has copped a plea to using fraudulent tax shelters to bilk the government out of 2.5 billion dollars. KMPG has agreed to pay a fine of $456 million dollars,...
Get A Tax Accountant And Leave April To The Showers
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For most US citizens, April 15 mans only one thing: it's time to pay Uncle Sam his due. And in the weeks leading up to April 15, taxpayers in the US frequently develop all the signs of tax preparation...
What your California Tax Lawyer Should Know.
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They say that there are two things that are inevitable in life: death and taxes. But even though these are both inevitable, there are ways to put off or limit the inevitable by using knowledge.If you are...
Tax Accounting
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Accounting is the recording, interpretation and reporting of financial transactions. Each and every business must keep proper record of all such transactions. There are several branches of accounting such...
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Business Tax Articles of Interest
Can Your LLC Elect S Corporation Tax Status
by Robert Montgomery
Yes, an LLC can be taxed similar to an S corporation. You may be wondering, why would you even want this type of tax treament? Read on and I'll explain.Owners or members of an LLC have the option to choose...
Incorporate LLC
by Steve Valentino
LLC (limited liability company) provides the benefits of liability protection and pass through taxation features of sole proprietorship or partnership. Many small business owners prefer this form of corporation...
How To Form An LLC
by David Gass
A Limited Liability Company or LLC is a mixture between a partnership and a corporation. An LLC protects the owners from personal liability on the company's debts just like a corporation with the tax-benefits...
Free Information and FAQs you Need to Know to Form an LLC or Incorporate in Delaware
by Chris Einkauf
1. Why should I incorporate / form an L.L.C. in Delaware?When forming a corporation or LLC, you should choose the state of incorporation carefully. This is your opportunity to forum shop for the law you...
CenterPoint-Solutions, LLC Partners With Greystone.Net, Inc.
by Patty Briguglio
CenterPoint-Solutions, LLC is pleased to announce the firms alliance with Greysone.Net, Inc. of Georgia, an organization that provides Internet and World Wide Web solutions and services for healthcare...
More Options to a Self Directed IRA
by Joshua Geary
If you want to have more control over your retirement accounts than what is typically found with ROTH, and Traditional IRA's: then consider the acquisition of a self-directed individual retirement account....
dmg management LLC Releases Statement of Separation From Big Tigger’s Street Corner Foundation
by Natasha Rennie
dmg management LLC Releases Statement of Separation From Big Tiggers Street Corner Foundation Washington, DC (July 18, 2005) -- dmg management LLC, a sports and entertainment marketing firm based in Washington,...
Mid-State Swimming Pool Co., LLC
by Bruce Comer Jr
Mid-State Swimming Pool Co., LLC has a new web site! The new site design includes helpful information about our line of fiberglass pools, vinyl pools, pool chemicals, pool supplies, new pool owner help,...
Is A Limited Liability Company (LLC) Right For Your Business?
by Abigail Franks
Up until a few years ago there were only 3 types of formal business formations. These were the corporation, a partnership and a sole proprietorship. Each had both positives and negatives and depending...
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