Establishing a Limited Liability Company (LLC) requires a lot of paperwork. This includes forms for registration, for obtaining permissions and licenses to run the business, and for tax purposes. In fact, there is more paperwork involved for an LLC than for a partnership firm. Since each state has its own law governing LLC, the forms and fees may vary from one jurisdiction to another. To an extent, the forms differ for single-member LLC and multi-member LLC.
To start with, you may want to ensure that the name chosen for your LLC is available even if there are delays in completing the procedure. This can be achieved by registering the name using the specified form. In certain states an advertisement has to be published in the local newspaper declaring the intention to launch an LLC. This has to be done according to a stipulated format.
Articles of Organization, Operating Agreements, amendments to these documents, the conversion of a single-member LLC to a multi-member LLC, changes relating to the Registered Agent, or the dissolution of an LLC all must be filed according to specific forms. There is even a specific format for the letter submitting the documents to the Secretary of State.
IRS Form SS-4 has to be filed to obtain an Employer Identification Number. Information relating to income or loss has to be submitted to the IRS on Form 1065. Other form required include Membership Certificates, a registry of members, minutes of meetings, and commonly used resolutions. Some of these are not mandatory, but it is advisable to have them.
You can study the applicable state rules and lists of requirements, or approach a professional to handle the matter. But there are inexpensive books and software available to simplify the chore. In many cases the professionals depend upon such ready-made tools.
