After the paperwork is filed, the business owner must create an LLC operating agreement, which specifies the business structure. Finally, the new company must obtain an EIN—similar to an SSN, but for businesses—from the IRS. When a sole proprietor seeks to incorporate a business, the owner usually restructures it into an https://www.bookstime.com/ LLC. For this to work, the owner must first determine that the name of the company is available. If the desired name is free, articles of organization must be filed with the state office where the business will be based. Accounting services that involve bookkeeping and tax preparation are very popular and profitable.

• As they find new work that requires more employees, they might come to a point where it’s time to reorganize the company into an LLC, corporation, or partnership.
• Customer Suzy slips in the puddle and falls, striking her head on the arm of a chair.
• This protects LLC members’ personal assets from potential business lawsuits, debts and losses by keeping the business as a separate entity from the members.
• This advantage may seem attractive, but it can be costly in the long run.
• It does not require registering with a state authority for most situations and does not require obtaining an EIN from the IRS.
• There is no distinction between the business and the owner with this structure.
• Instead, this structure empowers members to contribute to the business collectively.

This being said, most sole proprietors only need to file two forms with their individual return. Sometimes businesses start off as sole proprietorships and incorporate later, when they need to hire additional employees or simply want to separate their business and personal finances. Yes, according to the IRS (Internal sole proprietorship Revenue Service) operating as a sole proprietorship qualifies as self-employment. You can, but it requires you to dissolve the LLC first, which is known as a dissolution. Then, you have to alert all of your creditors that you are dissolving the LLC so that you can receive your final bills from them and pay them.

Can I change my DBA name?

Anyone who wants to name their business needs to file a DBA (doing business as). If you are a sole proprietor use the information in the chart below to help you determine some of the forms that you may be required to file. An independent artist who sells their work to clients is an example of a sole proprietor. Many freelancers, artists, actors, writers and makers tend to function as sole proprietors. Nonprofits are often called 501(c)(3) corporations — a reference to the section of the Internal Revenue Code that is most commonly used to grant tax-exempt status.

She is a former Google Tech Entrepreneur and she holds an MSc in International Marketing from Edinburgh Napier University. Businesses of all sizes will need a lawyer at some point, whether that is to register their business or to deal with a client that isn’t paying. The best online legal services are affordable and able to quickly solve your legal issues. You can read our guide to the best online legal services to learn more. Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor.

Pros and Cons of a Sole Proprietorship

This can be difficult to do on your own, but you also aren’t likely to need to pay for help right away.