Sole Proprietorship | Partnership | Limited Liability Co. (LLC, PLLC) | S Corporation | C Corporation | |
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Formed by registering with ID Secretary of State’s office | Registering the business name creates a sole proprietorship | ||||
Limited ownership | Only one owner | Two or more owners | 100 or fewer owners | ||
May have unlimited owners | |||||
Limited liability protection for owners | |||||
Requires an attorney to create the business formation legal documents | |||||
Must register with Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (finCEN.gov) | |||||
Profits pass through to the owner/owners | |||||
Owner is personally liable for business debts | |||||
Taxation | Owner reports taxes on personal tax return | Partners report taxes on their personal tax returns | Tax reporting passes through to the owner | Tax reporting passes through to shareholders | Files a company tax return; shareholders pay tax on dividends |
Termination | Ends on the owner’s retirement, death or bankruptcy. Assets are distributed according to the owner’s will or a court order. | Terminates with the death, retirement or bankruptcy of one partner unless the Partnership Agreement states otherwise. | Termination depends on the terms of the Operating Agreement. | On-going | On-going |
May be owned by another business | |||||
May issue stock | |||||
Files an annual report with the ID Secretary of State’s office |