The limited liability company (LLC) is a relatively new form of business entity that has become increasingly popular in the United States over the past two decades. In particular, Utah has become a hotbed for LLCs due to its favorable business environment and favorable tax and liability laws. This article will discuss the basics of limited liability companies in Utah and how they are regulated by the state.
A limited liability company is a form of business entity that provides limited liability to its owners, similar to that of a corporation. In Utah, LLCs are defined and regulated by the Utah Revised Limited Liability Company Act (URLLCA), which was enacted in 2001. The URLLCA sets forth the formation and operating requirements for LLCs in Utah, including the procedures for formation and dissolution, management, ownership, and taxation.
Under the URLLCA, an LLC is formed when a person or group of persons files a Certificate of Formation with the Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code. The Certificate must include the name of the LLC, the address of its registered office, the names and addresses of its managers or members, and the purpose of the LLC. Once the Certificate is filed and accepted by the Division, the LLC is officially formed and may begin conducting business in Utah.
Under the URLLCA, the LLC provides its members with limited liability. This means that members of the LLC are not typically liable for the debts and obligations of the LLC, except in certain circumstances such as fraud or violations of the URLLCA. Additionally, the LLC provides its members with the ability to manage and control the LLC. The URLLCA also sets forth the rules governing the management of the LLC, such as the election of a manager or managers, the formation of quorums, and the adoption of operating agreements.
In addition to providing limited liability to its members, the URLLCA sets forth the rules governing the taxation of LLCs in Utah. Under the URLLCA, LLCs are required to pay state income taxes on their profits. The URLLCA also sets forth the rules governing the taxation of distributions to members of the LLC, as well as the taxation of capital gains from the sale of LLC interests.
The URLLCA also sets forth the rules governing the dissolution of LLCs in Utah. In general, an LLC may be dissolved by filing a Certificate of Dissolution with the Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code. The Certificate must include the name of the LLC, the address of its registered office, and the reason for dissolution. Once the Certificate is filed and accepted by the Division, the LLC is officially dissolved and all of its assets must be distributed to its members in accordance with the terms of the operating agreement.
The URLLCA also sets forth the rules governing the rights and responsibilities of members of LLCs in Utah. This includes the rights of members to participate in the management of the LLC, to receive distributions from the LLC, and to transfer their interests in the LLC. Additionally, the URLLCA sets forth the duties of members, such as the duty to act in the best interests of the LLC and the duty to pay taxes on distributions from the LLC.
Limited Liability Company Attorneys
Business Attorneys are often asked how limited liability works, because this is often one of the greatest advantages to forming an entity that offers this type of protection (limited liability partnership, Limited Liability Company, corporation, etc). Limited liability basically protects the business owner for the negligence of his or her employees. In other words, the limited liability status of a company does not protect the business owner from liabilities that are a result of his or her personal negligence. Company owners that actually take part in the daily activities of a business should be aware of this fact; because this makes almost as though the business is a sole proprietorship.
Limited liability, on the other hand, is one of the biggest advantages of forming a corporation, or LLC, even if it only protects the business owner from his or her employee’s negligence. While any employee’s misconduct is likely outside the scope of employment, and would not make the business owner liable, the limited liability status is important for protecting the business owner’s personal assets. Failure to form the business properly might result in the business being recognized as a partnership, where the business owners would be joint and severally liable for the business’ debts (including judgments against the business); A Business law expert is useful for ensuring that your business is formed and operated properly.
Clients often wonder what causes court not to recognize limited liability; this is known as piercing the corporate veil. Traditionally piercing the corporate veil is a remedy the court uses after considering certain factors. To avoid the risk of having your company’s limited liability status go unrecognized it is important that the business adhere to corporate formalities. Corporate formalities are those things which are usually done when conducting a legitimate business. This includes adequate record keeping, keeping the business owner’s personal funds separate from the operating funds of the business, acting in accordance with bylaws (for a corporation) or an operating agreement (for a LLC) for the business in question, and treating the company’s assets as though they were your own. An experienced lawyer usually prepares these documents for record keeping purposes and can help ensure that the company is staying compliant. The other thing to avoid is what is called undercapitalization, and is often found where businesses fail to properly maintain adequate insurance coverage in the case of any possible misfortune. The main point here is that the business was not formed as a limited liability entity to avoid potential business debts arising from judgments against the business.
Because businesses are formed under State law, a business attorney can also advise on the advantages of forming the LLC in different states which can have certain benefits. Some of the benefits fall into different categories like more developed case law, or more developed statutes. Owners of large companies surely take advantage of being able to form an entity in different places; this is the reason you see many large corporations that where incorporated in Utah.
The business formation process can be a very challenging, and one may find regulations, permits and contracts totally confusing. However, all of these are not illogical obstacles towards establishing your company as they are just part of the many requirements that allow authorities to monitor or keep track of every business formation occurring in one place while informing the government that has jurisdiction.
What Is a Limited Liability Company (LLC)?
A Limited Liability Company or LLC is a business structure in which the owners or members have limited liability with respect to the actions of the company. An LLC offers the members the benefit of personal liability protection, meaning that the business liability cannot be recovered from the personal assets of the owners.
An LLC is formed and operated under state law. Its characteristics are similar to that of a corporation and a partnership business. Its dissolution too is governed by the state’s law.
The Basics of Forming a Limited Liability Company (LLC)
The thought of “being your own boss” is sure exciting and if you plan to do it by setting up your business and are ready with a business plan, the next crucial step is deciding the right business structure. This decision has far-reaching repercussions for the business and thus requires careful selection. The factors like personal liability, regulations, tax treatment, etc are governed by the form of your business entity which could be a Sole Proprietorship, Corporation, Partnership, or a Limited Liability Company (LLC).
One of the easy, efficient, and fast ways to start a company is to set up a Limited Liability Company (LLC). Let’s explore what exactly is an LLC, its suitability, advantages, and disadvantages, along with other fundamental factors that can help you decide if an LLC is right for you and your business.
Advantages of an LLC
Registering your company as an LLC has many benefits. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest advantages below.
Limited Liability
This is one of the features of an LLC in which it resembles a corporation. LLC provides its owners a protective shield against business debt and liability.
Let’s take an example; there is a shoe store “boot & boot” owned by Jimmy that loses its customers to one of the more fancy store around the corner. The business is not doing well and the company hasn’t paid rent for the last eight months and bills for three shipments of shoes. Thus, “boot & boot” owes approximately $75,000 to its creditors who have filled a lawsuit against the company.
In this case, the creditors have full right to claim the money owed from the company but have no right to Jimmy’s personal assets (bank deposits or gold or real estate). In an LLC, only the company’s assets can be liquidated to repay the debt and not the owners. This is a big advantage that is not provided by a sole proprietorship or partnership where owners and the business are legally considered the same adding vulnerability of personal assets.
Taxation
The company is not taxed directly by IRS as an LLC is not considered a separate tax entity. Instead, the tax liability is on the members who pay through their personal income tax. Let’s look at an example.
Say “boot & boot” has two members and has made net profits to the tune of $60,000 in a year. The net profits will be divided into two (number of members) and this amount will be taxed as their personal income depending upon their overall tax liability. Because of non recognition of LLC as a business entity for taxation purposes, the tax return has to be filed as a corporation, partnership or sole proprietorship.
Remember that certain LLCs are automatically classified by IRS as a corporation for tax purposes, so be sure to know if your business falls in this category. Those LLCs that not automatically classified as a corporation can pick the business entity of choice by filing the Form 8832. The same form is used in case the LLC wants to change the classification status.
Fewer Hassles
Among all forms of companies, starting an LLC is easier, with fewer complexities, paperwork, and costs. This form of company comes with a lot of operational ease with less record-keeping and compliance issues. LLCs also provide a lot of freedom in management as there is no requirement of having a board of directors, annual meetings, or maintaining strict record books. These features reduce unnecessary hassles and help save a lot of time and effort.
The formation of an LLC broadly requires filing the “articles of organization” which is a document including basic information like business name, address, members. The filing is done with the Secretary of State for most states and has an associated filing fee.
Next comes creating an Operating Agreement, which though is not mandatory in most states but is recommended especially for multi-member LLCs. On registration of the business, other licenses and permits have to be obtained.
Additionally, some states like Arizona and New York require publishing about the LLC formation in the local newspaper.
Flexibility in Allocation
LLC provides a lot of flexibility when it comes to investing as well as profit sharing.
In an LLC, members can opt to invest in a different proportion than their ownership percentage i.e. a person who owns 25% of the LLC, need not contribute money in the same proportion for initial investment. This can be done by creating an operating agreement, which states percentages of company profits (and losses) for each member regardless of the amounts of their initial investments. So it’s possible to have an outside investor put money in the business without ownership.
The same applies to the distribution of profits where LLC members have the flexibility to decide the allocation of profits. The distribution of profits can be in a different proportion than ownership. A certain member may take a bigger chunk of profits by consensus for the extra hours or effort they have put into carrying out the business.
Disadvantages
While a limited liability company (LLC) offers an edge over some of the other forms of business entity, there are also some drawbacks which need to be looked at before selecting an LLC as the business structure.
Limited Life
The life of an LLC is limited by the tenure of its members. While there can be variations across states, in most of them the business is dissolved or ceases to exist when a member departs an LLC further requiring the other members to complete the remaining business or legal obligations needed to close the business. The rest of the members can choose to set up a new LLC or part ways. This weakness of an LLC can be overcome by including appropriate provisions in the operating agreement.
Self-Employment Taxes
The members of an LLC have to pay the self-employed tax contributions towards Medicare and Social Security as they are considered as self-employed. Due to this, the net income of the business is subject to this tax. To avoid this, depending upon the business turnover and tax burden, the entity can choose to be taxed like a corporation if it works out more beneficial. Consult an accountant before making this choice.
Fees
The fee which is typically paid by an LLC as initial costs or ongoing charges is more than that for business entities like sole proprietorship or general partnership but less than what a C-corporation has to pay. The various types of fees include applicable state filing fees, ongoing fees, and annual report fees.
The URLLCA sets forth the rules governing the formation, management, taxation, and dissolution of limited liability companies in Utah. These rules provide LLCs and their members with the protection of limited liability and the ability to manage and control the LLC. Additionally, the URLLCA sets forth the rules governing the taxation of LLCs and the rights and responsibilities of members. As such, the URLLCA provides a comprehensive framework for the formation and operation of LLCs in Utah.
Areas We Serve
We serve individuals and businesses in the following locations:
Salt Lake City Utah
West Valley City Utah
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Limited Liability Companies Consultation
When you need help with Limited Liability Companies call Jeremy D. Eveland, MBA, JD (801) 613-1472 for a consultation.
Jeremy Eveland
17 North State Street
Lindon UT 84042
(801) 613-1472
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