The S Corp Versus the LLC
In my previous post I advised small businesses about the upcoming March 15 deadline for S Corp election. I wanted to follow up with a more detailed look at the two most popular business entities for small businesses: the S Corporation and LLC (Limited Liability Company).
These two entities share several key similarities. Perhaps most importantly, both will protect your personal assets from any potential liabilities of the company (whether from an unhappy customer, unpaid supplier, or anyone else who might pursue legal action). With both the S Corporation and LLC, your personal finances, home vehicles and other assets are all safe. In addition, both structures allow a business to borrow money and sell equity in order to raise capital. Both stay in existence until they are dissolved, without need for periodic renewal. And both offer pass-through tax treatment when it comes to federal income tax.
Given these similarities, how do you decide which is the better choice for your particular business? While circumstances vary among individuals and individual businesses, here are some general guidelines to help you understand the differences and their impact.
1. Business Formality
The LLC is ideal for companies that don’t want or need much formality, but still want legal protection. In a corporation (S-Corp or C-Corp), Articles of Incorporation must be filed; bylaws have to be written; officers have to be named; a board of directors elected; and minutes must be filed and resolutions passed whenever you want to make changes to the company. In the LLC, this isn’t the case. LLCs just use an informal “operating agreement.” Depending on your particular type of business and the individuals involved, this could either be a great time and money saver, or the gateway to potential conflict down the road.
2. The S Corporation Restricts Who Can Be a Shareholder
An S Corp cannot have more than 100 shareholders (of course, this limitation is probably not of much consequence to many small businesses). All individual shareholders must be either U.S. Citizens or permanent residents. By contrast, the LLC does not have such restrictions on owners.
3. The S Corporation Has Strict Income Allocation
In an LLC, income and loss can be allocated disproportionately among the owners; in the S Corp, income and loss are assigned to each shareholder strictly based on their pro-rata share of ownership.
So what does this mean? If I own 80 percent of an LLC, my share of the tax burden doesn’t necessarily have to be 80 percent of the taxable income. But if I own 80 percent of an S-Corp and that company makes $100,000 in taxable income, I will be taxed on $80,000 of income.
4. The S Corporation Cannot Increase Pass-Through Losses
In certain circumstances, the IRS allows the loss in an S Corp or LLC to pass through to the individual shareholders. However, the LLC allows you to pass through more loss than in the S Corp, most notably when it comes to real estate. In an LLC used for real estate investments, however, the members are allowed to add the amount of the mortgage to their basis for the purpose of computing a loss. Clearly, that can add up to a significant difference in your tax statement.
5. Venture Funds Typically Do Not Want to Invest in LLCs
If your company is considering raising venture capital down the road, be advised that the C Corporation is a venture capital firm’s clear choice for the type of legal entity for their investment. Converting an LLC into a C Corp entails a complete merger and can be a rather complicated process involving accountants and possibly lawyers. By contrast, converting an S-Corp to a C Corp can be done in a day with a single tax form (you’re basically unchecking the box for S Corp tax election).
Choosing the right business structure for your business is a weighty issue and will ultimately depend on all the unique aspects of your particular business needs, vision and circumstances. But no matter what entity you choose, taking a serious look at your legal structure is important and will help you scale far more smoothly (and avoid any legal and liability pitfalls) in years to come.
About Nellie Akalp
Nellie Akalp is CEO of CorpNet, her second incorporation filing service based on her strong passion to assist small business owners and entrepreneurs in starting their business. Free guides, advice and videos on small business legal topics are available at her Small Biz Corner. 
Sounds like future funding possibilities will largely make this decision for you. Thanks for the clarification.
Great post.
NOTE: If you elect to operate your LLC as a Corporation and NOT a partnership, not all the benefits listed above apply.
Nellie,
S. Corp!
Your company rocks, by the way.
The Franchise King®
LLC all the way baby
i still own my shirt on my back and i want it to stay that way.
@Robert – Exactly! Please feel free to reach out with any questions and thanks again for reading the article!
@Roy – Thanks for reading the post and commenting!
@Joel – Joel, you rock! Thank you for your continued support!
- Nellie
@muttyman Excellent choice; you get the liability protection minus all the paper filing headaches and formalities! Thanks for reading my post; feel free to reach out at any time
-Nellie
[...] S Corp vs. LLC? It may sound like an epic battle among titans, but really it’s just a decision about what form of incorporation to choose for your small business. Remember, not every arrangement is right for every business…or every entrepreneur for that matter. Even once you’ve determined that incorporation is the way to go, you’ll still need to decide on the kind of corporation that works best. Small Business Trends [...]
[...] here are a couple more articles about the differences from Small Business Trends, Forbes Ask an Expert, and a comparison chart from Money [...]
[...] *Original content written by Nellie Akalp for http://smallbiztrends.com/2011/03/s-corp-versus-llc.html [...]
Hi i want to form a Tax consulting Firm…, Iam an Indian, never visited US.., I have 5+ years of experience in US Tax.. wanted to form a buiness with my 4 friends.., can i Incorporate a Business in US., if so..which entity i can form.. LLC, LLP, S-Corp or C-Corp
Hi Venu – As you may be aware, Corpnet.com is solely a document filing service and cannot offer legal tax or financial advice. However, we can offer you a FREE BIZ Consult and give guidance with respect to the different types of biz entitites and your options and assit you with the formation of your business entity. Feel free to call at 1.888.449.2638
[...] The S Corp Versus The LLC. The S Corporation and the LLC (Limited Liability Company) are the two most common ways of setting up a small business. The two types have several key similarities. There are also quite a number of differences. Which type of entity you choose depends on the needs of your particular small business. Small Business Trends [...]
Nellie
Thank you, I was on the fence on S-corp and LLC
I am a small electrical business, LLC seems to be a better fit for me, At least for a couple of more years.
Saving 15.3 self employment tax is something that will always be on my mind.
Baby steps and smart decisions and I will succeed.
Thanks again for your explanation
DannyQ
Wrong- you will be paying that tax on the net proceeds from your firm as an LLC.
If you are an S, you can pay yourself a reasonable salary and only pay employer taxes on that amount.
[...] An LLC also offers “pass through taxation,” meaning that the company itself does not pay income taxes. Instead, the company’s earnings are passed through to the company owners. This makes the LLC a simple and effective choice for many solo entrepreneurs, who get the personal asset protection of a corporation without having to deal with the additional paperwork involved with setting up an S Corporation. Here’s a comparison of the S Corp versus the LLC. [...]
[...] LLC and S Corporation are popular business structures for small businesses, freelancers and entrepreneurs. Many small [...]