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Partnership vs. S Corp: Everything You Need to Know

Partnership vs. S Corp: Everything You Need to Know

When comparing a partnership to an S Corp, it is important to consider the pros and cons of each, especially when it comes to creating the legal structure for your business. In addition to these options, other structures include LLC, C corporations, and sole proprietorship. However, of all the available business entities, only corporations and LLCs are separate legal entities. Therefore, corporations are further divided into S Corp and C Corp. Both are demarcated and defined by IRS tax codes.

One of the advantages of an S Corps is that the profits can flow from the business to the owners. Due to this advantage, many entrepreneurs opt for this legal structure. However, an LLC has certain advantages over an S corporation, so it is important to consider these advantages before deciding on a business structure. Choosing to run your business as a partnership or as an S corporation will have many effects, particularly taxation and administration.

If you are starting a new business or are planning to change an existing business structure, the first step is usually to compare S and LLC organizations. A partnership consists of at least two people who run a business together. An S corporation is an LLC or a corporation that has made a tax election, allowing entrepreneurs to realize profits and losses pass through the business to them. They can elect this taxation while enjoying limited liability benefits.


S Corporation vs. Partnership: Formation

When forming a partnership, there is no need to submit any form of documentation to the state. A partnership is created when two or more people work together to form a company. Therefore, you can form a partnership without too many plans or the intention of starting a business. On the other hand, an S-corp will need more specific and complex steps to set up and register.

The first step is to register the company as an LLC or corporation in the state. To register, you usually need to create a statute, organization, or charter and submit the document to the Secretary of State. The next step is to complete and submit Form 2553 to the IRS, which elects S-Corps taxation for the business.


S Corporation vs. Partnership: Flexibility of the structure

To register and operate as an S corporation, the corporation must elect a board of directors. The company must also allow the board of directors to vote on any material matter affecting the company. A partnership or LLC can be managed with a majority vote of the owners or by a manager. If a manager runs an LLC, decisions can be made without needing the approval or input of all LLC owners. With the flexibility of an LLC, it is easier to operate than to run an S corporation, as the decisions of large corporations do not require multiple votes.

A partnership allows greater structural flexibility, both in the allocation of results and in the management of the company. By default, all partners in the partnership have the same voice in business decisions, regardless of the owner. However, if the partners agree to a different agreement, that one will override the default agreement. For example, all partners can agree that one of the partners will act as a manager to handle all the important decisions that affect the day-to-day work.

In addition, the partners can enter into legal contracts describing their participation in profits and losses, which are independent of their participation in the company.


S-Corps vs. Partnership: advantages and disadvantages

Although a partnership is an informal business structure compared to an S corporation, the two are similar in terms of tax requirements in terms of the ability to avoid corporate tax. Partnerships exploit startups for their ease of organization. However, when a company begins to make large profits, the advantage, especially in terms of taxes, shifts to the S Corps. Let's take a look at some of the pros and cons.


S-Corps vs. Partnership: Simplicity

When it comes to a simple business structure, a partnership has everything over an S corps. For a general partnership, all you need is a handshake, and you are good to go. For an S corporation, it is necessary to submit the incorporation documents to the state in which the corporation is located and apply for a Subchapter S designation from the Internal Revenue Service. However, the formality can be useful for keeping accurate records and clarifying the roles of shareholders and property interests. In addition, many partnerships create a partnership agreement to avoid future disputes and record a way to resolve any issues that may arise.


S-Corps vs. Partnership: Personal Asset Protection

In a general partnership, there is no legal separation between the partners and their partnership. If the business is in debt or issued, the partner's personal assets are exposed to the risk of loan repayment. An S corporation is a separate legal entity. In general, the personal property of shareholders cannot be confiscated to pay off debts or legal actions against the company. However, the courts can "break the corporate veil" if a judge finds that the business does not maintain a financial identity separate from that of its owners.


S-Corps vs. Partnership: Pass-Through Taxation

An S corporation is similar to a partnership in that both offer indirect taxes on corporate profits. The S Corp and a partnership file a return representing the income and expenses, but the resulting profit or loss is distributed to each partner or shareholder of the company to report the individual tax returns whether or not any benefit or profits are distributed. The pass-through taxation avoids the double taxation that occurs with C Corp when the company pays income tax, and the same profit is taxed again when distributed to shareholders.


S-Corps vs. Partnership: Employment Taxes

In a partnership, general partners pay income tax and self-employment tax on profit sharing. Only limited partners, partners who invest only in the company but who do not participate in current operations, declare their participation in profits as passive income, are not subject to tax on their own account. In an S Corps, shareholders involved in the business's operations must be paid a "reasonable salary" that meets industry standards and deducted as business expenses. However, any profit shared among shareholders is passive income which is not subject to payroll tax. Thus, active shareholders of an S corporation enjoy a significant tax advantage, provided they have sufficient income to pay salaries and still generate a profit.


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