Small business owners have a variety of tax responsibilities. The IRS knows that understanding and meeting tax obligations is vital to the success of all businesses, especially a new one. IRS.gov has the resources and information to help people through the process of starting a new business.
Here are some tips for new entrepreneurs:
Choose a business structure.
The form of business determines which income tax return a business taxpayer needs to file. The most common business structures are:
- Sole proprietorship: An unincorporated business owned by an individual. There’s no distinction between the taxpayer and their business.
- Partnership: An unincorporated business with ownership shared between two or more people.
- Corporation: Also known as a C corporation. It’s a separate entity owned by shareholders.
- S Corporation: A corporation that elects to pass corporate income, losses, deductions and credits through to the shareholders.
- Limited Liability Company: A business structure allowed by state statute.
