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TAXATION.
ENDEAVORLEGAL
provides legal counsel regarding tax planning and compliance for businesses
and individual clients. Our attorneys work with clients and their
accountants to devise creative, practical solutions that take into account
tax and non-tax considerations, including business objectives and accounting
rules.
CHOICE OF ENTITY: TAXATION CONSIDERATIONS.
The Federal
taxation implications of running a business are an important factor to
consider when starting a new venture. Proper tax planning provides an
entrepreneur with a number of tax benefits and can save
many tax dollars over the course of the life cycle of a business.
The page describes certain Federal taxation issues an entrepreneur should
consider when determining which type of entity is best suited for his
business objectives. Please note that this information is not a comprehensive description of "start-up"
taxation
considerations but rather an overview. Persons in the planning phase
of starting a new venture should consult a Certified Public Accountant or
other tax advisor in addition to business attorneys prior to making any
"choice of entity" decisions.
Corporation taxed under
Subchapter C of the Internal Revenue Code.
Wages
Paid to
Employees, including Owners.
Corporations
are permitted a deduction for wages paid so long as wages are
reasonable. There is a risk that the Internal Revenue Service
may reclassify unreasonable wages as dividends. Owners are
subject to taxation on wages received at ordinary income rates.
Owners pay no self-employment tax; the employer corporation and
employee each pay a portion of employment taxes (Social Security and
Medicare). Health insurance premiums are deductible by the
employer corporation and excluded from the owner's income.
Dividends Paid to Owners. Corporations
are not permitted deductions for dividends paid to shareholders. All income is
taxed at the entity level prior to distribution of dividends to
shareholders. Owners are
subject to taxation on dividends received at ordinary income rates; thus
"two-tiered" or "double taxation." Dividends are not subject to
employment taxes.
Corporation taxed under
Subchapter S of the Internal Revenue Code.
Wages
Paid to
Employees, including Owners.
The corporation is
not taxed, except for certain states' taxes. Wages paid to owners are deductible in
determining income passed through to owners. Owners are
subject to taxation on wages received at ordinary income rates.
Owners pay no self-employment tax; the employer corporation and
employee each pay a portion of employment taxes (Social Security
and Medicare). Health
insurance premiums are one hundred percent (100%) deductible by owners of greater than
two percent (2%) of
the corporation's stock.
Distributive Share Allocated to Owners.
There is
no taxation at
the entity level, except for certain states' taxes). Owners are
subject to taxation on their distributive share at ordinary income tax rates
whether or not profits are actually distributed. Owners are not
subject to self-employment tax on the distributive share.
Although the distributive share is not subject to employment
taxes, there is a
risk that if no salaries are paid to owners who provide services to the
corporation, distributions will likely to be re-characterized as wages in
order to assess employment taxes. Furthermore, if health insurance premiums
are included in owner's distributive share it may support the
conclusion that the owner is also an employee for employment tax
purposes.
Limited
Liability Company (LLC).
In general
members of a LLC receive the same tax treatment if they receive wages
or are allocated their distributive share of net profits. There is
no taxation at the entity level, except for certain states'
taxes. Owners are subject to taxation on their
distributive share at ordinary income tax rates whether or not
net profits are actually distributed. Owners pay one
hundred percent (100%) of Social Security and Medicare taxes;
they are taxed as self-employed individuals. Health
insurance premiums are one hundred percent (100%) tax
deductible.
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