types of corporations: week 0, SM 131 midterm I

Limited Liability Corporation

a corporate structure whereby the members of the company cannot be held personally liable for the company's debts or liabilities. Limited liability companies are essentially hybrid entities that combine the characteristics of a corporation and a partnership or sole proprietorship. While the limited liability feature is similar to that of a corporation, the availability of flow-through taxation to the members of an LLC is a feature of partnerships.

S Corporation

a form of corporation that meets specific Internal Revenue Code requirements, giving a corporation with 100 shareholders or less the benefit of incorporation while being taxed as a partnership. The corporation can pass income directly to shareholders and avoid the double taxation that is inherent with the dividends of public companies, while still enjoying the advantages of the corporate structure. Requirements include being a domestic corporation, not having more than 100 shareholders, including only eligible shareholders and having only one class of stock.

C Corporation

a business term that is used to distinguish this type of entity from others, as its profits are taxed separately from its owners under subchapter C of the Internal Revenue Code.A C corporation is owned by shareholders, who must elect a board of directors that make business decisions and oversee policies. In most cases, a C corporation is required to report its financial operations to the state attorney general. Because a corporation is treated as an independent entity, a C corporation does not cease to exist when its owners or shareholders change or die.

owners have limited liability. Thus, they do not stand personally liable for debts incurred by the corporation. They cannot be sued individually for corporate wrongdoings.

advantage of c corp

Partnership

A type of business organization in which two or more individuals pool money, skills, and other resources, and share profit and loss in accordance with terms of the partnership agreement. In absence of such agreement, a partnership is assumed to exit where the participants in an enterprise agree to share the associated risks and rewards proportionately .

Sole proprietorship

A business that legally has no separate existence from its owner. Income and losses are taxed on the individual's personal income tax return. . The sole proprietorship is the simplest business form under which one can operate a business. The sole proprietorship is not a legal entity.

What is the difference between an S corporation and a LLC

Both are typically pass-through tax entities, and while S corps must file a business tax return, LLCs only file business tax returns if the LLC has more than one owner. With pass-through taxation, no income taxes are paid at the business level. Business profit or loss is passed-through to owners' personal tax returns.