Sunday, November 30, 2008

Form a Texas LLC for Protection and Other Benefits

By Christine Snook

Texas is one of the most popular states for small business. One reason is that there is no income tax. But another one is that Texas offers an asset protection vehicle called the Texas limited liability company which offers many benefits and advantages for operating a Texas business. As a business owner, all of these benefits are important and are or will become relevant when you launch and operate your venture in Texas.

The most important benefit of a Texas LLC is that owners are not personally liable for the business debts and liabilities of the company merely because they are owners. This is not the case if you do not use an entity like this and run your business as a sole proprietor. Sole proprietors are 100% personally liable for whatever happens in their business. And, as recent lawsuits reveal, many lose their homes, savings and assets because of this.

With a Texas LLC, this personal risk of a sole proprietor business is removed by law. As you can see, this is a tremendous and necessary benefit for any business. It only costs a few hundred dollars to form a Texas LLC and so there is no reason not to use one when you compare it to the benefit of protecting all your personal assets from what might happen in the future in your business. Small business lawsuits are on the rise and so this protection is a necessary requirement for any business in today's world.

Another benefit of using a Texas LLC for your business is that customers will trust your business more. This is because having an LLC business is like qualifying for a credibility seal. Your business will be seen as more trustworthy and distinguishable from the many sole proprietor businesses out there. There are so many scams and fly by night purported businesses that do nothing other than come up with a nice name. When you form an LLC you make a filing with the state. The public knows this and it evidences a sign of serious business owners.

A third benefit relates to federal income taxation. A Texas LLC can choose whether it wants a single layer of pass through taxation or to be taxed as a corporation. There are no requirements or conditions to either choice. The ability to avoid the double taxation of a C corporation without having to worry about meeting a list of requirements is one reason the Texas LLC is the most common choice for small business in Texas.

Another benefit is that a Texas LLC is very simple to manage and operate. Unlike corporations, there are no legally mandated formalities or structures when it comes to management and operations. In fact, the law allows for the owners to decide what rules and processes will apply to their business.

These are great features for the small business owner because each business is different and has different goals, objectives and concerns. Smaller and simple businesses can focus more on their businesses without having to worry about unnecessary compliance requirements while larger and more complex businesses can add the necessary requirements to meet their business needs.

In summary every business owner in Texas should form a Texas LLC as the first step when it comes to starting a business. - 15254

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