Limited Liability Company (LLC)
When you’re ready to form your LLC, you don’t have to go it alone. Our compliance specialists will handle the paperwork—and the legwork—to set your business up right from the start.
There are a lot of things as an entrepreneur you have to do yourself but this isn’t one of them. My specialist made it super easy to create my LLC...
Angelique Angelique Arroyo LLC
Why Form Your LLC With Harbor Compliance?
When it comes to state regulations, half measures and partial solutions won’t do. In fact, they can do more harm than good, delaying your plans and impeding your progress. With Harbor Compliance, you’re not just buying a document filing service—you’re partnering with a team of compliance experts who understand your goals and can manage the regulatory tasks to get you there.
License applications and corporate filings are inherently complex, so much so that as many as half of state filings are rejected due to errors or inadequate documentation. Our filing specialists are familiar with the nuances of each jurisdiction and can position applications for fast approval. That may mean calling ahead to resolve potential questions, faxing instead of emailing, or following up repeatedly to keep the filing on course.
That’s what we mean by putting compliance within reach. We never file and forget you. We don’t consider our job done until your application is approved.
Forget navigating state websites, agonizing over government forms, and tracking renewal due dates. Leave the paperwork to us.
Our one-day onboarding, precision file preparation, and expedited filing options set the bar for prompt, responsive service.
In addition to business formation, our specialists can register your LLC for state tax accounts, obtain business licenses, and more.
Fully Managed Startup Services
How Our Service Works
Your part is simple. Just sign up online or give us a call to start the process. Then provide basic information about your company and we will take care of the rest.
Upon receiving your information, we go right to work.
For the Formation Package, we:
- Search name availability in your state and resolve any conflicts
- Draft your articles of organization
- Act as your registered agent
- Provide a preliminary operating agreement
- Obtain your federal Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Follow through with the authorities until your applications are approved
If you select the Compliance Package, we also provide:
- Publishing notice of formation and obtaining affidavits where required
- Managed annual report service to preserve your good standing with the state
- Ongoing support through the first year of operation
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| Name Availability | ||
| Articles of Organization | ||
| Operating Agreement Template | ||
| Federal EIN | ||
| Registered Agent | ||
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S-Corp or C-Corp Tax Election
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| Initial Report | ||
| Publishing | ||
| Managed Annual Report Service | ||
| Ongoing Support |
Harbor Compliance made it incredibly easy to register for my business taxes. I got my EIN and Pennsylvania tax ID same day! I would definitely recommend Harbor Compliance to any small business owner.
Dave Atticus Pet Design StudioFrequently Asked Questions
An LLC is a business structure formed under state law. It has features of both corporations and partnerships. Like a corporation, it can limit your personal liability as an owner. Like a partnership, you receive pass through taxation and have flexibility in how you will run your business. Read full article “What is an LLC?”
Liability refers to financial or legal debt. Limited liability means containing the amount of liability an owner has.
An owner who invests a certain amount in a limited liability business structure such as an LLC is only risking the amount of his or her investment. The owner is not personally responsible for debts and obligations of the business that exceed the assets of the business.
An LLC must be properly set up and run to establish and maintain the “corporate veil” that protects owners from liability.
LLCs are the most popular business entity because they are inexpensive to form and easy to run. Forming your LLC legally establishes your business, limits your personal liability, and gains tax flexibility.
The owners of an LLC are called members. Membership is often based on percentage. A single owner LLC contains one member who has 100% ownership. A three member LLC might contain one owner who has a 50% share and two owners who each own a 25% share. Ownership may or may not be documented in membership certificates.
Ownership in an LLC often entitles the owner to a share of the LLC profits or losses and to a right to vote in decisions of the LLC. This governance should be defined in the LLC’s Operating Agreement Template.
Adding and removing owners is accomplished by purchasing or selling percentage ownership from other members. The total percentage ownership should always add up to 100%.
LLCs may be managed by the members (the owners) or by managers. When the LLC is managed by the members, the members make all management decisions. When the LLC elects to be manager manged, the members are responsible for electing manager(s). This election often occurs as part of the annual meeting. A manager-managed LLC may elect a member to serve as a manager.
Choosing to form the LLC as manager-managed offers more flexibility. This way you can elect a member as the manager or elect a non-member manager.
By default, an LLC receives pass-through taxation. It may make a special election to be taxed as an S-Corp or C-Corp.
Most new LLCs keep pass through taxation. Depending on the number of owners, the IRS calls this tax treatment either a “disregarded entity” or a “partnership”. Either way, the business profit or loss passes through to the owners’ personal tax returns. As an owner of the LLC, you simply list your business profits and losses on your personal income tax return. Partnerships also file an information return to the IRS reporting how the profits or losses were divided amongst members. Best of all, many tax preparers do not charge extra for including your LLC in your personal tax return!
An LLC generally does not have specific annual meeting requirements or other “formalities”. LLCs are easier to run than corporations but nevertheless it is important to follow basic guidelines to keep the LLC separate from the owners.
After forming the LLC, you should have an organizational meeting of the owners and adopt an operating agreement template, which documents how the LLC will be run. You should keep company records, including meeting minutes and resolutions. An annual meeting is recommended to demonstrate that you are operating the LLC as a separate entity, not as an extension of yourself.
Some states require the LLC to file an annual report along with a filing fee or franchise tax. This is required for continued authority to conduct business in that state. Keeping up with state law requirements is important to preserve the good standing of the LLC, liability protections, and to avoid government penalties (up to and including administrative dissolution of the LLC). Our compliance coaching will help you learn how to do this.
We want to support you before, during, and after you form your LLC. Please contact us to speak with a formation specialist.
Additional Resources
For even more education about LLCs, check out our Information Center and Blog. When you start working with us your specialist works will answer your questions one-on-one.
Choose a Business Structure LLC Startup Guide Limited Liability vs. Liability Insurance Suffix requirements such as "LLC" or "Ltd."
