Many affiliate marketers wonder why they should form an LLC. There are several reasons I’m going to cover in this guide.
First, I’ll discuss the advantages of having an LLC for an affiliate marketing business. Next, I’ll have a guide on how to start an LLC for an affiliate marketing business, along with the steps you will need to take to become successful.
Do I Need an LLC for an Affiliate Marketing Business?
No matter what type of affiliate marketing business you run, there are plenty of reasons why starting an LLC is a smart strategy.
LLCs offer several unique benefits that can help protect your personal assets from liability and tax benefits. We’ll go into more detail about these below:
Protection
You can’t always predict what will happen in life, but there are some things you can do to protect yourself. One of the most important is ensuring your personal and business assets are separate. If something goes wrong with your business and ends with debt or a lawsuit, one of the first things anyone will look at is whether you have any personal assets that could be used to pay off debts.
Setting up an LLC creates separation between your personal finances and your company’s daily operations. It’s like having two separate bank accounts: A regular checking account for all expenses related to living life (rent/mortgage payments, food bills) and another savings account for money that goes directly into paying down debt or investing in other businesses, but this money isn’t tied directly back into your household budget because it doesn’t go through the same bank account as regular income generated from selling products online (or something else).
You may also want protection from personally filed lawsuits against yourself by creditors who don’t understand how LLCs work; if they sue one person rather than an entire company entity, they won’t see any returns on their investment when it comes time; for court proceedings.”
Tax Advantages
As a pass-through entity, an LLC is taxed at the member level. In other words, the LLC doesn’t pay any tax. Instead, its profits and losses are passed through to be reported on the member’s personal tax returns. This means you can choose which tax treatment to use for your business: sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or S-corporation.
Business Credibility
One of the most significant benefits of an LLC is that it can help you attract and retain clients. When someone sees that your business has been established as an LLC, a sense of professionalism and trustworthiness will be associated with your company. This is especially important for affiliate marketing businesses because they rely on consumer trust to succeed.
What is an LLC?
An LLC, or limited liability company, is a business entity that allows its owners to protect themselves from personal liability in case of any lawsuits brought against the company.
In other words, if your LLC gets sued and it’s not solvent, you will not be personally liable for any debt. The LLC will be responsible for paying off any claims against it. That’s why an LLC is often referred to as a “shielded” entity.
You can also choose to have your LLC taxed as an S-Corp or C-Corp; this means that you’ll have to file additional paperwork with the IRS every year, but you’ll receive certain tax benefits depending on how much money your company makes and what type of corporation it is (S-Corp or C-Corp).
How to Form an LLC for an Affiliate Marketing Business
Forming an LLC for an Affiliate Marketing Business is straightforward with the proper knowledge and guidance.
Generally, There are two ways to form an LLC for an Affiliate Marketing Business: Do it yourself or get a professional formation service to do it for you.
To form an LLC for an Affiliate Marketing Business, you have to follow these steps:
- Decide the Name for your LLC
- Appoint Registered Agent
- Preparing the Articles of Organization
- Draft your LLC Operating Agreement
- Apply for an EIN
Decide the Name for your LLC
The first step to forming an LLC is to select a name for your LLC. Generally, you will need to follow this naming instruction:
- You must include the word limited liability company or LLC in your company name.
- You have to avoid restricted words such as a bank, trust, Law, Attorney, etc.
- You should not include such words in your company name that confuse your LLC with a government agency.
- I also recommend registering your LLC name’s web domain even if you do not want to create your business website today.
Appoint a Registered Agent
The next step is to appoint a registered agent. A registered agent is also known as a statutory agent or resident agent.
A registered agent is a person or a company who sends and receives legal papers on behalf of your LLC. These legal papers include official correspondence like legal summons and filing documents.
Your registered agent must be a resident of a state where you want to start your LLC. If your registered agent is an individual, then he will be a member of your LLC along with you.
File your Certificate of Formation
The next step you have to do is to file the formation documents with your Secretary of State. These documents are known by various names, most commonly this document known as Certificate of Formation. It describes the organizational structure of your business.
Draft an Operating Agreement
An LLC operating agreement is a legally binding business document that entails the ownership of its members, how the company is managed, and the structure of the LLC or limited liability company.
It can provide details such as one meeting being held naming a registered agent, selecting managers, and adding and dropping members.
An operating agreement is not required in every state, but it is highly recommended to have an operating agreement to avoid internal disagreements between LLC members.
Apply for an EIN
The final step is to apply for your Employer Identification Number (EIN) which is also called a Federal Tax Identification Number.
What are the Purposes of EIN?
- An EIN is necessary for your business tax purposes.
- It is also required to open a business bank account in the United States.
- It is also needed when you want to hire employees legally.
Applying for an EIN is quite simple and free of cost. You can quickly obtain this by visiting the IRS.gov website.
Conclusion
The LLC is the best business structure for affiliate business, especially if you plan to make it a long-term, specialized business.
It can protect you personally from any negative results of your business, and it also offers a lot of tax benefits. By starting an LLC, you will quickly get the credibility needed to attract big-name clients and other affiliates to work with your business.
