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Northwest Registered Agent charges $225 (plus state fee) for LLC filing services. That said, Northwest’s personalized customer support is a feature that could make their prices worth paying for some entrepreneurs.
Overall, Northwest does have some points in its favor. However, keep in mind that it charges $225 (plus your state’s required fee) for its LLC filing services.
Want to learn more? See this Northwest LLC review.
LegalZoom is one of the biggest names in the industry, with millions of customers served and frequent advertising efforts. LegalZoom provides an LLC filing package for free (plus the state’s fee).
LegalZoom is a huge company, so while it offers extended support hours, the quality of its customer support may vary a bit from representative to representative.
Want to learn more? See this LegalZoom LLC review.
Incfile offers LLC formations for free, as long as you pay your state’s fee. Incfile and ZenBusiness have some similar characteristics, but there are also some significant differences that set the two apart.
If you’re looking for a cheap LLC formation service in District of Columbia (DC) and ZenBusiness doesn’t feel right for some reason, Incfile could be worth a closer look.
Want to learn more? See this Incfile LLC review.
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LLCs are formal legal entities that are typically taxed similarly to sole proprietorships and general partnerships, in that the owners include any company profits or losses into their personal returns — the LLC itself does not owe income taxes.
An LLC may also elect to be taxed like a corporation, although this is not a very common option.
There are similarities to corporations too, especially when it comes to financial responsibilities. In an LLC, the owners or members are not usually personally accountable for the financial status of the business. This means that if someone sues your LLC, your personal assets are not at risk.
In the District of Columbia, LLCs are not legally required to draft an operating agreement, but it’s strongly recommended. This document can help clear up any disagreements between your owners, and it’s also just generally convenient to have a roadmap of your LLC’s operational aspects.
The District of Columbia has reasonable fees for LLC formations, as you’ll pay $99 no matter how you choose to file. You can pay by check, money order, or credit/debit card. The District typically processes LLC formations within 15 business days.
The ongoing LLC maintenance requirements in Washington, D.C., include the biennial report. It’s due every other year by April 1, and there is a $300 filing fee.
In addition to the costs of a business formation service or hiring an attorney (which are optional, as we’ve discussed), there are quite a few other required and optional expenses when forming and maintaining a Washington D.C. business. You cannot form an LLC in Washington D.C. without filing the Articles of Organization, the document that officially registers your business within the District. The filing fee is $220.
Every business in the District must apply for a business license. Washington D.C. does have a few different types that vary depending on your business’s activities and total value. The filing fee for these actually varies depending on the type you need.
Some areas require all their businesses to submit annual reports, but the District of Columbia is a bit different: the District requires all businesses to submit a Biennial Report every other year. This report is pretty simple, but it keeps the District up-to-date on vital business facts like your registered agent and your address. The filing fee is currently $300.
And of course, there are taxes to account for. The biggest one is the District’s Franchise Tax. But District rates aren’t the only ones you’ll have to account for. You’ll also have to pay federal taxes, along with several others.
For instance, if you have employees, you’ll pay unemployment insurance tax. If you sell goods or services, you’ll pay sales and use tax. Depending on the nature of your business, there could be other taxes required, so check with the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue to make sure.
Other than that, the other potential expenses only apply to certain businesses. These include things like professional or industry-specific business licenses and business insurance.
An LLC is one of the most popular entity types nationwide. But it isn’t the right type for everyone.
Only you can pick which entity type best fits you and your business; after all, you understand your business idea better than anyone. You have a clear vision for your products and services, both present and future.
To truly determine whether an LLC is right for you, it’s helpful to consider the advantages and disadvantages of LLCs.
There are some common aspects of the LLC and the corporation, starting with the personal asset protection they both provide. Also known as limited liability, this personal asset protection ensures that if your business is sued, only the business assets are at risk. Meanwhile, your personal assets — like your house, car, personal bank accounts, investments, etc. — are protected by your LLC or corporation’s business structure.
In addition, LLCs and corporations both provide their owners with business name exclusivity. If you own and operate a sole proprietorship or general partnership, you will not have exclusive rights to your business name. Instead, if another company decides to use your name as its own, you won’t be able to stop them. In fact, they could even register your business name and gain exclusive rights to it, forcing you to come up with a new one.
In general, an LLC is quicker and easier to form than a corporation. LLCs usually need to provide less information for their formation documents than corporations do, and there are fewer steps in the process as well. For instance, LLCs don’t need to draft corporate bylaws, name officers or board members, hold initial board meetings, or issue stock. On the other hand, corporations need to do all of these things and more.
The LLC is also a less rigid business structure that allows its owners greater flexibility. The business structure of a corporation is inflexible, with many regulations dictating how the business should look and function. Meanwhile, LLCs have options for business management structure and ownership responsibilities that corporations simply don’t have.
Another even more valuable option LLCs have is that they can choose how they want to be taxed. Most LLCs are taxed as pass-through entities, which means the business itself does not pay taxes, but the profits are passed through the LLC itself to its owners, who pay taxes on this money on their personal returns. However, LLCs can also opt to be taxed like corporations (either as a C corporation or an S corporation), giving them more options for taxation than a corporation has.
Corporations have some advantages too, like the ability to sell stock. It’s quite difficult for an LLC to attract outside investments because it cannot issue stock. The vast majority of investors prefer stock as their investment medium, and it’s also very rare to see venture capitalists investing in LLCs. For these reasons, the corporation is a much better option for businesses looking to attract investments.
In addition, the corporation has been around for hundreds of years, while the LLC is a newer addition to the American business landscape. This means that the corporation has more established legalities and also that it’s easier to expand into other states because the corporation’s structure is essentially the same no matter where you form it.
Technically speaking, you don’t have to use an LLC formation service like ZenBusiness or LegalZoom. These services are incredibly helpful, but you can save money by completing the process yourself.
You can read our complete guide to DIY an LLC setup in Washington D.C., but here’s a quick look at the process:
Every LLC in Washington D.C. needs a name that’s memorable and gives potential clients a good idea of what goods or services are available. The name also needs to be unique — both for legal reasons and so your business stands out from the competition.
As we’ve mentioned in this guide, every LLC needs an agent who can accept service of process on your behalf. In all states, you can act as your own registered agent as long as you have a physical address in the state. That said, we generally recommend that you appoint someone else (like an online service) to act as your agent.
This document, once filled out and filed, officially forms your business in the District of Columbia. You’ll need to provide some important information, including your contact information, your business address, signatures for your LLC’s members, and more. Washington D.C. has a $99 filing fee.
Setting up the LLC is literally as easy as 1-2-3; it’s the maintenance requirements that are a bit more complicated:
If you have employees, you’ll need to get an Employer Identification Number from the IRS. Then there are district-specific taxes, too. Most LLCs will be subject to D.C.’s unincorporated franchise tax. The standard rate is 8.25%, but there is a minimum fee of $250. Businesses involved in retail sales will need to collect and pay the district’s sales tax (6%). You can learn more about these and other miscellaneous business taxes at the Office of the Chief Financial Officer.
Every business in D.C. needs to obtain a basic business license. However, which specific type you need will depend on what your business does. There’s also a good chance that you’ll need industry-specific licenses, such as those listed by the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.
Even single-member LLCs should create a “master document” that sets out how the business will operate, both now and in the future.
Every other year, your LLC will need to file a report to update the district about the standing of your business. It is due by April 1st, and D.C. requires a $300 filing fee for this document.
Every business with employees needs to maintain workers’ compensation insurance and a commercial vehicle policy for company-owned vehicles. You may also want to get a general business liability policy, too.
You should sign up for a business bank account so you can write checks and make purchases in the name of the business instead of pulling from your personal accounts (a legal no-no).
This is just the tip of the iceberg, though. For more detailed guidance, we recommend contacting an attorney or checking out the full Washington D.C. LLC Formation Guide.
FAQ's
We invite you to take a look at our comprehensive guide to forming a limited liability company in Washington, D.C. This article walks you through the LLC formation process in the District step by step, ensuring that you don’t miss any crucial elements.
One of the most important steps in forming a Washington, D.C., LLC is choosing a business name. Once you come up with ideas for your name, you should search through the D.C. Business Center’s business search to make sure your desired name is available. For more information on conducting a business name search in Washington, D.C., check out our full article on the topic.
You can fill out the Articles of Organization in the District’s CorpOnline system.
In Washington, D.C., an LLC’s ongoing maintenance requirements include the biennial report. This filing is due every other year by April 1, and there is a $300 filing fee.
Chances are, you’ll require at least one license or permit to operate your LLC in compliance with District of Columbia law. For more information about business licenses and more in this jurisdiction, check out the District’s Business Licensing Division.
If you submit your Articles of Organization online or by mail, the district will process your documents within 15 business days. Hand-delivered documents are processed while you wait, although you will need to pay an additional fee. There are also expedited options available if you need to speed things up for your online or mail filing: an additional $100 for one-day processing or $50 for three-day processing.
If you want more details about what these companies can offer in the District, or you’d like to take a look at some other options, check out our complete guide to D.C. registered agents.
Unfortunately, not all businesses last forever. If the time comes when you need to close your LLC’s doors, you’ll need to do so in a manner consistent with the District’s regulations. That’s why we wrote our guide to D.C. LLC dissolutions, so you can complete the process in a compliant manner.
If your LLC already exists in another state, you don’t actually need to “form” it in Washington, D.C. Instead, you’ll need to foreign qualify the business in the District. This process is somewhat similar to LLC formation, but there are some crucial differences as well. Take a look at our guide to foreign qualifications in the District of Columbia for more information.
Disclaimer: The content on this page is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or accounting advice. If you have specific questions about any of these topics, seek the counsel of a licensed professional.
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