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With a clear understanding of the state’s LLC formation requirements, you can begin creating your Kansas limited liability company and, will launch your new company quickly — and navigate the bureaucracy as painlessly as possible. That’s where this guide can help, showing you exactly what you need to do to get your Kansas limited liability company started.
Offering step-by-step instructions, we’ll explain how to get an LLC in Kansas and approach the process efficiently. Doing this by completing each requirement before moving on to the next stage. We’ll also discuss how the right LLC partner can support you through this process and provide value to your company once it’s up and running.
Once you’ve formed your new LLC in Kansas, you’ll be able to focus clearly on your priority: making your company expand. Let this guide simplify LLC formation for you, and start doing business sooner.
Here at ZenBusiness, we offer business formation plans and other services to help you start your own limited liability company in Kansas. In this article, we’ll walk through the steps to form a Kansas LLC and how we can help you along the way.
The primary way we can help you in the formation process is by registering your new business with the Kansas Secretary of State (SOS). Registering a new business with the Kansas Secretary of State is required for becoming an LLC. This process enters your new company into public record and provides the information necessary for the state to regulate and communicate with your company.
Before the necessary paperwork can be filed, you’ll need to make a few important decisions. And once your limited liability company is formally established in Kansas, you’ll have some other boxes to check, such as creating an LLC operating agreement and registering your company with the IRS.
Below, we’ll break the Kansas LLC formation process into five steps.
Start the LLC formation process by naming your business. It’s not just about branding: Without a distinct name, your business does not exist in the eyes of the Kansas state government. Accordingly, you’ll need to decide what to call your business before you proceed with your Kansas LLC registration.
To some, this step may seem simple: Perhaps you have an LLC name in mind already or want to use your own name in the title of your business. However, you’ll need to keep two official requirements in mind when picking a company moniker.
Once you have a name selected, it’s wise to reserve it. That way, no one can grab it before you can form your business. We have a business name reservation service that can handle it for you. As part of the service, we also check to see if your desired name is available.
This is also the perfect time to think about how your business name will translate to use on the internet. A domain name is your website address and you can use for your company email address, too. You’ll want your domain name to be as close to your LLC name as possible, so it easily identifies you to your customers.
You’ll need to do a domain name search to see what’s available to use. Once you’ve decided on a name, take advantage of our services to easily register your domain name.
One additional thing to consider in the naming process is trademarks. Visit the United States Patent and Trademark Office website to make sure your business name or logo isn’t already trademarked at the federal level, and check the trademark search engine on the Kansas Secretary of State website to see if any state trademarks already exist for your name or logo. If you like, you can also apply for federal or state trademarks of your own.
Most states require businesses to register any names they wish to operate under other than the one listed on their formation documents. Many states refer to this as a “doing business as” or DBA name, but it can also be called a fictitious name, trade name, or assumed name depending on the state. Kansas is one of the two states that does NOT require businesses to do this, with the other being New Mexico. However, if you want to branch out into other states, you may have to register it with that state’s business formation and compliance office.
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As in every state, Kansas requires new LLCs to designate a registered agent as part of the business formation process. The primary purpose of a registered agent is to receive documents related to legal proceedings on behalf of your business. Simply put, if your business is subpoenaed or sued, the state of Kansas needs to know how to get the paperwork to your LLC’s leadership.
In Kansas, the official term for a registered agent is “resident agent,” although these terms mean the same thing. A resident agent may be a person or business entity, but they must have a “registered office” address in the state of Kansas. This address cannot be a P.O. box because legal documents are often served in person.
Many entrepreneurs assume they should serve as the registered agent and use their business location as the registered office address. Unfortunately, this approach can have serious downsides. Some benefits of hiring an outside registered agent service include:
Next, you’ll need to file Kansas LLC Articles of Organization. Now that you have all the necessary information, like name and registered agent, filing the paperwork with the Kansas Secretary of State should be a breeze. The official form name is the “Limited Liability Company Articles of Organization,” and you can file online or by mail. To complete the form, have the following information handy:
Filing official government documents like this can be intimidating and/or complicated for many people, which is why we are here. With our business formation plans, our professionals handle the filing for you to make sure it’s done quickly and correctly the first time.
If you do your formation with us, once the state approves your LLC in Kansas, your paperwork will be available from your ZenBusiness dashboard. There you can keep it and other important paperwork digitally organized. And, once you get your physical paperwork back from the state, you’ll want to keep it in a safe location along with your other important documents, such as your Kansas LLC operating agreement, contracts, compliance checklists, etc. We offer a customized business kit to help you keep these important documents organized and looking professional.
If you’re ready to launch and don’t want to wait weeks for your paperwork to get processed, we can help. You can form your LLC in Kansas in as little as one day with our rush filing services. With our rush filing service, we prioritize your formation paperwork so you can get it filed with the Kansas Secretary of State within 1-3 business days for just $100 + state fees.
Kansas law does not require new LLCs to have operating agreements before being formed. However, it’s highly advisable to create one anyway, whether you’re operating alone or with other partners.
Operating agreements clearly define the terms of ownership and management, providing additional protection and options for everyone involved. Without an agreement, you’ll be subject to Kansas’s default rules for limited liability companies, which may not fairly reflect your business.
Here are just a few of the benefits an LLC operating agreement offers to business owners:
Unsure how to start creating this document for your Kansas limited liability company? We offer a customizable Kansas operating agreement template to help you start.
After officially setting up an LLC in Kansas, you may want to apply for an EIN. An Employer Identification Number (EIN) (also known as a Federal Employer Identification Number or Federal Tax Identification Number) is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). An EIN functions much like a Social Security number for your business. It allows you to perform key tasks, such as hiring employees and paying taxes.
If you operate your LLC alone, it’s possible you may not need an EIN for your business. However, if your LLC has any employees or multiple partners involved, you need to obtain an EIN. Moreover, if an EIN isn’t a requirement for your LLC, it may help open a business bank account or obtain financing.
You can apply for an EIN through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website. However, if you’d like to minimize your interactions with that particular government agency, our Federal Employer Identification Number service can obtain one for you.
Once you’ve secured an EIN, you’ll be able to open a business bank account. Having separate accounts for your business and your personal banking is critical for sorting out your finances at tax time. It also helps you avoid commingling funds. Commingling funds can not only make your taxes more difficult but could also be used against you if someone takes you to court to challenge whether you and your LLC are truly separate entities.
We have partnered with LendingClub to offer a discounted small business bank account for your new business. This allows for unlimited transactions, online banking, a debit card, and more. When you want to authorize others in your business to use the account, we offer a banking resolution template to simplify the process.
Need to get paid? We make it easy to send custom invoices, accept credit card and bank transfer payments, and manage clients from an easy-to-use dashboard with ZenBusiness Money.
Disclaimer: The content on this page is for informational 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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The state fees for forming a Kansas LLC range from $160 to $200, depending on factors such as your method of filing and whether you choose to reserve your business name. Note that filing fees change over time, so you should check the Kansas Secretary of State website for the most recent filing fee schedule.
Before you form an LLC in Kansas, you probably want to know what benefits an LLC has over other business entities. There’s a reason that so many entrepreneurs start limited liability companies: This business structure affords plenty of protection without a ton of complex requirements. Compared to corporations, LLCs can operate far more flexibly and avoid certain kinds of taxation.
Kansas is no exception: An LLC is a great choice for small business owners across the state. The benefits of forming a Kansas LLC include:
As mentioned above, LLCs provide the benefit of avoiding “double taxation”: The business does not pay taxes on its income, but the individual members (owners) do. Federal taxes, administered by the IRS, are assessed for each member according to their share in the LLC (unless the owners elect to file as a corporation instead).
At the state level, Kansas takes a similar approach to taxing LLCs. Unless it elects to file as a corporation, an LLC does not pay income tax as a business entity. However, LLC members are required to pay a number of taxes, depending on their work nature.
Kansas business taxes may include:
To understand your state tax burden, the first step is to create an account with the Kansas Department of Revenue Customer Service Center. You can fill out a questionnaire to help indicate which state taxes you’ll need to pay. If you have employees, you may also need to register with the Kansas Department of Labor for unemployment taxes.
You’ll need to make sure your LLC has all the licenses and permits it’s required to have by law. Unfortunately, because licensing varies by industry and location and can occur on the federal, state, and local levels, they’re no central place to check to see if you have all the licenses and permits you need. You’ll have to do some research.
If you don’t have the time or inclination to do all this research, or if you just want the peace of mind to know that your business has all the licenses and permits it’s legally required to have, our business license report service can do the work for you.
If you file online with the Kansas Secretary of State, your Articles of Organization are typically approved within 24 hours. If you choose to file by mail, however, approval typically takes three to five business days.
No, you do not need to file your LLC’s operating agreement with the state of Kansas. However, it is still prudent to create one, even if you are the sole member of your new LLC.
Most entrepreneurs elect to have their LLCs taxed as sole proprietorships or general partnerships at the state and federal levels. This means that owners pay state and federal taxes on the income they earn from the business, but the LLC does not pay income taxes as an entity. If an LLC has multiple members, the IRS classifies it as a partnership, requiring each partner to pay taxes on their fair share.
Some LLCs (particularly those with very high earnings) may choose to file taxes as a corporation. This option has some distinct advantages for certain LLCs. In evaluating these options, it can be extremely helpful to get advice from qualified accounting professionals.
Kansas law does permit the formation of a Series LLC structure, in which several separate LLCs operate under one overarching “umbrella” LLC entity. The individual LLCs (sometimes called “cells”) may have different members, assets, and obligations. In theory, individual cells and the umbrella LLC are insulated from the debts and legal liabilities of the others, providing value protection for certain small businesses.
To designate a new business as part of a Series LLC, you can fill out a corresponding form and pay a $100 fee.
Before starting the dissolution process, the members of an LLC should vote to dissolve it. For the subsequent steps please refer to our Kansas business dissolution guide.
Kansas Business Resources
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