Splitting ownership in an LLC can seem daunting, but it's actually fairly straightforward.
By following state laws and including the proper provisions in your LLC operating agreement, LLC owners can divide profits and losses fairly while still maintaining the limited liability protection of an LLC.
This article will outline the steps you need to take to split ownership in an LLC. Keep reading for more information.
Step 1: Check State Laws
Ownership in a limited liability company can be split any number of ways, as long as it is specified in the LLC's operating agreement.
However, sometimes state rules will dictate how profits and losses are divided among LLC members outside the operating agreement. It's essential to check your state law before splitting ownership to ensure you're following the correct procedures.
Step 2: Draft an LLC Operating Agreement
In order to split ownership in an LLC, you will need to draft an LLC operating agreement.
This operating agreement document will outline how profits and losses are divided among LLC members and other controlling provisions such as voting rights and management structure.
It is vital to have a solid operating agreement in place so that everyone involved knows their rights and responsibilities.
Step 3: Specify How Profits and Losses Are Divided
Member's LLC ownership interest and percentage ownership are the two most important factors in the division of LLC profits and losses, as per the operating agreement.
Members will split profits and losses equally in most cases, but this is not always required.
If one member contributes more money or assets to the LLC, they may be granted a more significant member's ownership interest or percentage ownership.
Member's capital contributions in an LLC ownership percentages determine percentage interest. Members' ownership interests and percentages are usually set out in the company's operating agreement.
A member's percentage interest may also be increased or decreased by the contribution of additional capital to or withdrawal of capital from the LLC, respectively.
Ownership in a Single-Member LLC
A single-member LLC has only one owner, who is the sole owner of the business entity.
As such, the LLC is disregarded for tax purposes, and the member reports all business profits and losses on their individual income tax return (like a sole proprietorship). This can be advantageous because the owner of a single-member LLC enjoys limited personal liability for the debts and obligations of the company.
Profit distributions within a single-member LLC are not complicated because there is no profit sharing with other members. The owner simply takes whatever profits they earn from the business and pays themselves accordingly.
The owner is not required to pay self-employment taxes on income generated from the LLC, but they are responsible for paying income taxes on profits earned. The company itself does not bear any federal or state taxes.
Ownership in a Multi-Member LLC
Limited liability companies with multiple owners are called multi-member LLCs.
A multiple-member LLC is a business entity that provides limited liability protection to its owners. In other words, the personal assets of the LLC's owners are protected from any liabilities incurred by the company.
The ownership and management of a multi-member LLC are determined by the operating agreement, which is an agreement among the LLC's owners.
The operating agreement also defines the member's capital account.
A special allocation clause in the operating agreement can be used to allocate profits and losses among the members that are not proportional to their ownership interests.
Operating agreement special allocations can also be used to determine how distributions are made from the LLC.
If there is no special allocation clause in the operating agreement, LLC's profits and losses are generally allocated proportionally to each member's ownership interest.
Related Article: How Many Owners Can an LLC Have
FAQs
Do LLC Members Have Equal Ownership Percentages?
There are no default rules for ownership percentages. Instead, members can receive distributions based on their ownership percentage and vice versa. This usually works out okay, but there can be times when members want to change their ownership interest through the operating agreement.
This can happen if one member wants to sell or if another member wants to invest more money into the LLC with the help of a law firm or other legal help.
Can LLC Members Take Unequal Distributions?
Yes. Membership interests in an LLC can be divided into any percentage, and members can take distributions in accordance with their own interests and based on the business structure.
For example, if two people own an LLC equally, they would each receive 50% of the company's profits (or losses).
However, if one person owns 60% of the LLC and the other person owns 40%, the 60% owner would receive 60% of the profits (or losses), and the other 40% owner would receive 40%. Distributions can also be unequal when it comes to assets.
For example, if a limited liability company has $100,000 in cash and one member owns 60%, that member could withdraw $60,000 from the company, while the other member would only be able to withdraw $40,000.
Can a Member of an LLC Have 0 Ownership?
A member of an LLC can have 0 ownership. It could be a business partner or an outside investor of an LLC that is treated as a partnership or a corporation that owns all the stock of an LLC.
A member of a limited liability company with 0 company ownership is called a "disinterested party." A disinterested party does not have any management or financial interest in the company and cannot vote on company decisions based on the operating agreement.
Can an LLC Own 50% Of Another LLC?
Yes, but this is usually the case with series LLCs. If the limited liability company is the subsidiary of a larger company, it can own up to 100% of the other LLC.
Additionally, if one member of a limited liability company wants to sell their ownership stake to another party, the LLC will need to be restructured. An LLC can own other businesses, but the company must follow state and federal laws regarding ownership percentages through the operating agreement.
How Are Losses Split in an LLC?
Losses are split the same way as profits: according to each owner's percentage of ownership.
For example, if a limited liability company has two owners and one owner has a 60% ownership stake, and the other owner has a 40% ownership stake, then the first owner would be responsible for 60% of any losses, and the second owner would be responsible for 40% of any losses.
Conclusion
For many people in small businesses, the thought of splitting ownership into an LLC can be daunting.
But by following state laws and including the proper provisions in your operating agreement, you'll find that dividing profits and losses somewhat while maintaining limited liability is not as difficult as it may seem at first glance.
If you have any questions about how to divide up LLC ownerships or if this seems like something for which professional legal advice would be helpful, don't hesitate to reach out to a law firm or a tax professional to guide you through the process.
