Forming a Virginia LLC or Incorporating in Virginia
Both Arlington Cemetary and the Start of the Apalachian Trial are in Virginia, need I say anything more. This is a historic state with a great history in American culture. It is home to over 8 million people as well as thousands of businesses. As far as large corporations go, both Marriott and Rubbermaid call Virginia home, and these are large corporations. Basically, there are two entities that are often filed by small and medium sized businesses in Virginia, the LLC and corporation. If you want to file for a corporation in Virginia, or form an LLC in Virginia, we have some helpful tips, samples, forms, and information for you to rely on.
Reasons to file a Virginia LLC or Corp
The number one reason to file for an entity in Virginia is for limited liability protection. This will grant the owners a separation between their personal and business assets. This is essential for getting people to invest into a corporation, or to essentially be silent investors. If every investor was subjecting their personal assets to business obligations, then nobody would invest.
Form a Virginia LLC Online
We have some tips, tricks, samples, and forms that can help you to get your LLC filed in Virginia. Let us start out by telling you about the main reasons that people choose to file an LLC.
- Limited liability protection - This is where business and personal assets are separate, possibly saving in the event of litigation.
- Pass through taxation - This is where the income of the business will pass directly to the owners of the business and thus avoiding the reality of double taxation.
- Investors - investors and business owners like the LLC format because of the simplicity and flexibility of the entity type.
The LLC is popular, and the most often entity type filed in the state. So talk to a CPA or attorney if you have questions, or read on to learn about the corporation and some of it's traits.
Business Name for Virginia LLC
The Virginia LLC name must contain the words limited company or limited liability company or the abbreviation L.C., LC, L.L.C. or LLC.
Incorporating in Virginia
The largest companies in Virginia and the United States are corporations. This is the only type of filing that can be used for larger corporations due to the filing and registration requirements. Here are some of the benefits of the C corporation:
- Unlimited investors can become shareholders.
- Stand alone tax obligation and responsibility of the C corporation.
- limited liability protection keeps your personal assets safe
What about the S corporation?
The S corporation is a popular filing for many small and medium sized businesses. WIth this filing you will be able to attract investors, as long as you have fewer than 100 shareholders. This is OK for many small businesses, and even something that you can change in the future if needed. The next thing is that the S corp will have pass through taxation that is similar to the LLC, or limited liability company.
Searcing for a Business Name in Virginia
Finding a perfect business is exciting, but also something hard to come by. You should temper your expectations when searching the Secretary of State to register a name, and expect to have challenges finding the perfect name. Here is what you should look for:
- A name that makes sense and is compelling for your business.
- A name that is available at the state office.
- Since names are registered in all 50 states, you should look to ensure that other states or domain names don't have intellectual property issues.
Here is where you can search the state website for a Virginia business name.
Virginia Secretary of State Links:
