In the United States, there are three types of corporations.

Amazon.com, Inc. is a C Corporation. This is the “company” of Amazon that most people know about and care about — it’s listed on NASDAQ and issues stock, and it’s in the news whenever Amazon makes a new announcement or launches a new service or product.

A corporate group is composed of companies. The general rule is that a company is a separate legal entity from its shareholders, that is the shareholder’s liability for the subsidiary’s debts is limited to the value of the shares, and the shareholders cannot be required to perform the company’s obligations.

• C corporation (C corp)
• S corporation (S corp)
• Limited liability company (LLC)

Shareholders (or “stockholders,” the terms are by and large interchangeable) are the ultimate owners of a corporation. They have the right to elect directors, vote on major corporate actions (such as mergers) and share in the profits of the corporation.

S Corporation Advantages The main advantage of the S corp over the C corp is that an S corp does not pay a corporate-level income tax. So any distribution of income to the shareholders is only taxed at the individual level.

Advantages of S corps over LLCs S corporations have some advantages over LLCs. It can be easier to obtain outside funding as some investors and banks prefer to invest in corporations than LLCs. LLC owners, in contrast, pay self-employment taxes, which can result in a higher overall tax liability.

An S corporation can have only one class of stock, although it can have both voting and non-voting shares. Therefore, there can’t be different classes of investors who are entitled to different dividends or distribution rights. Also, the number of shareholders is limited – there cannot be more than 100 shareholders.

Key takeaway: Having your LLC taxed as an S corporation can save you money on self-employment taxes. However, you will have to file an individual S-corp tax return, which means paying your CPA to file an additional form. An S-corp is also less structurally flexible than an LLC.

An S corporation shareholder who performs more than minor services for the corporation will be its employee for tax purposes, as well as a shareholder. In fact, 70% of all S corporations are owned by just one person, so the owner has complete discretion to decide on his or her salary.

LLCs aren’t required to have income or post profits, but if a business owner is claiming tax deductions through an LCC without reporting income, the IRS is likely to conduct an audit to determine if the LLC is an actual for-profit business.

An LLC can transition to a corporation, but conversion might mean more paperwork and taxes. If the owners of your LLC agree, you can convert your company to a corporation. Some states have a streamlined process that allows you to easily transition your LLC to a corporation.

Amazon is a LLC – Limited Liability Company.

Disadvantages of an LLP

• Public disclosure is the main disadvantage of an LLP.
• Income is personal income and is taxed accordingly.
• Profit can not be retained in the same way as a company limited by shares.
• An LLP must have at least two members.
• Residential addresses were historically recorded at Companies House.

It is possible only if the total contribution of LLP is divided into Units by means of Limited Liability Partnership Agreement and Conditions precedent to transfer of Units is prescribed in the LLP Agreement. Thus transfer of Units is solely governed by the provisions of LLP Agreement.