The Launch Blog: Expert Advice from the CorpNet Team

After a temporary halt in the requirement to submit beneficial ownership information reports (BOIR) to the federal government, FinCEN has announced that the reporting obligations under the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) are again mandatory. What Does This Mean for Business Owners? On February 18, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas ruled to reinstate the BOIR requirement. In response, FinCEN has set a March 21, 2025, deadline for most companies to file their initial BOIR if they haven’t already done so. Likewise, existing reporting companies with changes in...

The Corporate Transparency Act’s Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting Rule went into effect in January 2024, leaving many business owners wondering: Are they required to submit a Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) Report? What’s the difference between beneficial owners and company applicants, and what information does a reporting company have to share about them? Although certain entities are exempt, most small Corporations, Limited Liability Companies (LLCs), Limited Partnerships (LPs), Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs), Limited Liability Limited Partnerships (LLLPs), and...

As the deadline approaches for reporting companies to submit their BOI report to FinCEN, many business owners are still questioning if they need to file a report. I field that sort of inquiry a lot when presenting webinars on the topic and the answer is often related to the type of business entity utilized by the business. If you're new to the subject of BOI reporting, you can reference one of my earlier articles to come up to seep quickly: How the Corporate Transparency Act Affects Your Company What Is a BOI Report and Do You Need to File One Company Applicant vs. Beneficial Owner Do...

You’ve likely heard buzz about the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama’s March 1, 2024, ruling that the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) is unconstitutional because it oversteps Congress’s legislative authority. As a result, plaintiffs in the National Small Business United (NSBU) et al. v. Yellen case may pass (for now) on filing Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) reports to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). My team at CorpNet has talked with many concerned and confused business owners. They want to know if this means they don’t have to file a BOI...

By now, you’ve hopefully heard about the beneficial ownership information report that many businesses must file before the year's end. The BOI report is filed with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and it is designed to document information about the owners of companies within the USA. Businesses that are required to file BOI reports are called reporting companies and they meet certain reporting due dates depending on when they were created or registered. Reporting companies that do not file a BOI report by their due date are subject to severe civil and criminal penalties,...

Companies required to file a Beneficial Ownership Information report (ROIR) under the Corporate Transparency Act must share information with FinCEN about their reporting company, beneficial owners, and company applicants. If you're filing the BOI report yourself, the process can feel a little confusing. As you progress through the form fields, you can't help but notice you are inputting the same data over and over again. In reality, you are, but the reason for this is you are answering questions on various parties involved and information can overlap. What details must be included in the...

Did you know many businesses had a new federal reporting requirement in 2024? Most registered business entities — like Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) and Corporations — must file a beneficial ownership information report (BOIR) with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). In September 2022, FinCEN, a bureau of the U.S. Department of Treasury, announced its final rule requiring certain entities to report their beneficial ownership information. The BOI report is designed to provide transparency about who owns and benefits from an LLC or Corporation. It requests identifying...

Why does FinCEN need a BOI report? Could the purpose of BOI reporting be so great that businesses across the USA have to file yet another report with the government? That’s the question many business owners have been asking since the Corporate Transparency Act of 2021 enacted the Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting Rule, which went into effect in January 2024. The purpose of the BOI report is to inform the federal government about the real people who ultimately own or control businesses. The greater purpose of the BOI report is to help identify and safeguard against: Tax evasion...

Reporting companies must file a Beneficial Ownership Information report with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). The BOI report is considered a one-time filing. If a business entity’s initial BOI report is accurate and no information filed in the report changes, the company does not have to submit any subsequent reports. When Is an Initial BOI Report Due? Current BOI reporting dates include: For the vast majority of reporting companies, the new deadline to file an initial, updated, and/ or corrected BOI report is now March 21, 2025. FinCEN will provide an update before then...

Are you starting a business with some colleagues or friends? Or do you have an existing business and want to add some partners so you can grow your company? In either case, the multi-member LLC business structure may be a good option to consider. A multi-member LLC is a Limited Liability Company with more than one owner. It is a separate legal entity from its owners (a.k.a. members), while by default, income tax obligations are on a pass-through basis to the LLC’s members (similar to Partnership). Let’s take a closer look at why many companies with multiple owners choose the entity type....

You might hear the terms “business license” and “business permit” used interchangeably. Although they are similar in that a company may need them to conduct business in a particular area, they aren’t exactly the same. Business licenses and permits help ensure that companies operate lawfully and safely. Generally speaking, a business license gives a company the legal authority to operate a business in a specified area while a permit provides permission (typically based on meeting certain safety requirements) to carry out specific activities at a location. Operating without the appropriate...

Understanding sales tax responsibilities can be confusing. For businesses with a brick-and-mortar storefront, it’s relatively straightforward. However, the rules get hazy when selling online to customers in other states. Let's review what you need to know about what online sales you need to tax and when you need to do so. What You Need to Know About In-State Sales Tax Before I get into details about selling online, here’s a quick overview of how sales tax works in-state. In simple terms, sales tax is a tax imposed by the state (and/or county or city) on taxable goods or services sold in...

If your Limited Liability Company (LLC) has outgrown its space or you’ve been operating from your home and are ready to move the business to another location, you’ll need to notify certain parties of your address change and update your operating agreement. Changing your business address doesn’t sound like a big deal, but not doing so correctly could make it a big deal in terms of consequences. Tax and licensing agencies need to keep track of where businesses are operating and don’t look kindly on those that fail to report address changes. In fact, not reporting a change of address could...

Before the advent of the S Corporation in 1958, entrepreneurs had two options for forming a business entity. They could form a Partnership or a C Corporation, but neither of those business structures fulfilled the needs of many people seeking to start their own businesses. To help encourage small businesses in America, Congress and President Eisenhower created the Subchapter S Corporation. Whether you're a business owner or a professional service provider that gives entrepreneurs legal or tax advice, you'll want to understand what a Subchapter S Corporation is and who can benefit from it....

Have you been thinking about whether your business might benefit from being an S Corporation? I presented a webinar for accounting professionals about the S Corporation election not too long ago. Within that presentation, I covered information of value to entrepreneurs in all fields. In this article, I will share that insight with you in hopes that it will help you gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be an S Corporation. What Is an S Corporation? The S Corporation is not a business structure in itself. Rather, it is a special federal income tax election option for eligible...

If you’re feeling a bit of whiplash from the wild ride that is the federal court activity related to the Corporate Transparency Act’s Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting (BOIR) Rule, we understand! Just days after FinCEN announced on December 23, 2024 that an injunction temporarily suspending mandatory BOIR was lifted and reporting companies again must file their reports by the required deadline (which was extended to  January 13, 2025, for existing entities), things took a sharp turn. On December 26, 2024, a panel of the same U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit that...

The S Corporation election deadline for LLCs and C Corporations is March 17, 2025. So, if you’re considering changing your limited liability company or C Corporation tax treatment from its default status to an S Corporation, time is of the essence! To be considered an S Corporation for tax purposes in 2025, existing LLCs and C Corporations must file their election within two months and 15 days (within 75 days total) after the start of their 2025 tax year. For example, a company with a tax year that began on January 1, 2025, must file IRS form 2553 no later than March 17, 2025....

Before you let the hustle and bustle of the holiday season take over your business (and your life), now’s a good time to review your financial situation and explore some money-saving small business tax tips. Below is a list of my top tax tips entrepreneurs can still benefit from at year-end. 1. Deduct Startup Expenses Did you start your business this year? You may be able to claim some of your startup expenses on your tax return in the year you actually opened the business. To qualify as a startup expense (a capital cost), the IRS requires the expense to meet two requirements: The expense...

Throughout the year, we have provided several updates about the 2024 Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting mandate. Recently, there’s another development you should be aware of. The temporary suspension of the BOI reporting rule has been lifted, and reporting companies are once again required to file BOI reports. On December 23, 2024, the federal Court of Appeals decided to end the preliminary injunction (effective December 3) that suspended the U.S. Treasury Department and FinCEN from enforcing the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) and its BOI reporting requirements. This means...