Many self-employed Iowa residents are eager to start their businesses. The simplest and most rational solution to this issue is to join the ranks of sole proprietors.

Organizing and managing a business in this format is the least difficult in America and has no service pitfalls. Although, future business owners will have to adhere to certain norms. Also, be prepared that you will have to face some restrictions regarding the functions of your sole proprietorship. 

So, the main task of this manual is to help you answer the essential question – is the business format of an individual enterprise right for you? And, of course, we will tell you which aspects to pay attention to while opening a sole proprietorship and how to set up a business structure in this vein properly.

It is vital: business owners should be aware that a sole proprietorship is not a guarantor of the safety of personal assets. But with LLC, on the contrary – the assets will be safe. LLC is easy to organize by doing forming it yourself or hiring a cheap LLC service.

The Proper Way To Start Business As The Iowa Sole Proprietor

There is no algorithm for organizing the business work of an individual entrepreneur in Iowa as for LLC. In addition, the state does not charge additional service fees for the formation or management of this type of business or company. Are you looking to become an individual business owner and start a sole proprietorship in Iowa? – Just start working!

Though, you still have to go through several additional legal formalities. These service stages are optional. Although many sole proprietors prefer not to neglect them, compliance with these formalities guarantees the legal protection of their interests.

Applying For DBAs

Almost every company and business owner prefers doing business as a DBA. There are many benefits to running a business under an assumed name compared with an entity or LLC. We are talking primarily about creating the business image of your company. Potential clients and consumers will find this approach more professional and give you more confidence. It turns out that a company that uses the real name of its owner is often not competitive.

Let’s clarify that a company owned by sole proprietors can use the DBA to open and manage a business bank account. Customers will appreciate it as one more advantage in favor of the business owner, so they feel more comfortable.

If you have a business in Iowa, you can effortlessly obtain a DBA or Trade Name. In general, the whole process boils down to two stages:

1. confirmation of the availability of the selected DBA through the Iowa Business Entities Search;
2. formation and sending the corresponding package of documents to the local registrar in the county where the company operates.

If you still have questions, refer to our full manual, and you can avoid the pitfalls and quickly get DBA in Iowa.

Clarification & Compliance with Tax Requirements

You can run your business in this format and not hire third-party employees. In this case, you do not need to obtain an EIN (Federal Tax Identification Number) because your Social Security number will replace it. Of course, it would be correct to take care of your confidentiality and still use the EIN and not the SSN.

The nature and the structure of the business activity of individual entrepreneurship determine the list of tax requirements that the state will put forward (as with LLC).

It is only the nature of your business that determines the complete list of your tax liabilities. So if you are a sole proprietor and sell taxable goods or products, you need to take care of the timely payment of sales tax. In addition, your company may have to pay other types of taxes, for example:

• consumption charge;
• use cess for retailers;
• withholding duty;
• excise cess;
• water service charge.

All information on individual tax requirements is available in Iowa’s Efile & Pay System. Create your account, and you will be timely registered to meet all your tax obligations.

Business Licenses & Permits

Iowa sole proprietors are exempt from the need to purchase a general business license. However, each of them must take care of obtaining many other licenses and/or permits. The law puts forward different licensing requirements for different types of businesses.

As with tax requirements, the nature of your business determines the individual list of licenses and claims that you will need to obtain. The state helps companies deal with the tax issue and invites you to visit web resources that provide accurate and detailed data.

Detailed information on obtaining and renewing business licenses and permits is available in the IA SourceLink’s Business License Information Center.

In addition to the licensing requirements that they must comply with at the state level, business owners must make sure that the local jurisdiction (city or county) also has no claims against them.

So, in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, and Iowa City, companies have to deal with local licenses. Try not to miss anything, as licensing at all levels is significant for running a business.

Iowa Sole Proprietor: The Notion & Essence

A sole proprietor is not a legal entity! But any corporation and limited liability company (LLC) has this status. As a sole proprietor, you run the business alone (register and manage it on your behalf). It is worth noting that this gives the business owner advantages, though, imposes additional obligations and responsibilities on him.

Make Sure to Pay Attention to the Following Three Aspects

There are obligations to pay taxes to the state

A business owner and an individual entrepreneur are the same people. It means that filing tax returns is not a requirement, as with an entity or LLC. You need to declare your income and expenses and fill out the declaration of an individual;

Signing contracts

Business owners who are registered as sole proprietors have the right to enter into contracts on their behalf, unlike an entity. Also, receiving profit from clients, in checks they can indicate their name in the recipient column;

Flexible terms of business management

The advantage difference between individual entrepreneurship and any entity is the ability to combine work and personal assets. Whereas corporations and LLCs must separate personal assets from company assets. It has several positive and negative aspects. For example, if you have financial difficulties, creditors can seize or confiscate your personal property (house, car, etc.). In the case of corporations and LLCs (or any entity), creditors do not have this freedom, as their powers only apply to business assets.

Final Thoughts

Of course, the structure of doing legal business as a sole proprietor is greatly simplified while in Iowa. You don’t even have to pay any commission fees provided for the entity or LLC. At the same time, based on the nature and structure of the business activity that you conduct, you will all have to go through a series of entity stages.

The issues of taxation, obtaining licenses, and permits require more detailed consideration. Also, pay attention to the possibility of obtaining and using DBA. These aspects are vital, as their omission can result in unnecessary legal penalties for you.

We have prepared this manual so that you can think over the structure of your business to the smallest detail. Manage it correctly and get more legal profit!