Operating as a DBA

[rwkish]

• If I have a LLC and I have two DBA’s operating under the LLC are the end of the year are taxes on the LLC, do I group both DBA’s together in sales and expenses and filing under the LLC. 

[NateTheGrEAt]

Hi @rwkish and thanks for your question!

A DBA does not constitute a separate legal entity, so for tax purposes all of the income and expenses from the DBA are part of the LLC. 

If your LLC is a single-member LLC with you as the only owner, then it is considered a disregarded entity. This means you report the income and expenses on your personal tax return as if the LLC did not exist (i.e. you 'disregard' it). So if the LLC is engaged in a business, you would report this activity on a Schedule C. 

Typically, you prepare one Schedule C for each type of business you are involved in. You did not state what type of DBAs or businesses are involved, but I am thinking of the case where the LLC has two wholly unrelated businesses. In that case it might be appropriate to split each business onto its own schedule C... not because of the DBAs, since those don't matter, but because there are actually two separate businesses. 

So to give you some examples, let's say your LLC is a disregarded entity and it's called XYZ LLC. 

If your two businesses were 

XYZ LLC DBA Bob's Pest Control

and 

XYZ LLC DBA Alice's Restaurant

those clearly look like two separate businesses that should each have their own Schedule C.

However, if you had

XYZ LLC DBA Mike's Roofing

and 

XYZ LLC DBA Roof Masters

Those might both fall under the category of Roofing Contractors and could be reported one Schedule C.

Hope this information is helpful!

[rwkish]

Thanks, Both businesses would fall under the same type, like Mikes roofing. It also is a 50/50 partnership LLC. Would schedule C reportings still be the same,  but split by separate incomes? How would expenses work? Would I do better by setting up as a schedule S? 

Thanks again,

Randy