Utah Sole Proprietorship

How to Become a Utah Sole Proprietor

Starting a sole proprietorship in Utah is straightforward. You don’t need to go through any official setup process or pay any fees. To operate a Utah sole proprietorship, just start working.

However, despite the ease of starting, there are some extra steps you might consider. While not strictly necessary, many sole proprietors find them beneficial.

DBA Acquisition

A doing business as (DBA) name is a crucial part of many sole proprietorships, as it enables you to use an assumed name for your business, rather than your own personal name. The advantages of acquiring a DBA start with image ― most customers feel that an assumed name is more professional and trustworthy than doing business with a company that uses its owner’s personal name instead.

That said, sole proprietors can sign up for a business bank account using their DBA name, which is another step that goes a long way toward making customers feel more comfortable doing business with you.

In Utah, acquiring a DBA is incredibly straightforward. To walk you through the process, the state has developed the Doing Business As Online Filing System. After registering your sole proprietorship with the website, it will walk you through each step of filing for an assumed name.

Determine Taxation Requirements

Sole proprietors without employees usually don’t need to acquire a federal tax ID number (EIN), because as a one-person business, you can typically just use your own social security number for most things an EIN is used for. Still, if you would rather not use your SSN for privacy purposes, it would be a good idea to get an EIN regardless.

Beyond that, the nature of your business will determine which taxes apply to you as a sole proprietor.

In Utah, business taxation is made quite simple through the Utah One Stop Business Registration platform. After registering, you will have access to information regarding Utah’s tax procedures and help determining which apply to your sole proprietorship.

Additionally, depending on the goods or services your business offers, you may be required to pay both sales tax and use tax. More information on these can be found on the Utah Tax Commission website.

Obtain Business Licenses and Permits

There isn’t a requirement in Utah for sole proprietors to acquire a general business license, but depending on the nature of your business you may need other licenses and/or permits to operate in a compliant fashion.

For help determining your sole proprietorship’s licensing needs, you’ll want to consult the Business Registration and Licensing Regulations section of the state government website. Additionally, if you sign up your business through Utah’s OneStop Business Registration system, you’ll be provided with additional information on what licenses apply to your sole proprietorship.

In addition, you should check to see if your business needs any licenses or permits on the local level.

For example, Salt Lake City and Utah County have their own licensing requirements. To discover what permits and licenses your business may need on a local level, check the licenses page of your municipality’s website.

What Is a Utah Sole Proprietor?

As opposed to a corporation or limited liability company (LLC), the sole proprietorship is not a legal business entity. The sole proprietorship is a one-person business that is not considered to be a distinct entity from the person who owns it, and it is frequently operated using the owner’s personal name.

Here are the three main things you need to know:

Tax Responsibilities

Because there’s no distinction between the owner and the business itself, sole proprietors don’t need to file business tax returns ― they instead simply claim any business profits or losses on their personal tax returns.

Contracts

Sole proprietors are allowed to sign contracts using their personal name, and along those same lines, customers can write checks to the business by using the sole proprietor’s name.

More Flexible

The other big difference between sole proprietorships and more formal business structures is the fact that sole proprietors are allowed to commingle business and personal assets as much as they want to. With LLCs and corporations, ownership is required to keep their assets separate from those of the company. The downside of this aspect for sole proprietors is that if your business is sued, creditors are free to pursue your personal assets like your house, car, personal bank accounts, etc. For corporations and LLCs, creditors are limited to your business assets.