Virginia Sole Proprietorship

How to Become a Virginia Sole Proprietor

Becoming a sole proprietor in Virginia is straightforward. There’s no need for any official setup process or fees. To start a sole proprietorship in Virginia, just start working.

However, while it’s easy to begin, there are some extra steps you might want to consider. Even though they’re not necessary, many sole proprietors find them helpful.

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 order to file a DBA for your Virginia sole proprietorship, you’ll first need to check the name’s availability using the Commonwealth of Virginia State Corporation Commission entity search. After confirming that the name’s available, you may register it with the county clerk’s office of the county in which your business is based.

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.

For example, if your sole proprietorship sells taxable goods or products within the state, then you’ll be required to pay sales and use tax. Depending on the nature of your business, other taxes such as withholding tax, cigarette and tobacco license tax, and excise tax may also apply. More information on the state’s business taxes in general can be found through the Business Tax section of the Virginia Tax Website.

Obtain Business Licenses and Permits

There isn’t a requirement in Virginia 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.

Virginia has many regulatory, industry-specific licenses which may or may not apply to your sole proprietorship. For example, businesses that sell liquor or cigarettes are required to obtain licensing accordingly. To establish your state-level licensing requirements and complete all necessary applications, you’ll need to register your sole proprietorship with the Virginia Business One Stop.

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

Sole proprietorships operating in cities such as Richmond, Norfolk and Virginia Beach will also require local licensing in addition to state-issued licenses and permits.

What Is a Virginia 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.