Alaska Sole Proprietorship

How to Become an Alaska Sole Proprietor

In Alaska, becoming a sole proprietor is straightforward. There’s no official setup process or fees. To operate as an Alaska sole proprietorship, just start working. However, even though it’s easy to start, there are optional steps along the way that many sole proprietors find helpful for their business.

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.

You can begin the process of obtaining a DBA in Alaska by conducting a business entity search to ensure that your desired business name is available. Once you have confirmed that your desired DBA is available and that it meets all business naming statutes and regulations, you can formally obtain your DBA by filing a Business Name Registration form.

If you require more detailed information on registering a DBA in Alaska, you should check out our detailed guide on the subject as well as the Alaska Department of Commerce’s information on acquiring a DBA.

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.

Because Alaska does not charge a personal income tax, you will not need to pay tax on any of your business income as a sole proprietor. Additionally, Alaska does not charge any state sales tax, but you may need to register for local sales tax if your business sells or rents goods.

However, you may need to pay industry-specific taxes, such as a “bed” tax if your sole proprietorship rents out vacation homes. Regardless of industry, all businesses should use the Alaska Department of Revenue’s Online Portal to ensure that they are fully tax compliant.

Obtain Business Licenses and Permits

There isn’t a requirement in Alaska 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.

Alaska does require permits to conduct business in certain industries, such as fishing, so you should search for relevant permits and licences through the Department of Revenue’s Online Portal.

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

Some localities require businesses to charge local sales tax. Major cities, such as Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau, have individual permitting, licensing, and taxation requirements, so you should ensure that you are in compliance with all local requirements.

What Is an Alaska 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.