General Partnership

Creating a business alone can sometimes be intimidating. Partnering with someone can seem like a great way to share the burden and profits between yourselves. However, if you have decided to partner with someone in your business, you need to know what it means, beginning with the fact that there are various partnerships. Below we are talking about the most common partnership, i.e., The General Partnership.

What is a general partnership?

Partnerships are the most popular business structure for businesses having more than one owner. A general partnership is usually established for profit between two or more people, partnership, corporations or associations who commit to sharing ownership, profits, management and liabilities of a business venture. The partners serve as the co-owners of the business. It is the easiest, straightforward and least expensive to form. In this partnership, all the partners have unlimited liability for the business debts. Each partner ought to contribute something to the business. It can either property, funds, labor, skills or any involvement that benefits the business. Hence, both the partners share the responsibilities and the benefits of the business together.

To properly form a partnership, it is necessary to meet the following conditions:

It should include two or more individuals, corporations or associations.
A Partnership Agreement should be made stating all the conditions that need to be satisfied by both the partners.
All the partners should agree to any liability that their partnership may face.

Characteristics of General Partnerships

Easy, Quick and Inexpensive

To form a general partnership, two or more persons need a contract that can either be a verbal agreement or a written agreement (a written agreement is more preferred as it is safe & secure)

Not a separate entity

Partnerships may hold title or sue or file income tax returns, but there is no limitation on liability accumulating against any of the partner’s assets.

Legal basis

In a general partnerships, you express contract of the owners or implied contract in law by the courts.

Easy operation

Each partner can make the decision for the benefit of the business without any meetings or resolutions.

Limited life

Usually general partnerships have limited life. They can be dissolved or reformed upon death or incompetency of any partner.

Unlimited liability

All the partners have unlimited liability for partnership obligations. It means that the partners can be held individually liable for all business liabilities and debts, including court judgments and financial commitments.

Favorable taxation

In a general partnership, a partnership return is filed, but profits are taxed as income to both the partners and not at the partnership level.

Advantages of General Partnership

Simplified Taxes

The biggest benefit of a general partnership is the tax advantage. Organizations structured as partnerships don’t pay income tax. Rather, all the profits and losses from the business are passed through to the individual partners. The general partnership still needs to file a tax return which states all the business’s profits and losses. The partners are required to file tax returns stating their share in the company’s profit and loss.

Less paperwork & Easy to Form

It is simpler to create a general partnership as it requires less paperwork and is inexpensive. However, it is advisable to file a partnership agreement before starting the business. The partnership agreements should clearly state the purpose of the business and the obligations of each partner. It is a legal proof of the existence of the partnership. It acts as the guidelines or rules that should be followed by the partnership. You can always include the following information in the partnership agreement:

Partnership name and address
Names of all partners
Effective date
Purpose of the partnership
Voting requirements for business decisions
Costs, based on percentage, of each partner
Information about financial, auditing, and profits
Sharing of profits
Expected contributions of all the partners along with the deadline for the completion of contributions
The procedures required if any partner withdraws from the partnership
The procedures required to dissolve the partnership

You can always consult an attorney if you are not sure how to create a partnership agreement.

Smooth Operation

In a general partnership, any member can decide without any meeting or resolutions for the benefit of the business.

Disadvantages of General Partnership

Easy to Dissolve

If any formal agreement is not generated at the time of creation of general partnership it can be dissolved easily. Obviously, there is always a protocol to wind up and close the business, but that process is much easier in the sense that there are on required filings.

Little Protection

In a general partnership, all partners are responsible for legal issues and business debts that arise. There is no legal protection since you do not incorporate the business into an independent legal entity. This vulnerability to liability is apparently one of the biggest downsides to a general partnership, so it is important to be sure with the products, contracts, disclaimers, and so on.

Management issues

It is easy for questions of reimbursement to arise since partners can proceed with investments from their personal finances and later on, the money invested is owned by all partners. There may be chances that one partner didn’t want the company to use that money and likewise doesn’t want the company to pay it back. Similar issues can arise with the acquisitions for the company or even regarding the decisions on which clients or suppliers can take on. Having all partners, with equal responsibility and power can cause obstacles unless proper guidelines are set out.

Conclusion

If it is your first business and you have no idea where you’re going with it, a general partnership can act as a huge asset. A general partnership can make matters delicate. Hence, it is always advisable to avoid problems down the road by consulting an attorney at the beginning and ensuring your partnership gets off to a good start.