Key Takeaways

  • A flow-through entity, also called a pass-through entity, allows business profits, losses, and certain tax credits to pass directly to owners without being taxed at the entity level.
  • LLCs, S corporations, partnerships, and sole proprietorships are the most common flow-through entities, avoiding C corporation double taxation.
  • Owners report business income on their personal tax returns, potentially lowering overall tax burdens and enabling deductions for business losses.
  • Certain flow-through entities may be subject to self-employment taxes, reasonable compensation rules, and eligibility limits.
  • Flow-through taxation can benefit small business owners, investors in real estate, and certain professional service firms.

LLC flow-through is a business structure that passes the profits, losses, credits, and expenses to the owners of the company. Flow-through entities are common businesses to help reduce taxes and avoid double-taxation, which is generally incurred by a C corporation.

In an LLC, or Limited Liability Company, the owners are taxed on their personal income tax returns; for that reason, the LLC doesn’t file corporate income taxes. Instead, the LLC will file an information tax return along with a K-1 statement, which will indicate how much of the profits/losses are to be reported on each member’s individual tax return.

Such entities are also referred to as pass-through entities; such entities include sole proprietorships, limited partnerships, general partnerships, limited liability partnership, trusts, and LLCs. Even the S corp is taxed as a flow-through entity. Essentially, the only business structure that isn’t taxed as a flow-through entity is the C corporation.

LLC Income Tax Overview

An LLC isn’t considered a separate tax entity from its owners. Don’t get this confused with the fact that the LLC is in fact considered a separate and distinct legal entity from its owners. Therefore, LLC owners can’t be held personally liable for the debts and obligations of the business. With that said, the LLC isn’t a separate tax entity. For this reason, the LLC operates as a flow-through entity.

There are many advantages to operating as a flow-through entity, including the following:

  • Income is subject to being taxed only once
  • Members can deduct business losses against their income

While a C corporation is subject to double-taxation, the LLC is not. Specifically, a C corporation must pay corporate income taxes on its profits (up to 35 percent). Thereafter, any profits that are paid to shareholders in the form of dividends are then taxed again on the shareholders’ personal tax returns (at a rate up to 23.8 percent). The LLC, however, is only subject to being taxed at the member’s personal income tax rate, depending on how much of the profits have to be paid by each member.

Another benefit of the flow-through entity is the fact that members can deduct business losses against their income, although there are some potential limitations in terms of passive losses.

C corporation losses can’t be used to deduct the income of any of the shareholders. Therefore, such business losses can only be deducted on the corporate income tax return. With that said, the C corp losses can potentially be carried back (for a period of two years) or forward (for a period of up to 20 years) against profits earned in previous or future years. To that extent, the tax benefit from such losses is delayed and could even be reduced in terms of the present monetary value of such loss. An example of this would be the fact that $5 in 2018 will have the same value as $5 in 2038.

How Flow-Through Taxation Works in Practice

Flow-through taxation means that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) does not tax the business directly. Instead, profits and losses are “passed through” to the owners, who report them on their personal income tax returns. This is true regardless of whether profits are distributed or retained within the business.

For example, if an LLC earns $200,000 in profits with two equal members, each member would report $100,000 on their individual return. If the business experienced a loss, each member could generally deduct their share of the loss against other income, subject to IRS passive activity and at-risk rules.

Owners of flow-through entities should be aware of:

  • Self-employment taxes – Certain owners, such as members of an LLC taxed as a partnership, may need to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on their share of income.
  • Reasonable compensation – S corporation owner-employees must pay themselves a reasonable salary before taking distributions.
  • Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction – Many owners can deduct up to 20% of qualified business income under Section 199A, subject to income thresholds and business type limitations.

Types of Flow-Through Entities

As previously mentioned, there are several types of flow-through entities, including the sole proprietorship, partnership, and LLC.

The sole proprietorship is a business owned and operated by one person. For that reason, this individual will report all profits and losses from the sole proprietorship on his or her individual tax return (Schedule C). Furthermore, all net income is subject to self-employment payroll taxes.

Partnerships file Form 1065, which is an informational tax return. It identifies how the profits are to be allocated on the partners’ tax return (to be reported on Schedule E).

S corporations also don’t file corporate income taxes. Instead, they file Form 1120S, which also indicates the percentage of profits to be reported on the shareholders’ personal tax returns.

Notably, S corporations can’t have more than 100 shareholders, all of whom must be either U.S. citizens or permanent residents. S corp shareholders can’t be other businesses; so all shareholders, must be individuals. With regard to all shareholders in the S corp, any shareholders who are also employees of the business must pay themselves a reasonable compensation, which is subject to personal income tax, along with Medicare and Social Security Tax. But such compensation isn’t subject to self-employment tax.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Flow-Through Entities

Advantages:

  • Avoidance of double taxation – Unlike C corporations, flow-through entities are taxed once, at the owner level.
  • Loss deductions – Business losses can often offset other taxable income.
  • Simplified tax structure – No separate entity-level income tax return in some cases.
  • Potential QBI deduction – Up to 20% of qualified business income may be deductible.

Disadvantages:

  • Self-employment taxes – Owners may face higher payroll tax obligations than C corporation shareholders.
  • Income tax liability without cash distributions – Owners may owe taxes on allocated profits even if no cash is distributed.
  • Ownership restrictions – S corporations face limits on the number and type of shareholders.
  • State tax variations – Some states impose entity-level taxes or fees on pass-through businesses.

Common Uses for Flow-Through Entities

Flow-through structures are especially popular for:

  • Small and medium-sized businesses seeking lower tax complexity.
  • Professional service firms such as law, consulting, and accounting practices.
  • Real estate investors who benefit from depreciation deductions passing through to their personal returns.
  • Startups that expect early-year losses and want to pass those losses to owners for tax purposes.

These entities are also common for joint ventures and family-owned businesses, where owners want to maintain flexible profit-sharing arrangements without the burden of corporate taxation.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is a flow-through entity?
    A business structure where income, losses, and credits pass directly to owners and are taxed at their personal rates.
  2. Which business types are flow-through entities?
    LLCs, S corporations, partnerships, and sole proprietorships are the most common examples.
  3. Do flow-through entities pay corporate income tax?
    No. They avoid entity-level taxation, unlike C corporations.
  4. Are there downsides to flow-through taxation?
    Yes. Owners may owe self-employment taxes and can be taxed on income even without cash distributions.
  5. Can I take the QBI deduction with a flow-through entity?
    Many owners can deduct up to 20% of qualified business income, subject to certain limits.

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