Business Structure

Business Structure

The way a business is organized. The business structure states who owns the company, how profits are distributed and which managers perform what jobs. It is also important for tax and liability purposes, as companies are often taxed differently from each other and managers may have differing levels of responsibility in the event of wrongdoing or a lawsuit. In the United States, the three business structures recognized by the IRS are sole proprietorship, partnership and corporation. Other structures that are legally important (but not for tax purposes) include limited liability company, S-Corporation, and C-Corporation.