How to form a limited liability company in Oregon

The first step will be to decide on a name for your business. Choose a name that is memorable and unique, easy to understand and pronounce, and accurately represents your business. You'll want to search your name choices on the web to quickly find out if they are already taken. It's also best to jot down one or two alternatives, in case the name you settle on is not available for registration in Oregon.

There are a few rules that Oregon limited liability companies must follow in order to register a name.

• The name you choose must be unique and not "confusingly similar" to the name of any other Oregon business. This is to prevent fraud or misrepresentation and is a common rule in all 50 states. In the state of Oregon, your business name must be "distinguishable on record" before you may file for the name. You can find out whether a name is available in Oregon with the help of their Business Name Availability Check function.

• Please keep in mind that the state of Oregon does not consider the following aspects when determining if the business name is available for filing.
  1. Words that tell what kind of a business entity it is, including "Inc.," "LLC," "Co.," and "Corp."
  2. Words that don't really change the meaning of the name.
  3. Plurals.
  4. Punctuation, including periods, commas, and apostrophes.
  5. Capitalizations

You can learn more about how to choose and register a business name and other important statutory information through the Oregon Secretary of State.

There are two options to choose from when it comes to setting up your limited liability company in Oregon. "Member managed" or "manager managed". The first thing you need to know is that owners of any LLC are referred to as "members". A single member LLC has just one owner, while a multi-member LLC is an LLC owned by 2 or more members. Pretty simple, right?

Oregon LLCs also must also designate one or more individuals to manage the day to day operations of the business. This can be handled by one of the members of the business (member managed, the most popular choice and the default in most states), or a professional manager appointed by the members to act on their behalf (manager managed).

While the differences are subtle, what you really need to know is that each member in a member managed LLC has the power to make decisions for the business. However, in a manager managed LLC, the members choose who will manage the business and relinquish all of the decision making to the manager chosen. The person chosen can be one of the members of the business as well, or it can be someone else entirely.

Most states require that you designate a registered agent for your business, and Oregon is no exception. A registered agent acts as the state's means to communicate with a business and is responsible for receiving legal and official documents related to the business.

This registered agent must have a physical address and reside in Oregon. A P.O. Box is not accepted as a registered agent address. A member of the LLC can act as the registered agent if desired, or you may also use a third-party registered agent service like MyCorporation.

It should be noted that registered agent information is made publicly available. This may cause privacy concerns for business owners who do not wish to list their personal contact information online for everyone to see. It is also common for the registered agent to become a target of spam or robocalls since this private information is relatively easy to obtain.

Another issue that may arise is that in the case of a lawsuit, these documents would be hand delivered directly to the registered agent. In the case that you used your business location for this purpose, this could occur in front of your customers. This is why many business owners opt for a third-party registered agent service such as MyCorporation to act as a registered agent on behalf of their business.

The state of Oregon requires you to file Articles of Organization (PDF)(660 KB) with the Oregon Secretary of State to form an LLC. This document includes basic information about the Oregon LLC such as:

What information should be included in the Articles of Organization?

Your Articles of Organization will include the following:

• Whether the company is a business or professional corporation
• Name of the corporation
• Physical street office of the principal office
• Name and physical address of the registered agent
• Address where division may mail notices
• Number of shares
• Services rendered (professional corporation only)
• Optional provisions
• Names and addresses of each incorporator
• Initial president and secretary names and addresses
• Individual with direct knowledge
• Signature of the incorporators

A filing fee of $100 is also required when submitting the Articles of Incorporation. Make the check or money order payable to "Corporation Division."

After formation, the state of Oregon requires an LLC to create an operating agreement. This agreement needs to be written, and should be kept with the company's records. To open a bank account for your business, you will often be required to submit both your operating agreement, and your EIN number.

What kind of information needs to be included in a Oregon operating agreement?

Operating agreements are required in Oregon and are important to laying the foundation of a properly run business. An operating agreement sets guidelines for the way your business operates now and into the future. Common details in an operating agreement include the following:

• Basic contact details: The name of the LLC, the address of the principal business location and often, the registered agent address.
• The business purpose: This is a basic one sentence description of what kind of business your LLC will do, and is often a very general description, which creates a bit more flexibility as the business matures.
• Tax structure: Often this indicates the way the LLC will choose to be taxed. The main options are to be taxed as a sole proprietor or a partnership ( both pass through options ) or to be taxed as a corporation ( which requires an S Corp Election to be filed )
• Ownership and management: This section lays out the general rules about how the business will operate day to day. This refers to step 3, where you determined whether your business would be "manager managed" or "member managed". As mentioned before, member managed is the default and the most common choice. If you are unsure, member managed is a pretty safe bet.

Check in with the Oregon Secretary of State's city hall or county clerk to obtain necessary licenses for your business. You may also learn about special licenses, like liquor licenses, your small business may need to obtain as well.

In the event that you need a bit of help, you may also turn to MyCorporation's business license compliance package. Our skilled professionals will do the work for you. We identify all of the licenses required by your business and provide you with the information you need in order to file.

An EIN (also called a Federal Tax Id) is a nine-digit number that is issued by the IRS and used to uniquely identify your business for tax purposes. Think of it as a Social Security Number (SSN) for your business, except an EIN is far less sensitive. It is important to wait until the LLC has been approved by the state before applying, and for that reason, filing for an EIN is one of the last things to do when you are setting up a business.

Like a social security number, the EIN allows you to:

• Open business checking, savings, or investment accounts
• File taxes for the business
• Complete payroll for employees if applicable
• Obtain lines of credit and credit cards, as well as "build credit" for your business
• Apply for applicable business licenses when required.

You only need a few pieces of information to file including your mailing address and legal business name. You can apply online with the IRS by downloading IRS Form SS-4 (PDF)(116 KB), or work alongside a third party organization like MyCorporation to complete an EIN application.