LLP Registration

Limited Liability Partnership (LLP), introduced only in 2008, has quickly become a popular legal structure for businesses. Its main improvement over the General Partnership is that, as the name indicates, it limits the liabilities of its partners to their contributions to the business and also offers each partner protection from the negligence, misdeeds or incompetence of the other partners.

The LLP is also cheaper to incorporate than a private limited company, requires fewer compliances and can be a smart choice from a tax perspective. However, if you’re looking to raise venture capital or attract talent with employee stock options, private limited is the way to go as LLPs cannot easily accommodate it. This is why they are most popular with professional services firms (web designers or architects, for example) that require no equity funding.

Documents Required for LLP Registration

TO BE SUBMITTED BY PARTNERS

Scanned copy of PAN Card or Passport (Foreign Nationals & NRIs)

Scanned copy of Voter’s ID/Passport/Driver’s License

Scanned copy of Latest Bank Statement/Telephone or Mobile Bill/Electricity or Gas Bill

Scanned passport-sized photograph

Specimen signature (blank document with signature [partners only])

Note: Any one of the partners must self-attest the first three documents. In case of foreign nationals and NRIs, all the documents must be notarised (if currently in India or a non-Commonwealth country) or apostilled (if in a Commonwealth country).

FOR THE REGISTERED OFFICE

Scanned copy of Latest Bank Statement/Telephone or Mobile Bill/Electricity or Gas Bill

Scanned copy of Notarised Rental Agreement in English

Scanned copy of No-objection Certificate from property owner

Scanned copy of Sale Deed/Property Deed in English (in case of owned property)

Note: Your registered office need not be a commercial space; it can be your residence, too.

Advantages of LLP Registration

Limited Liability

Businesses often need to borrow money. In a General Partnership, partners are personally liable for all this debt. So if it cannot be repaid by the business, the partners would have to sell their personal possessions to do so. In an LLP, only the amount invested in starting the business would be lost; all personal property would be safe.

Reduced Compliance

An LLP only requires audited annual returns to be filed if it has a turnover of greater than Rs. 40 lakh or capital contribution of over Rs. 25 lakh. It also needs to communicate fewer business transactions and structural changes than a private limited company.

Tax Advantages

There are some important advantages over the private limited company. For example, Dividend Distribution Tax and tax surcharge don’t apply. Loans to partners are also not taxable as income.