District of Columbia (DC) Sole Proprietorship

How to Become a Washington DC Sole Proprietor

When it comes to being a sole proprietor in the state of Washington DC, there is no formal setup process. There are also no fees involved with forming or maintaining this business type. If you want to operate a Washington DC sole proprietorship, all you need to do is start working.

However, just because it’s so easy to get started doesn’t mean there aren’t some additional steps you should take along the way. While these parts of the process aren’t strictly required, many sole proprietors find that they are in their best interests.

DBA Acquisition

A doing business as (DBA) name is a crucial part of many sole proprietorships, as it enables you to use an assumed name for your business, rather than your own personal name. The advantages of acquiring a DBA start with image ― most customers feel that an assumed name is more professional and trustworthy than doing business with a company that uses its owner’s personal name instead.

That said, sole proprietors can sign up for a business bank account using their DBA name, which is another step that goes a long way toward making customers feel more comfortable doing business with you.

To obtain a DBA (or “trade name”) for your Washington DC sole proprietorship, you’ll first need to confirm that you’ve picked a name that is distinguishable from all other business names on record with the District of Columbia. For help with this, you’ll want to use the business entity search tool located through the CorpOnline Web File.

After confirming that the name is available, you may register it by filing a Trade Name Registration Form with the Corporations Division.

Determine Taxation Requirements

Sole proprietors without employees usually don’t need to acquire a federal tax ID number (EIN), because as a one-person business, you can typically just use your own social security number for most things an EIN is used for. Still, if you would rather not use your SSN for privacy purposes, it would be a good idea to get an EIN regardless.

Beyond that, the nature of your business will determine which taxes apply to you as a sole proprietor.

Sole proprietorships established in Washington DC are required to pay the District’s unincorporated franchise tax. In addition to this, other industry-specific taxes may be necessary. Thankfully, the Washington DC government makes it easy to determine your business’s tax liability and pay all necessary taxes through the MyTax.DC system.

Obtain Business Licenses and Permits

There isn’t a requirement in Washington DC for sole proprietors to acquire a general business license, but depending on the nature of your business you may need other licenses and/or permits to operate in a compliant fashion.

Whether or not your business requires a Basic Business License will depend on what goods or services it offers. In many cases, other license categories are applicable. If your business does require a Basic Business License, you may obtain it through the DC Business Portal.  More information on District licensing in general can be found through the Licensing Section of the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.

In addition, you should check to see if your business needs any licenses or permits on the local level.

Unlike the licensing requirements for states, Washington DC has no specific local licensing requirements; instead, you must simply abide by the District’s license and permit requirements as outlined by the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.

What Is a Washington DC Sole Proprietor?

As opposed to a corporation or limited liability company (LLC), the sole proprietorship is not a legal business entity. The sole proprietorship is a one-person business that is not considered to be a distinct entity from the person who owns it, and it is frequently operated using the owner’s personal name.

Here are the three main things you need to know:

Tax Responsibilities

Because there’s no distinction between the owner and the business itself, sole proprietors don’t need to file business tax returns ― they instead simply claim any business profits or losses on their personal tax returns.

Contracts

Sole proprietors are allowed to sign contracts using their personal name, and along those same lines, customers can write checks to the business by using the sole proprietor’s name.

More Flexible

The other big difference between sole proprietorships and more formal business structures is the fact that sole proprietors are allowed to commingle business and personal assets as much as they want to. With LLCs and corporations, ownership is required to keep their assets separate from those of the company. The downside of this aspect for sole proprietors is that if your business is sued, creditors are free to pursue your personal assets like your house, car, personal bank accounts, etc. For corporations and LLCs, creditors are limited to your business assets.