The IRS doesn’t have a single tax form for LLCs. How you file depends entirely on how your LLC is classified for tax purposes.

If you’re a single-member LLC and haven’t made any special elections, the IRS treats you as a “disregarded entity.” That means your business income and expenses go on Schedule C of your personal Form 1040. You don’t file a separate business return. Your profit flows directly to your personal tax return and you pay self-employment tax (Social Security and Medicare) on the net income. This is the default for most solo contractors and tradespeople.

If your LLC has two or more members, the IRS defaults to treating it as a partnership. You’ll file Form 1065, which is an informational return. The LLC itself doesn’t pay income tax. Instead, each member receives a Schedule K-1 showing their share of the profit or loss, and they report it on their personal returns. Partnership returns are due March 15, not April 15, and missing that deadline triggers a penalty of $220 per partner per month.

Many LLC owners elect S-corp status by filing Form 2553 with the IRS. With this election, you file Form 1120-S and the business issues K-1s to the owners. The main advantage is that only the salary you pay yourself is subject to self-employment tax. Profits above that reasonable salary are not. For trade businesses generating solid profit, this can save thousands in taxes each year. But you have to actually run payroll for yourself, which adds complexity and cost.

In California, every LLC owes an $800 minimum franchise tax to the Franchise Tax Board regardless of how much money you made. If your gross revenue exceeds $250,000, there’s an additional LLC fee on top of that. These are easy to forget and the state will send you a bill with penalties if you miss them.

Beyond filing the right forms, accurate books are what make the whole process work. If your income and expenses aren’t tracked properly throughout the year, your tax return is just a guess. A Long Beach bookkeeper who understands trade businesses can keep everything organized so nothing falls through the cracks when it’s time to file.

Quarterly estimated tax payments are also your responsibility as an LLC owner. The IRS expects you to pay taxes as you earn income, not all at once in April. If you underpay throughout the year, you’ll owe an estimated tax penalty on top of your balance due.

The best approach is to figure out the right classification for your situation, keep your books current, and work with someone who handles business tax returns for your type of business. The forms and deadlines vary, but the foundation is always the same: clean records and the right entity structure for your income level.