A lot of today’s most successful businesses started out as general partnerships. After all, starting a business is simultaneously exciting and overwhelming.
Having a partner to share the load makes it that much easier. And partnerships in Hawaii are easy to form, so it’s not surprising that many entrepreneurial teams begin with this entity type. But even though partnerships are easy to form, there are plenty of ducks to put in a row.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through all the essentials to forming a partnership, from the liability risks of a general partnership to business licenses, and more. By the end, you’ll have a clear picture of how to start a general partnership in Hawaii.
A (Very Important) Note on Personal Liability
If you talk to a lawyer about your intentions to start a partnership, there’s a good chance he or she will tell you to be really careful. That’s because, from a legal standpoint, a partnership is not legally distinct from the individual partners behind the partnership.
Granted, the business can obtain a bank account using the business’s name, enter contracts, and so on. But the responsibility to uphold those contracts and agreements falls to the partners, not the business.
If your partnership defaults on a loan or is sued for malpractice, you’ll (understandably) have to pay up. But if there’s not enough money in your business’s bank account to pay, your creditors can go after your personal assets. For example, they can lay claim to your car, your house, and your personal savings.
Note: Some states allow for partnership types with some liability protection—and Hawaii is one of them. The most common types are Limited Partnerships and Limited Liability Partnerships. That said, there are important nuances to these partnership types that make them troublesome for some entrepreneurs.
If you’re not much of a risk-taker (and that’s totally fine; risky endeavors aren’t for everyone), then a general partnership is probably not the best choice for you. You’d be better off forming an LLC or corporation, which offer near-comprehensive liability protection.
For most small businesses, the LLC is ideal because it offers a lot of ownership flexibility, easy operation, and personal asset protection. If you’d like to learn more about forming an LLC in Hawaii, start with this guide.
But if a general partnership seems right for your business idea, then let’s dig in. By the time you’ve followed all the steps in this guide, you’ll have a general partnership that’s set for success.
5 Steps to Form Your General Partnership
If you’re sure that a partnership is right for you, then your business starts as soon as you and your partner get to work. That said, there are 5 key steps you should complete to ensure your business gets off to a good start.
1. Do a ‘partner’ gut check
Starting a partnership can be really exciting, especially if you’re entering business with a lifelong friend or a buddy from college.
But don’t rush into things if you can help it. Some people recommend looking at a partnership like a marriage: it’s a committed relationship that requires give and take on both sides. So you should consider your partnership with a long-term mindset.
For example, ask yourself these questions:
- Do you work well together even in stressful situations?
- Do you agree on how to handle finances?
- Do your strengths and weaknesses complement each other?
- Can you envision still working with them 5-10 years from now?
- Does either partner have a history of malpractice, poor business decisions, etc.?
While you don’t have to do a full-scale background check on your potential business partners, careful consideration can save you headaches down the road. Talking through these issues together (before business begins) ensures that everyone is on the same page.
2. Draft a partnership agreement
In every high-functioning business, everyone has clearly defined responsibilities, compensation terms, and rights—all the way from the CEO to the new hire in training. Partnerships may not have as many people involved, but they still require clear-cut roles.
A partnership agreement clearly defines the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of each member.
Each agreement is unique, but every good partnership agreement includes:
- How ownership is split: Does each partner have an even 50/50 share? Or does one partner have a bigger stake, such as a 60/40 split?
- Management rights: Can a partner make decisions autonomously, or do big decisions require mutual agreement? What decisions are “big enough” to require you to consult each other? Simply put, your agreement should detail who calls the shots, and how.
- Duration of the partnership: Not all partnerships last forever; some plan for their business to be temporary. Others plan for a perpetual partnership. Either is okay, but you should detail it in your agreement.
- How a partner can buy in (or out): As time passes, it’s not uncommon for a business to add or subtract a partner. But there needs to be an official procedure for doing so. Your operating agreement can detail that procedure.
3. Choose a DBA Name (Optional)
When you start a partnership, the business doesn’t have a unique name; it’s just the legal surnames of each partner. But “Jones & Jacobs” isn’t a very descriptive name, right?
That’s why a lot of partnerships choose to use a DBA, or “Doing Business As” name. A DBA allows a business like “Jones & Jacobs” to operate as “World’s Best Cupcakes.” Not only is a DBA name more appealing and descriptive, but a DBA also gives you some new options.
You can open a business bank account, and a name makes your business seem more official. A lot of customers are more comfortable writing a check to a business than an individual.
Hawaiian DBAs, commonly referred to as trade names, are a bit confusing at first glance. That’s because, on one hand, no one is required to register a trade name with the state. You are allowed to start using an available trade name as soon as you like. And technically, using the name for the first time before the public grants you ownership of the name.
That said, registering your trade name has its advantages. For one thing, the registration process helps you ensure that your trade name isn’t being used by other businesses in the state. The most important search to conduct is a Business Name Search. However, you can also run a trademark search, look through local phone books, and run a search at the Hawaii State Department to learn if someone else is using the name you’ve chosen.
If no records pop up for the trade name after these searches, then it’s probably available for you to use and register if you choose. Registering the name puts out an official notice to other businesses that you’ve laid claim to the name. To register your name, file online or by mail and pay the $25 filing fee. Once completed, the registration lasts for 5 years. To maintain your registration, you’ll need to renew within the 6 months leading up to the registration date. For even more information on trade name ownership and registration, check out Hawaii’s pre-registration guide.
4. Register for taxes
An advantage to a partnership is the fact that partnerships do not pay taxes as a business; instead, the tax burden “passes through” to the individual members of the partnership. The partners pay the taxes.
That said, your partnership still needs to register with the IRS and file yearly paperwork to report the business’s income. That registration also entails getting an EIN. Obtaining this business tax number is easy and free, and if you do it online, you’ll get your number almost instantly.
Your partnership won’t actually pay taxes to the IRS, but you will need to file a form annually (IRS Form 1065). The actual tax burden will come into play when you fill out Schedule C of your individual income tax reports each year. If you have any employees, you’ll also need to pay employment taxes like Medicare, Unemployment, and more.
For a full description of partnership tax requirements at the federal level, check out the IRS’s Tax Information for Partnerships.
In Hawaii, your partnership’s primary tax burden is the state income tax. In Hawaii, there’s a pretty wide range of income tax brackets, ranging between 1.4% (unless your income is lower than $4,000) and 11%. However, keep one thing in mind: even though you only end up paying taxes as individuals, you will still need to file a partnership income tax report.
That said, income taxes are not the only thing to pay attention to in Hawaii. For example, instead of a sales tax, Hawaii levies a General Excise Tax. The rate for most business types is 4%. You need to obtain a license for this tax, but since the registration fee is only $20, getting the license is a very manageable process. Read more about the GET here.
Depending on your industry, there may also be some industry-specific taxes that you need to keep tabs on. For example, Hawaii charges unique taxes and offers tax credits for school repair and maintenance, fuel, organic food production, and more. You can familiarize yourself with miscellaneous partnership taxes at the Hawaii Department of Taxation.
5. Obtain business licenses and permits
Even though partnerships are relatively simple to run, they’re not exempt from the state’s business license requirements. In most locations, there are two primary business license categories: the general business license and industry-specific occupational and professional licenses.
One quick note: we’re not talking about the General Excise Tax license here. That applies to taxes (see above). We’re talking about general licenses that you’ll need for the privilege of doing business or for operating in a certain occupation.
Hawaii does not require a general business license for that every partnership in the state needs to obtain. Instead, you’ll need to pay attention to industry-specific licenses; odds are you’ll need one or more occupational or professional licenses for your business. For one thing, Hawaii upholds all licenses required on the federal level.
The state has plenty of industry-specific licenses, too. You’ll need to do some research to figure out which ones apply to your business, though. For example, Hawaii requires licenses for athletic trainers,electrologists, social workers, and more. If you’re ready to start searching for these licenses, check out the Professional & Vocational Licensing Division.
General Partnership Pros & Cons
Before you form any business, you’ll want to do some careful soul-searching to ensure that entrepreneurship is right for you. That’s especially true for a general partnership. You’ll need to carefully evaluate the pros and cons before diving in.
General Partnership Pros
- Unlike a lot of business entity types, a general partnership does not require any start-up paperwork or registration fees. You don’t have to submit any paperwork to the state of Hawaii. In a sense, your business bursts into existence as soon as you and your business partner(s) say, “Let’s do this!” You can get to work right away.
- Another advantage to a general partnership is the flexibility it provides you. You and your business partners will have a lot more control and leeway when operating your business (especially compared to a corporation). But if you someday decide to convert your partnership into a more official LLC or corporation, it’s easy to do so. The paperwork required is simple.
- Last but not least, you’ll find that your tax burden will be pretty simple as a general partnership. General partnerships file tax paperwork as a business, but they do not actually pay taxes. Instead, the tax burden “passes through” to the partners, who pay taxes at the individual rate for both the federal state levels. In many cases, the individual tax rate is cheaper than the corporate income tax.
(Note: this might not be true if you have extensive income from other sources, pushing you into a high tax bracket). In Hawaii, the size of your tax burden will ultimately depend on your income totals; if you have a lot of income from other sources, then you might have a bigger tax burden. For more information on general partnership taxes in the state, see Step 4 above.
General Partnership Cons
- The biggest disadvantage to a general partnership is that the partners accept a lot of personal liability. General partnerships do not offer any personal asset protection, unlike corporations or LLCs. We’ll go into more detail about personal liability shortly.
- Let’s face it: sometimes, partnerships just don’t work out. There’s no guarantee that you’ll always see eye to eye with your partners. For example, one partner might lose their passion for the business down the road. Or one partner might sign a contract without consulting you, and you don’t agree to the terms. Members of a general partnership can also be held personally liable for the malpractice of the other partners, which can have potentially disastrous consequences.
Conclusion
There are risks and challenges with a general partnership, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t form one if it actually is the proper route for you. For the right business partners—and with the proper procedures—a general partnership offers exciting, unique opportunities.