What Is a Partnership? How Does It Work?

What is a Business Partnership?
A Partnership business is a legal relationship formed by the agreement between two or more individuals to carry on a business as co-owners. A partnership is a business with multiple owners, each of whom has invested in the business. Some partnerships include individuals who work in the business, while other may include partners who have limited participation and also limited liability.

A partnership, as distinguished from a corporation, is not a separate entity from the individual owners. The partnership income tax is paid by the partnership, but the profits and losses are divided among the partners, and paid by the partners, based on their agreement.

How Does a Partnership Pay Income Taxes?
As noted above, the partnership business doesn't pay any income tax; the partners pay the taxes of the business, based on their share of the profits for a specific year.

The partners are taxed from the income (or loss) of the partnership on their personal income tax return, and the partnership files an information return (Form 1065) with the IRS.

Multiple-member limited liability companies (LLCs) file income taxes as a partnership.

Check with your state's secretary of state to determine the requirements for registering your partnership in your state. Some states allow different types of partnerships, and there are different types of partners, based on their participation in the business and the type of partnership.

Types of Partners in a Partnership
Depending on the type of partnership and the levels of partnership hierarchy, a partnership can have several different types of partners. This article on different types of partners explains the difference between:

General partners and limited partners. General partners participate in managing the partnership and have liability for partnership debts. Limited partners invest but do not participate in management.

Equity partners and salaried partners. Some partners may be paid as employees, while others have only a share in ownership.
The different levels of partners in the partnership. For example, there may be junior and senior partners. These partnership types may have different duties, responsibilities, and levels of input and investment requirements.
Types of Partnerships
Before you start a partnership, you will need to decide what type of partnership you want. You may have heard the terms:

A general partnership is composed of partners who participate in the day-to-day operations of the partnership are who have liability as owners for debts and lawsuits. There may also be limited partners
A limited partnership has one general partner who manages the business and one or more limited partners who don't participate in the operations of the partnership and who don't have liability.
A limited liability partnership is similar to the limited partnership, but it may have several general partners.
Forming a Partnership
Partnerships are usually registered with the state in which they do business, but the requirement to register varies from state to state. Partnerships use a partnership agreement to clarify the relationship between the partners, roles and responsibilities of the partners, and their respective shares in the profits or losses of the partnership.

It is relatively easy to form a partnership, but, as noted above, the business must be registered with the state where the partners do business. Depending on the state, you may have the choice of one or more of the types of partnerships mentioned above. Once you have registered with your state, you can then proceed to the other typical tasks in starting a business.

Requirements for Joining a Partnership
An individual can join a partnership at the beginning or after the partnership has been operating. The incoming partner must invest in the partnership, bringing capital (usually money) into the business and creating a capital account. The amount of the investment and other factors determine the new partner's capital investment and share of the profits (and losses) of the business each year.

The Importance of a Partnership Agreement
When a partnership is formed, one of the first acts of the partners should be to prepare and sign a partnership agreement. This agreement describes all the responsibilities of the partners, sets out each partner's distributive share in profits and losses, and answers all the "what if" questions about what happens in a number of typical situations.