Where I live, its the Department of Revenue.

 

BHB, where I am a business license is not required. However, to get a commercial bank account and commercial insurance, I got a DBA (doing business as). It was $10 and a trip to the courthouse. I am currently setup as a general partnership with my wife as the partner. This was necessary for me for the bank account in order to have my wife on the account also. I do plan on incorporating in some fashion this next year, but for now the business entity we have now is sufficient. I would call your county or municipality and check what the regulations are in your area.

on edit: thanks for the reminder, B.J. We do have to get a sales tax license also.

 

Here in Ohio, it's the Ohio department of TAXATION, and the cost is $25 for a service venders license.

 

you cant, plain and simple. you are not an adult, so your signature carries no weight.

 

f350, I would have it under one or both of my parent's name(s).
wouldn't that work?
Basically I need to call the co. courthouse and see how to proceed then cause it sounds like you get them at different places?
Thanks,
Eric

 

so then you screw your parents due to a different tax bracket.. what a sweet kid.

 

I think if you are under the age of 18 you are not legally bound to have a licence. But, if you are, it would have to be under your parents name.

 

f350-
thanks for the positive remarks!
I'm just trying to do everything right, OK? What's wrong with that? I want to run a legit business here paying taxes, insured and licensed. I don't see why I should be shot down for that?
Grassmaster, thanks I'll check on that.

 

Licensing a business is more complex than a simple answer. Each government entitiy and indeed each agency within those entities will have different requirements. A lot depends on what you do. The county courthouse may tell you what you need from their perspective, but not even mention other levels of gov't

Our Business has several different licences for different purposes

Sales Tax
Contractors Excise Tax
Non-Highway Fuel
Non Highway Diesel
IFTA (interstate fuel)
US DOT
State Pesticide Applicator
State Nursery License
State Plumbing License
Probably others that I can't think of off hand

Your best bet is to talk to someone else that has a similar business that has been around for awhile.


I don't know of any one source that could reliably anwser your question with a fool proof answer.


Doug Austreim
Austreim Landscaping

 

it's funny how you get all bent when you dont hear what you want... you cannot run a legit operation because, well your a minor. as far as taxes, if it's in your parents name you put them in a different tax bracket, plain and simple. can you buy cigaretts, booze, lottery tickets, gamble? no you say, well why not.. it's because you a minor.. if you cannot do the actions above, what makes you think you can run a company? in essence your parents will own it and be liable for it... like it or not, thats the way the river flows..

 

Which residential client have you ever know to ask for a business liscense? How about proof of insuance? NOTA one. Go for the residentials!!! Shy away from the comms, unless you can find a few that want to help out a youngn and will pull a few strings. Dont waste your money throwing it at the govt. They arent going to chase you down if you dont claim it. If you were to work a regular job, you will get most all of your taxes back anyway. Think about it. DONT try to be more than you are.


(edited per Jason's request)

 

There is no reason that a minor cannot own his own business. While there may be some peripheal liability issues for his parents, he can own his own business and he would file his own tax returns and pay his own taxes. If a 15 year old works at Burger King, he gets his own W-2 and files his own return, it doesn't affect his parents tax bracket at all. So why would being self employed be any different?

When my oldest son was 15, he operated a golf cart rental business for awhile. He borrowed the money from the local bank with a state economic development guarantee, had his own insurance etc etc, I never signed a single piece of paper.

Lets be a little bit more helpful here, and not so quick to put down those that just don't happen to fit the mold that we think they should

Doug Austreim
Austreim Landscaping

 

Now f250 dont take this the wrong way or anything but you say if you cant do anything of the above then ypu cant run a biz, i think that a bunch of crap. Right now i can go join the military drink booze, smoke cig, (on base) and get sent to a war and die for my country all being 17. Now the way you put it, it sounds like you sayin us kids under 18 shouldnt be running biz's and we dont know what were doing. But there are kids on here tha know more then some adults on this site. When you say if you cant do this its like your discrimanting againts us.

 

it's easy LIABILTY... under 18 is a minor, correct? find an insurance company that will write a policy for a minor running what they consider heavy and dangerous equipment... tax bracket and self employed, well if the company is in his parents name and they also have another job, they enter a new tax bracket.. simple, stop tryin to sugar coat this kids dreams... it's a harsh reality... this kid cannot sign for a car note because if he defaults he's not liable.. sorry bub, i dont know who told you that drinking on a military base under 21 is ok, it's not been there done that....

 

Originally posted by Wesley's Lawn
Now f250 dont take this the wrong way or anything but you say if you cant do anything of the above then ypu cant run a biz, i think that a bunch of crap. Right now i can go join the military drink booze, smoke cig, (on base) and get sent to a war and die for my country all being 17. Now the way you put it, it sounds like you sayin us kids under 18 shouldnt be running biz's and we dont know what were doing. But there are kids on here tha know more then some adults on this site. When you say if you cant do this its like your discrimanting againts us.

NO YOU CANNOT!!!

18 to smoke 21 to drink in the USA, overseas is different.

On base you can get away with it being that they illegally serve you and who is going to bust them.

Second you MUST be 18 to fight for our country. You are not millitary untill you have been alive for 18 years, so untill the day you turn 18 you are still a peon.

BHB why do all this and hurt your parents taxes and yours. Also once you do this you are no longer able to be NCAA.

Please do not listen to anyone on this but "YOUR" parents CPA.

Ask them what is best for you and your family.

 

I don't understand. Usually this is a down to earth group of people. What is Bush Hog Boy to do? Quit and live off his parents because he isn't 18 yet? I mean my God, I work with troubled teens part time and I see so many that think the world owes them everything for free. Lets be sure and Make Bush Hog Boy the same way now
Higher tax bracket? Money isnt everything. I gaurantee you that I would gladly go a tax bracket higher for my son. If he is that willing to work, I'll help him anyway I can.

 

never mind it's pointless, sorry but money is everything::: it's why we work.. if you guy's keep strokin his dream your helping him fail before he ever has the chance to succedd.

 

Ok guys now you're confusing me... you all define a scrub as a small business owner who is "usually" not
1) licensed
2) insured
3) doesn't pay taxes
among other things...
but most of you know me enough to know that i always try to do the best job I can with what I have. And you all love flaming scrubs, I know it is your favorite pasttime. So now when I am planning on growing enough to justify insurance, license, and taxes, etc. you want to put me down for wanting to be legit??? What the heck? I would be happy working for a few years until 18 without license, but insurance I really think I'd like to have, and around here a small business owner has to pay taxes if he nets over 5k a year, which I plan on doing. I don't care NOT to pay taxes..... but I also like to follow rules and not cause trouble. I don't wanna screw up things for my parents but I don't want to screw up things for myself by not being insured and all.
I'm sick of all the scrub flaming on here :angry: :blob2: :angry: :blob2:
Here I am trying to be a good boy and follow the rules and expectations to be one of the big boys and now I'm getting shunned and scorned at for it? Make some sense!
Maybe I will follow some of you guys' advice and continue to BE A SCRUB! until I'm 18. I don't really care about any of that stuff except for the insurance. If I get hurt, damage someone's property or I have a wreck with my equipment and it has my company name on it, I don't think I want to pay for it out of my pocket. Don't tell me that stuff never happens either! I'm willing to listen to and follow advice but please think about what you're telling me and make sense instead of this confusion I admit I don't know much about this subject so I have to rely on what you guys say so make sure you are telling me the right thing. And like lawnagent said, at least I'm trying instead of just wasting my life...
and F350, I'd appreciate it if you would please stay away from this thread because you obviously have nothing worth contributing. I hope that you don't have kids, I pity them if you do because they will never get anywhere in life because daddy doesn't want them to learn to work and get ahead of their dopehead friends!

Thanks,
Eric

 

Why don't you people get over the tax bracket thing. That is a totally assinine discussion. Any CPA or other tax professional worth his salt will be able to file the taxes seprate from the parents.

Sometimes, the people on these forums forget how they started. Every business started somewhere. Even if you took over daddy's business or bought another one, it originally started somewhere and in most cases it was partime and in fact some of the largest companies in this industry were originally started by high school kids. Just read some of the company profiles in the trade magazines. Babies aren't born ready to vote and most business aren't either.

Mu business is starting its 31st season this year. The first two or three years, I was still teaching school and running it on the side. I suppose I was a scrub, but I didn't know it at the time. I just worked hard and kept going.

Doug Austreim
Austreim Landscaping Inc

 

AMEN!!!!!!! Mr 350 needs to go to another thread. I hope he does not have kids. If he does I hope he gives em more of a chance than what he wants Bush Hog Boy to have.

 

i'm the one that needs to leave, ok.. bhb, find an underwriter that will issue a policy to you.. you guy's want to flame me, but it's a harsh reality that his plan is going to fall apart. it WILL NOT BE HIS COMPANY, it's his parents.. no, i dont have kids but, my parents never let me live a pipe dream and this is exactly what it is. tax brackets, your really not getting it are you, if the company is registered to his parents ( part-time or as a hobby ) it's considered income, thus the change in taxable wages. this is one of the reasons nothing and i mean nothing gets acomplished in this forum. i'll put a hefty wager ( because i can ) that 98% of the members have no logic on how to run a business. if you all keep feeding this kid the wrong information he and his family will end up hurt. kid listen, i'm not trying to bust your balls, but there are reasons you are considered a minor, you have no credibility.. these laws about being a minor are here to help you, if you like what you do, work for someone else.. dont risk your life's finacial future or your parents for that fact. i'll leave this thread as soon as someone shows me that what he is trying to do is legal and they show me an insurance carrier that will protect him.. even if he didn't have insurance and hurt someone or did damage to property HE CANNOT BE HELD LIABLE.. look at past cases of automobile accidents where minors who were driving were not sued but rather the parents..

 

F350 you say find a ins company that will insure a minor well i did they insured me with biz insurance when i first called him and i asked him if being 17 was going to be a problem and he said no so i dont what its like where you are but here i got my insrance and its in my name. the same with my vehical insurance and my parents names aren not on the polciy. Lawngodfather about what u said whoever told me was wrong well you tell me that alot of people are wrong then cause a few teachers have told me and a few uncles and an aunt who have been in the military have told me and my cuz how is in the national guard can drink and smoke and he might even get sent over to iraq and he is 17.

 

wes, i was in the military.. like i said, show me the proof and i'll bow down.. 17 is ok to enlist in the u.s. military provided you have a h/s diploma. if you not have one, a person can enroll in the dep program untill a seat is available.

 

Wes, you lost me there bud.

18 to fight for our lovely country 17 you can enlist but still a peon.

Give me the base, all the numbers of them fellows who you claim to be drinking and smoking underage and I will have everyone of them thrown in the bregade for 20 years.

Again it is illegal.

But then again you read so well, I did say who was going to bust them.

Back to BHB,....why pay all thoise added expences if you don't need to, they will actually cost you more than you will make.

You are not a scrub because you cannot be legal yet. You can get all this stuff in your parents names, but why.

Again contact your parents CPA, they will tell you the right moves to make.

 

If you want to be leagalized bad enough you can do it. I registered my business and got insurance when I was 15 years old. I payed alot higher rates then most, but being legit was very important to me. As soon as I reached 18 years of age this year I switched all my policys over to Erie insurance......they seem to be the chepeast by far but they will not even consider you if you are under 18.