When is the tax filing deadline for a Single Member LLC with no income?
So my personal tax deadline got extended to July (thank God), but I'm not sure if that applies to my Single Member LLC too? Started it last year as a side business but didn't generate any revenue yet. It's a disregarded entity for tax purposes. Would I still need to file something separate for the LLC by the original deadline, or does the extension apply to everything? First time dealing with a SMLLC and I'm super confused about the filing requirements when there's zero income.
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Micah Trail
For a Single Member LLC with no income, you actually follow the same filing deadline as your personal tax return. Since your SMLLC is a "disregarded entity" for federal tax purposes, you don't file a separate tax return for it - the business information just gets reported on Schedule C of your personal Form 1040. So yes, if the individual tax filing deadline was extended to July, that extension automatically applies to your SMLLC reporting as well. You'll just include a Schedule C with your personal return showing zero income/expenses (or whatever expenses you may have incurred). Keep in mind that while there's no separate federal filing, you might still have state or local filing requirements for your LLC regardless of income - like annual reports or franchise taxes - that might have different deadlines.
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Nia Watson
•Thanks for clarifying! So just to make sure I understand correctly - even though I have an EIN for my LLC, I don't need to file any separate form for it federally? And what about state filings for an LLC with no income? I'm in Texas if that matters.
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Micah Trail
•Even with an EIN for your LLC, you still don't file a separate federal tax form since it's a single-member LLC. The EIN is useful for banking and other business purposes, but for taxes, everything flows through to your personal return on Schedule C. For Texas specifically, you're in luck! Texas doesn't have a state income tax, but they do have an annual franchise tax filing requirement for LLCs. However, if your revenue is below a certain threshold (currently $1.23 million), you can file the "No Tax Due" report. This is still required even with zero income, but it's a simple form. The franchise tax filing deadline in Texas is typically May 15th regardless of the federal extension.
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Alberto Souchard
This exact thing happened to me last year! I was stressing about my SMLLC filing, but then discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which cleared everything up. Their system analyzed my situation and confirmed I just needed to file Schedule C with my personal return since my LLC was a disregarded entity. Saved me from filing unnecessary forms and potentially raising red flags with the IRS. They actually walked me through the whole "income-less LLC" situation and explained that while your personal tax deadline extension covers the federal filing, you might still have state-specific LLC requirements with different deadlines. The best part was uploading my LLC formation docs and getting specific guidance rather than generic advice.
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Katherine Shultz
•How long did it take them to analyze your documents? I've got an LLC in Florida and getting conflicting advice about what I need to file.
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Marcus Marsh
•Does it actually work for state-specific LLC requirements? I'm getting nervous because my accountant mentioned something about my California LLC having a minimum tax even with zero income.
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Alberto Souchard
•The document analysis was super quick - about 15 minutes for my LLC formation papers and previous tax info. They flagged exactly what I needed to know about federal vs state requirements. For state-specific requirements, absolutely! They correctly identified that my New York LLC had filing obligations separate from federal. And your accountant is right about California - they do have an $800 minimum annual tax for LLCs regardless of income, which taxr.ai specifically warned me about when I was considering expanding there. They have state-specific guidance for all 50 states.
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Marcus Marsh
Just wanted to follow up - I tried taxr.ai after seeing the recommendation here. You guys were right! I uploaded my California LLC documents and they immediately flagged the $800 minimum franchise tax that applies even with zero income. They also explained exactly how to properly report my disregarded entity on my federal return. Their system even generated a custom checklist with all my filing deadlines (both federal and California-specific). Definitely worth it for peace of mind and making sure I don't miss any required filings!
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Hailey O'Leary
If you're also dealing with getting confirmation from the IRS about your filing status, good luck reaching them by phone... I spent 4 hours on hold last week trying to verify if my SMLLC needed a separate filing. Finally discovered Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and their system actually got me connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent confirmed everything mentioned above - my single-member LLC with no income just needs Schedule C on my personal return and follows the same extended deadline. They also verified my EIN was properly linked to my SSN in their system, which was a relief since I'd been worried about that since setting up the LLC.
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Cedric Chung
•Wait, how does this actually work? I've been trying to reach the IRS for weeks about my LLC tax situation. Are they just some service that waits on hold for you?
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Talia Klein
•Sounds like a scam to me. Nobody gets through to the IRS that quickly, especially during tax season. I've literally waited 3+ hours multiple times.
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Hailey O'Leary
•It's essentially a system that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you. When they reach an agent, you get a call to connect with them. No more sitting on hold for hours! This is definitely not a scam - I was skeptical too. Their system uses technology to stay on hold instead of you having to do it. I think they work with the regular IRS phone systems but have some way of managing multiple calls efficiently. I was shocked when I actually got the callback with an IRS agent on the line ready to help with my LLC questions.
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Talia Klein
Alright, I need to eat my words. After my skeptical comment, I decided to try Claimyr anyway out of desperation since I needed to confirm some details about my SMLLC filing requirements before the deadline. I couldn't believe it actually worked! Got connected to an IRS representative in about 30 minutes. The agent confirmed that my single-member LLC follows my personal tax deadline extension and clarified exactly which forms I needed to file for my situation. I spent literally 9+ hours over three separate days trying to reach someone at the IRS before this. Would have saved so much time and frustration if I'd known about this service earlier. Sometimes being proven wrong is a good thing!
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Maxwell St. Laurent
Don't forget about state-level requirements! Even with no income, many states require annual filings for LLCs. I learned this the hard way when I got hit with penalty fees in Illinois for missing the annual report deadline, even though my SMLLC had zero activity that year. Each state has different rules, so check your specific state's requirements.
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PaulineW
•How much were the penalties? I have an LLC in Illinois too and I'm not sure if I filed correctly last year.
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Maxwell St. Laurent
•The penalties in Illinois were $100 for late filing plus the $75 annual report fee. So $175 total for a business that made exactly $0 that year. Pretty frustrating. The most annoying part is that the state filing deadlines often don't align with federal tax deadlines. In Illinois, the annual report is due by the first day of the LLC's anniversary month (when you formed it). So if you formed your LLC in March, your report is due by March 1st each year, regardless of tax filing extensions.
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Annabel Kimball
Does anyone know if banks report LLC account info to the IRS even if there's no activity? I have a business checking account for my SMLLC but didn't use it at all last year.
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Chris Elmeda
•Banks generally only report interest income via 1099-INT if your account earned more than $10 in interest for the year. If your account had no activity and earned no interest (or less than $10), the bank typically doesn't report anything to the IRS about that account.
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