Arkansas Business Taxes for LLCs

How Your LLC Will Be Taxed

In this guide, we’ll cover the main business taxes required in Arkansas, including payroll, self-employment and federal taxes. The profits of an LLC aren’t taxed at the business level like C Corporations. Instead, they're as follows:

Items 1, 2 and 3 fall under pass-through taxation for any LLC owners, managers or members who receive profits from the business. Profits are reported on federal and state personal tax returns.

State Taxes for LLCs

There are two types of state tax you might have to pay to your state Department of Finance and Administration: Arkansas state income tax, and Arkansas state sales tax.

Arkansas Income Tax

As a business owner, you typically need to pay income tax on any money you pay to yourself. These earnings flow through to your personal tax return. You’ll be taxed at Arkansas's standard rates, and you’ll also be able to apply regular allowances and deductions.

Any employees will also need to pay state income tax. The income tax rates are graduated, with rates ranging from 0% to 5.9%, depending on earnings.

Arkansas Sales Tax

If you sell physical products or certain types of services, you may need to collect sales tax and then pay it to the Arkansas Department of Revenue. Arkansas sales tax is generally collected at the point of purchase.

There is a single, statewide static tax rate of 6.5% in Arkansas. In addition to the statewide sales tax, local cities and counties may have levied an additional local tax making the combined sales tax as high as 11.5% in some areas within the state.

Most states do not levy sales tax or gross receipts tax on goods that are considered necessities, like food, medications, clothing or gas. Check with the Arkansas Department of Revenue to confirm whether your business is required to collect Arkansas sales tax.

Arkansas Franchise Tax

The state of Arkansas levies a franchise tax on corporations for the privilege of doing business in the State of Arkansas. Franchise tax is due annually as long as the corporation remains incorporated, domesticated, or continues to do business in Arkansas.

All corporations, associations, or entities doing business, earning income, or existing in Arkansas are required to file an annual franchise tax report with the Secretary of State. This tax used to be payable to the Department of Finance and Administration, but has recently been turned over to the Arkansas SOS. Every corporation, domesticated or qualified to do business in Arkansas must file a return even if the corporation is inactive or not engaged in business. The minimum annual franchise tax requirement for LLCs is $155.

Federal Taxes for LLCs

As the owner of an LLC, you must pay self-employment tax and federal income tax, both of which are levied as “pass-through taxation."

Federal taxes can be complicated, so speak to your accountant or professional tax preparer to ensure that your Arkansas LLC is paying the correct amount.

Federal Self-Employment Tax

All members or managers who take profits out of the LLC must pay self-employment tax. This tax is administered by the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA), and covers Social Security, Medicare and other benefits. The current self-employment tax rate is 15.3 percent.

You’ll be able to deduct some of your business expenses from your income when calculating how much self-employment tax you owe.

Pay Less Self-Employment Tax by Treating Your LLC As an S Corporation

The Internal Revenue Service allows an LLC to be treated as an S Corporation for tax purposes, provided your business meets certain requirements. This can help you reduce the amount of self-employment tax you pay by allowing you to declare some of your income as salary and other income as distributions or withdrawals.

Speak to your accountant or professional tax preparer for more information on reducing your LLC self-employment tax through an S Corporation tax election.

Federal Income Tax

You must also pay regular federal income tax on any earnings you take out of your Arkansas LLC. The amount of income tax you pay depends on your earnings, current income tax bracket, deductions and filing status.

You only pay federal income tax on profits you take out of the business, less certain deductions and allowances. This includes your tax-free amount, plus business expenses and other deductions for areas such as healthcare and some retirement plans.

Speak to your accountant for more information.

Employee and Employer Taxes

If you pay employees, there are some slightly different tax implications. Speak to your accountant to get clear guidance for your unique situation.

Employees May Need to File Tax Returns

Regardless of whether you withhold federal and state income tax, your employees may need to file their own tax returns.

Employee Insurance and Other Requirements

You may also need to pay insurance for any employees, such as employee compensation insurance or unemployment tax.

Other Taxes and Duties

Depending on your industry, you may be liable for certain other taxes and duties. For example, if you sell gasoline, you may need to pay a tax on any fuel you sell. Likewise, if you import or export goods, you may need to pay certain duties.

Speak to your accountant about any other taxes or duties you may need to withhold or pay.

Estimated Taxes

Most LLCs must pay estimated taxes throughout the year, depending on the amount of profit and income you expect to make. The most common types of estimated tax are:

Most LLCs will pay estimated taxes on a quarterly basis. Learn more on the IRS website, and speak to your accountant for more information.