How to Dissolve an LLC in West Virginia | LLC Closing Guide

To dissolve a limited liability company one has to take up a set of required steps. In West Virginia, if you and the members of the LLC want to discontinue business, then it is necessary to dissolve their business legally to avoid any administrative and legal consequences. To dissolve an LLC in West Virginia, you are required to submit a complete Article of Dissolution to the Secretary of State. Before submitting the Article of Dissolution, one must follow the operating agreement.

If you have a West Virginia LLC (domestic or foreign) you must have an operating agreement. The first step towards the dissolution of West Virginia LLC is to follow the operating agreement. There are some points to be noted before proceeding with the official paperwork. At first, make sure all the members of the LLC are agreed to dissolve the business. Once all the members are ready, their consent should be recorded via voting. After casting their vote in favor of the dissolution, the legal process must be started. Here are the steps to address for dissolving West Virginia LLC.

How to Dissolve an LLC in West Virginia

Dissolution of West Virginia LLC requires three broad procedural steps. Having a West Virginia LLC Operating agreement, close all the tax accounts, and finally submit the Articles of Dissolution form to the West Virginia Secretary of State.

Step 1: Follow Your West Virginia LLC Operating Agreement

When you have started an LLC as a business entity, then there is an operating agreement that is formed. There are complete details of how the company will function and grow in that operating agreement, which acts as a comprehensive guide. There is also a dissolution process, which is added to your agreement. The common dissolution steps that almost every LLC follows are:-

First of all, the dissolution vote will take place among the LLC members in the dissolution meeting. If the majority is with the YES, then the process goes into legal proceedings.

• All the dissolution votes will be noted down and recorded with the minutes of the meeting or a consent form.
• After that, a formal date for dissolving the LLC will be decided.
• The next step is counting the LLC assets and dividing them among the stakeholders and members accordingly.
• Finally, the creditors of the business are notified, and the debts of the business are settled.

This is a general process. However, it is strongly recommended to seek professional help to avoid any complications when it comes to terminating an LLC.

Get a Professional Agent Service

When it comes to a limited liability company dissolution, it is important to get professional help. West Virginia registered agent will guide you with everything you need to close your limited liability company. While choosing a registered agent make sure they have a physical street address in the state. A professional service provider helps you to file the Article of Dissolution and close your various tax accounts without any hassle. Below are the best LLC services we strongly recommend for you.

Step 2: Close All Tax Accounts

Every action that an official business takes is legally bound to some minimum business taxes. For that, various accounts, especially business entity tax account, are maintained by the state government with the help of various departments. You should consider all the taxes that you have paid for your LLC’s duration and make a list of them. 

You must contact all government entities and clear the amount of outstanding taxes due until the date you have decided for dissolution. All the taxes must be paid in advance so that you don’t face any issues in the further process of shutting down your LLC.

Some of the common taxes that limited liability companies have to pay are:

• Unemployment insurance tax
• Employee withholding tax if your LLC has employees.
• If your LLC is engaged in selling taxable goods then they are liable to pay the sales and use tax.

Most of these taxes are normally filed, but some departments require official paperwork, without which it is impossible for the business to close their accounts. Apart from business taxes, federal taxes, personal income taxes, and franchise taxes are to be considered. For the franchise taxes, a franchise tax form is required.

That is why the LLC owner should go through the sales tax guide and hire an accounting service. If you want to do the accounting yourself or make accounting easy, try FreshBooks.

Tax clearance

While dissolving the West Virginia LLC, the owner does not require to obtain a tax clearance certificate. However, if you have filed federal taxes, then you must go through the final return option on your IRS form. 

The IRS form for the LLC that are classified as partnerships is form 1065, and those LLC’s who have registered themselves as corporate should check IRS form 1120.

Step 3: File Articles of Dissolution

There is a list of dissolution documents that you, as an LLC owner, have to file. Once these articles are filed, the legal existence of the LLC will be over. Like a West Virginia Articles of Organization, one has to file West Virginia LLC Articles of Dissolution. The dissolution procedure and filing the articles of dissolution form is very easy and is discussed below.

• First of all, the LLC owner(s) has to file the Article of Dissolution. There are multiple methods of filing available, such as file by mail, in-person drop, or/and online filing. To get the application form you need to visit the Secretary of State Website of West Virginia state.
• You can follow the filing instruction on the official portal so that the steps for dissolution will be easier to complete.
• In that particular SOS website, the LLC owner has to look for the Domestic LLC Articles of Dissolution page.
• If you want to dissolve West Virginia Foreign LLC then look for the Foreign LLC Dissolution process.
• There is a form available on this page, which is the article of dissolution you are looking for. You have to download that pdf form and start filling it.
• You must fill in all the important and legal information in the form, so you should be extra careful.
• After filling in all the important information, you must choose the mode of payment you want to use to pay the LLC dissolution filing fees.
• After filling in every detail, one should submit the form through an official mail address and make a payment.
• It takes 3-5 business days after filing of articles of dissolution if you are filing it by mail or in-person.

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The LLC you owned is dissolved, and you are free from all the liabilities linked with the LLC and its taxes. A copy of both original articles and recorded articles should be submitted in front of the probate judge. Now it’s his call that he accepts your expedited dissolutions or not.

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Points to Be Noted When Dissolving West Virginia LLC

Apart from these three steps, no major dissolution rules are there in West Virginia. However, there are some other tasks one has to keep in mind while dissolving an LLC legally.

Winding Up

There are some purposes of LLC that require some attention even after dissolution, known as winding up. The task of winding up includes.

• For a certain period, the property of a business requires preservation.
• If there is any civil case against the LLC, then the owner needs to finish them.
• Settle all the existing disputes of LLC.
• Transfer all the property of LLC to the names of partners.
• Release all the liabilities that the LLC owes to others.
• Rightful distribution of all the assets among members, according to their percentage of partnerships.

Cost of Dissolving LLC

LLC cost in West Virginia includes the formation as well as dissolution fees. To dissolve an LLC in West Virginia, LLCs have to file an Article of Dissolution. The filing fee is $25. The details are mentioned on the second page of the article dissolution filing form. Following are the ways to pay for the dissolution,

• You can select a payment pick-up option.
• There is an option of direct account transfer through your prepaid accounts.
• LLC owners can also use their Credit cards, providing their complete details and types. Along with that, an original signature is required to authorize the transaction state will make.

After Dissolving Your LLC

After you formally dissolve your LLC, your business name will not be reserved anymore. Any other business entity will be eligible to use your West Virginia LLC name immediately after 120 days of dissolving your LLC. On the other hand, if you have a foreign LLC in other states, then you must comply with the SOS of the state after the dissolution of your LLC in West Virginia. A registered agent can help you do the needful.

Reasons Behind Dissolving West Virginia LLC

Dissolving a business is something that needs our whole attention. Because if something goes wrong, the company won’t be deemed dissolved. So that is why we always say if you want to dissolve an LLC in West Virginia, you better keep up with the guidelines. Because if you don’t go according to the government, you can face severe consequences for that. Here are the consequences of not going according to the government, 

• If the company is still under the name of operative companies, it will have to pay the dues, i.e., taxes. 
• The government can make the company go for dissolution. 
• There can be lawsuits against the company due to this. 
• The creditors can still ask for the money that is due to them. 
• The assets can lose their value in the market at all. 

Top Businesses in West Virginia!

The economy of the state is the one that has a lot to provide to the population. With the help of this nature of the economy, it is best to start an LLC in West Virginia too. There are a lot of things that we need to learn to make a business the best one. The first thing is getting all possible knowledge about it. Here, we have arranged that already for you!

1. Government enterprises: This sector includes public schools as well as hospitals. The sector allows the people to get what they need and without worrying about the higher costs. It is the primary reason every state has these enterprises for the general public. But still, the sector has provided a significant amount of $10.63 billion to the GDP too. 
2. Mining: If we talk about this sector, then it is the main sector of West Virginia. If we depict the sector’s importance, then around 75% of the income from the mining sector comes from deriving coal. Rest comes from petroleum, crushed stone, sand, silt, and gravel. With all these, the sector also represents the GDP by $9.33 billion.
3. Manufacturing: Can we ever thrive without the manufacturing sector? No, we cannot as it is the main sector that adds importance to many raw products. It also adds meaning to the GDP by $7.25 billion. The main manufacturing product of the state is chemicals. There are others too, and they are some primary metals like tin plate, structural steel, etc.

West Virginia LLC Dissolution Review

What is the Cost to Dissolve an LLC in West Virginia

To dissolve an LLC in West Virginia you need to file the Articles of Termination with the West Virginia Secretary of State through mail, email, fax, in-person free or online by paying a filing fee of $25.

The cost to dissolve an LLC in West Virginia can vary depending on the specific business, but in general, the process is relatively inexpensive. The state requires a filing fee of $100, and the cost of other services, such as a registered agent, may also need to be factored in.

The process of dissolving an LLC in West Virginia starts with filing the Articles of Dissolution with the West Virginia Secretary of State. The form must be signed by all members of the LLC and must include the name of the LLC, the date of the LLC’s formation, the date of dissolution, and the name and address of the registered agent. Once the form is filed, the LLC is officially dissolved and the business is no longer legally responsible for any debts or liabilities.

In addition to the filing fee, the cost to dissolve an LLC in West Virginia may include additional services, such as a registered agent. A registered agent is a third-party company that is responsible for receiving important documents on behalf of the LLC, such as legal notices, tax documents, and other correspondence. The cost of a registered agent may vary depending on the size and complexity of the business, but typically ranges from $50 to $500 a year.

Before dissolving an LLC in West Virginia, it is important to make sure all debts, liabilities, and taxes have been paid. The state requires that all taxes be paid and all outstanding debts be settled before an LLC can be dissolved. It is also important to note that the LLC’s assets must be distributed among the members according to the operating agreement before the dissolution is finalized.

When dissolving an LLC in West Virginia, it is important to notify any creditors and employees of the dissolution. Creditors must be notified in writing and given a reasonable amount of time to settle any outstanding debts. Employees must also be informed of the dissolution and given the opportunity to seek other employment.

Dissolving an LLC in West Virginia is a relatively straightforward process that is typically inexpensive. The filing fee is $100, and the cost of additional services, such as a registered agent, may need to be factored in as well. Before dissolving an LLC, it is important to make sure all debts, liabilities, and taxes have been paid, and to notify any creditors and employees of the dissolution.

F.A.Qs

In Conclusion

Limited liability companies reduce owners’ personal liability. Having an LLC is quite cost-effective. However, if it is required to close down the business, then the dissolution process should be done legally. Get a professional service to get everything done. We hope this article helps you to close your LLC in West Virginia. If you have any query do let us know in the comment box.