The first step in creating your operating agreement involves determining whether you'll draft it yourself or hire an attorney to do it for you. If you have a single-member LLC, you may decide to create it on your own using a template.
LLCs are required by law to have operating agreements. However, other entities, such as S-corporations, sole proprietorships, and partnerships, can also benefit from having operating agreements.
An S Corporation operating agreement is a critical document outlining the rights, responsibilities, and expectations of shareholders, directors, and officers.
Unlike a partnership, which can take advantage of a Sec. 754 election to help a successor partner equalize her inside and outside basis, an S corporation has no similar option.
Bylaws focus on the roles and responsibilities of the board of directors, officers, and shareholders. Operating Agreements focus on the roles and responsibilities of members and managers.
If you're forming—or have formed—an LLC in California, New York, Missouri, Maine, or Delaware, state laws require you to create an LLC Operating Agreement. But no matter what state you're in, it's always a good idea to create a formal agreement between LLC members.
Although Virginia doesn't mandate an operating agreement for LLCs, it serves as a vital tool for delineating member responsibilities and company protocols, even in a Single Member LLC scenario.
How to Write an Operating Agreement – Step by Step Step One: Determine Ownership Percentages. Step Two: Designate Rights, Responsibilities, and Compensation Details. Step Three: Define Terms of Joining or Leaving the LLC. Step Four: Create Dissolution Terms. Step Five: Insert a Severability Clause.