Can you sell an interest in an LLC?
John Hall
Updated on March 16, 2026
Selling an Interest in an LLC As you know, the LLC is formed through state law and managed as a partnership. All owners, also known as members, are afforded an equal right to participate in the company management. If you are a single member LLC, you have the right to sell your interest(s) for any amount you name.
Can an LLC own its own membership interests?
With LLCs, members own membership interests (sometimes called limited liability company interests) in the Company which are not naturally broken down into units of measure. You simply own a membership interest in the Company and part of your agreement with the other members is to describe what and how much you own.
What is a membership interest in an LLC?
A membership interest represents a member’s ownership stake in an LLC. A person who holds a membership interest has a profit and voting interest in the LLC. Membership interests can be sold or transferred to other people or entities. The sale of membership interests must comply with federal and state securities laws.
Is membership interest an asset?
Like shares of stock of a corporation, a membership interest is a capital asset and, generally speaking, gain upon the sale of a membership interest will be taxable at capital gains tax rates if the interest was held for a period of more than one year prior to sale.
Do LLC distributions have to be equal?
Distribution of Profit. Members must receive allocations of LLC profits every year. LLCs are not required to periodically distribute profits to members. If profits are distributed, a member still has an equal claim for future distributions.
When to sell membership interest in LLC form?
Sale of the membership interest in LLC form may take place for several different reasons. Perhaps a member simply decides they want out, or the owner’s situation may have changed so they decide to transfer their membership interest to another member.
Can a multi member LLC purchase a member?
If the acquired LLC is a multi-member LLC, then purchasing the membership interests may bring in each of the members and their respective opinions on price, terms and other sale aspects. Often in a multi-member LLC, there is a single manager that can make decisions regarding the sale of assets.
Can a LLC be used to purchase real estate?
One way to avoid these additional costs is to purchase all of the membership interests of the limited liability company (LLC) that holds the real estate. This allows real estate purchasers to take title to the real estate without changing the legal owner of the real estate.
Can a limited liability company purchase membership interests?
Purchasing the membership interests of a real estate owning limited liability company can present additional risk compared to purchasing the underlying real estate, but done in a careful manner, it can provide economic benefits that may greatly increase the economic feasibility of the proposed project.