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The Global Insight

How do you sell interest in an LLC?

Author

James Olson

Updated on March 09, 2026

How to Sell Your LLC and Transfer Complete Ownership

  1. Review your Operating Agreement and Articles of Organization.
  2. Establish What Your Buyer Wants to Buy.
  3. Draw Up a Buy-Sell Agreement with the New Buyer.
  4. Record the Sale with the State Business Registration Agency.

Can I sell my LLC to my corporation?

Once you have determined that you can sell your interest in the LLC to a corporation, identify a buyer and negotiate a price. Once you have agreed upon the price and any other terms and conditions of the sale, you must draw up the necessary paperwork to transfer LLC ownership to the corporation.

Can an LLC redeem membership interests?

Yes, an LLC can purchase a member’s membership interest in the LLC, under the terms and conditions governed by its Operating Agreement (which may require consent, outside valuation, etc).

How does an LLC issue membership interests?

A membership interest represents an investor’s (called a “member”) ownership stake in an LLC. A person who holds a membership interest has a profit and voting interest in the LLC (although these may be amended by contract). Ownership in an LLC can be expressed by percentage ownership interest or membership units.

How is the sale of an LLC taxed?

The sale of a single-member LLC is typically handled as an asset sale. The proceeds are passed through to the owner to be taxed on the owner’s personal income tax return. Some members might be subject to capital gains taxes, depending on how long they have held an interest in the company.

Should you convert your LLC to a corporation?

Changing the structure of a business to a corporation is beneficial to some enterprises, but it’s not for everyone. If you’re in need of capital, you’ll find that investors often prefer to work with corporations because it is easier to sell shares in a corporation than transfer ownership in an LLC.

Can you change a LLC to a corporation?

Changing your LLC to an S corporation may save you money on taxes. You can switch your limited liability company’s (LLC) tax status to an S corporation, provided it meets the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) requirements. You don’t have to change your business structure, but you’ll need to file a form with the IRS.

Is there treasury stock in an LLC?

In an LLC, units are used to break down the percentage of ownership each member is able to claim in the company. In terms of ownership, 100 percent of the company must be owned at all times because LLCs don’t have treasury units or stock that can be deemed as owned pro-rata by other equity holders.

How is LLC sale interest taxed?

The maximum long-term capital gain rate on the sale of LLC interests by individuals is generally 20 percent, just as it is on corporate stock. However, if the LLC holds depreciable real property, then a 25 percent maximum rate may apply to at least some of the gain.

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.

What happens if I want to sell my LLC?

A buyer might only want to purchase your business’s assets, or he or she may decide to buy the entire company. If you want to sell an LLC, you’ll sell your membership interests via a bill of sale. You can sell your interests for the amount you want if you operate a single-member LLC.

Is the sale of an interest in a LLC taxable?

Whenever a sale or exchange takes place, as in the transfer of an interest in an LLC that involves compensation, the selling member usually has a gain or loss on the sale which is taxable.

What is an ownership interest in a LLC?

The Act defines an ownership interest in an LLC as a “membership interest” (specifically, “a member’s share of the profits and the losses of the limited liability company and the right to receive distributions of the limited liability company’s assets”). So if you look in the Act to learn how it defines LLC units, you will not find anything.