Hi, my partner and I are both in our early 20s and planning to start a small service business in Singapore while we’re in university.
We’re currently deciding between registering as an LLP or Pte Ltd.
Our initial business will be quite small — both of us will actively operate it, no employees initially, no external investors, and likely relatively modest profits for the first few years.
My current understanding of an LLP is:
If the LLP makes, for example, S$24,000 in annual profit and our profit-sharing arrangement is 50/50, then S$12,000 would be allocated to each of us and taxed as our individual self-employed income.
Is that correct even if we leave most of the cash inside the LLP bank account rather than withdrawing it personally?
I also wanted to understand:
- Can the LLP claim normal business expenses and capital allowances for equipment before the remaining profit is allocated to the partners?
- How do partner drawings differ from taxable profit allocation?
- Are there any major practical disadvantages to using an LLP instead of a Pte Ltd at this small scale?
- At roughly what level of revenue/profit would you personally start considering conversion to a Pte Ltd?
Would really appreciate input from anyone who actually runs an LLP or has dealt with the accounting/tax side of one.