Liability Protection

In general partnerships, each participant is personally responsible for the actions of the company. This includes debts, liabilities and the wrongful acts of other partners. One advantage of a limited liability partnership is the liability protection it affords. This type of partnership structure protects individual partners “from personal liability for negligent acts of other partners or employees not under their direct control,” states the SBA. In addition, individual partners are not personally responsible for company debts or other obligations. This is advantageous for an individual partner when potential lawsuits or claims of negligence against the business are concerned.

Tax Advantages

Individuals in a partnership are normally liable for filing personal income taxes, self-employment taxes and estimated taxes for themselves, according to the Internal Revenue Service. The partnership itself is not responsible for paying taxes. The credits and deductions of the company are passed through to partners to file on their individual tax returns. Credits and deductions are divided by the percentage of individual interest each partner has in the company. This can be beneficial for partners who have a limited interest in the company or special tax requirements due to their interests in other businesses.

Flexibility

Limited liability partnerships offer participants flexibility in business ownership. Partners have the authority to decide how they will individually contribute to business operations. Managerial duties can be divided equally or separated based on the experience of each partner. In addition, partners who have a financial interest in the company can elect to not have any authority over business decisions but still maintain ownership rights based on their percentage interest in the company. Flexibility in business operations can become a disadvantage when partners make decisions based on personal interests and not the interest of the partnership as a whole.