Single Member S-Corp vs Employee

Anyone have an employer allows you to be paid 1099 to your LLC / S-Corp rather than as an employee of the company? Has this allowed you to reduce taxes or have any other benefits such qualifying for RE Professional tax status?

I am evaluating a new opportunity to be the first employee at a small RE investment shop. I have the option to be an employee of the company or be a “consultant” and get paid to my LLC that I would elect to be taxed as an S-Corp.

I plan to speak with an accountant, but would be interested to hear if anyone is doing this.

8 Comments
 

Thanks, I’m not looking for tax advice here. I’m curious to hear if anyone else that works on the principal side is doing this and what their motivations are. I know it’s not the norm, but some people like being paid that way.

As a reference, my old boss was “Vice President of Development” but was not an employee of the company. He had a single member s-corp, he did his own taxes and was on his wife’s health insurance.

 
Most Helpful

I've done this. It's worth it for the following reasons:

  • High cash flow due to delayed tax payments.
  • Favorable write-offs (i.e. up to 30% of rent, meals and entertainment, travel, lodging, etc.)
  • Qualified business income reduces taxable income by ~20%.
  • Save on payroll taxes since you'll be paying yourself via W-2 on only a portion of the total income as reasonable salary. The rest can be distribution.
  • Section 179 gives you immediate depreciation on purchase of certain assets.

You likely won't be able to hit the full-time real estate professional status on the principal side, and you won't be able to stay as an LLC if  you want to co-invest/receive carry.

 

Thank you for the detailed response. Why do you think that co-investing or having an allocation of carry would impact ability to stay an LLC?

I have never had carry as a part of my compensation in any previous role. However, I have formed numerous real estate partnerships that took LP investments from other LLCs. I also structure my deals so that an LLC owned by me is an investor and the managing member of the deal.

 

A very long time ago (long enough that tax rules may have changed significantly), I was doing some consulting and had this choice. I spoke to our excellent accountant who estimated how much we'd save on taxes using S-corp + 1099, and it was well worth it, so we did it. The cost of having the S-corp about about $1,000 / year (various fees to the state, paying the accountant to work on more forms...). It's worth the effort for you to consult an accountant who knows these matters (i.e. does more than 1040s). It's quite possible that you will decide to set up an S-corp.

 

Quam omnis similique possimus itaque consectetur. Architecto suscipit sunt officia nulla. Pariatur est enim quaerat adipisci ipsum voluptate molestiae. Doloribus deleniti iure aut veritatis. Incidunt dolorem quo facilis accusamus provident sit delectus. Quia culpa quos rerum distinctio.

Consequatur voluptas error eos minus quia quas. Porro autem et beatae omnis necessitatibus placeat distinctio. Quia natus beatae est numquam esse. Repellat repudiandae ipsam quos deserunt voluptatem omnis. Eum fugit nemo sed et possimus quisquam. Atque sed et aut aspernatur.

Dolor velit natus soluta excepturi reprehenderit voluptatem. Dolor animi aut qui sit. Sed quos rem tempora. Sit sequi reprehenderit quo dolore.

Unde est nobis minima dicta quia. In sit tenetur facilis numquam et amet.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.7%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”