A Partnership is defined by the Indian Partnership Act, 1932, as ‘the relation between persons who have agreed to share profits of the business carried on by all or any of them acting for all’. This definition gives three minimum requirements to constitute a partnership firm, viz.
• Agreement of between persons desiring to form partnership whether oral or written,
• The object of the agreement is to share the profits of the business, and
• The intended business must be carried on by all the partners or by any of them acting for all of them.
A partnership firm is best for small businesses that plan to remain small. Low costs, ease of setting up and minimal compliance requirements make it a sensible option for such businesses. Registration is optional for General Partnerships. However, for larger businesses, it has lost its relevance with the introduction of the Limited Liability Partnership (LLP). This is because an LLP retains the low costs of a partnership while providing the benefit of limited liability, which means that partners are not personally liable for the debts of the business.
The partners in a partnership firm are the owners, and thus, are not separate entities from the firm. Any legal issues or debt incurred by the firm is the responsibility of its owners, the partners. A partnership must have at least two partners. A partnership firm in the banking business can have up to 10 partners, while those engaged in any other business can have a maximum of 20 partners. The consent of all the partners plays an important role in matters like an admission of new members, dissolution of the firm, conversion of the firm, etc.
A partnership is easy to form as no cumbersome legal formalities are involved. A partnership is formed by an agreement, which may be either written or oral. When the written agreement is duly stamped and registered, it is known as "Partnership Deed" which may be registered or not registered. Ordinarily, the rights, duties, and liabilities of partners are laid down in the deed. But in the case where the deed does not specify the rights and obligations, the provisions of The Indian Partnership Act, 1932 will apply.
The partnership deed contains goals, vision, strategies, details of partners, profit-loss sharing ratio, duties of partners, etc. It is important to note that other than individuals, companies can become a partner in a firm due to their separate legal entity.
| NO MINIMUM CAPITAL | There is no prescribed any minimum capital requirement for obtaining registration allowing small businesses to reap the benefits of a registered partnership. |
| CREDIBILITY | A registered partnership is considered as more credible for borrowing purposes than an unregistered partnership. |
| CONVERSION | One of the registering partnership that it easy to change the legal structure. |
| RIGHT TO SUE | Only a registered partnership has the right to sue the third party whereas the third party can sue irrespective of registration & therefore can claim set off. Also, a partner of an unregistered partnership cannot sue the firm for enforcing any rights given under the partnership act. |
| BETTER DECISION-MAKING | Partners share the decision making and can help each other out when they need to. More partners mean more brains that can be picked for business ideas and for the solving of problems that the business encounters. |
| GREATER FLEXIBILITY | Due to the limited number of partners, there is flexibility in the operations of the business as the partners can amend any objectives or change any operations any time by mutual consent. |
| SHARED RESPONSIBILITY | Partners can share the responsibility of the running of the business. This will allow them to make the most of their abilities. Rather than splitting the management and taking an equal share of each business task, they might well split the work according to their skills and the risk is also shared among partners. |
| EASE OF FORMATION | A Partnership is easy to form as no cumbersome legal formalities are involved Registration is not compulsory in the case of the Partnership firm. It can be formed without any legal formality and expenses. Thus, it is simple and economical to form and operate. |
| MINIMAL COMPLIANCES | General Partnerships do not need to appoint an auditor or, if unregistered, even file annual accounts with the registrar. Annual compliances are also fewer as compared to an LLP. General Partnerships do need to file Income Taxes and, depending on turnover, service and sales tax. |
| RELATIVELY INEXPENSIVE | A General Partnership is cheaper to start than an LLP and even over the long-term, thanks to the minimal compliance requirements, it is inexpensive. |
1. ID and Address Proof of Partners like Pan Card/Passport/Voter ID/Aadhar Card/Driving License Copy of the Partners.
2. If Property on Rented : Rent Agreement and NOC from Landlord.
3. if Property is own :Need Electricity Bills or any other Address Proof.
4. Affidavit declaring intention to become partner
| Private Limited Company | Limited Liability Partnership | One Person Company | Partnership Firm | |
| Preferred for | Start-ups | Professional Services Firms | Sole Proprietors | Small-medium sized businesses |
| Limited Liability Protection | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Minimum Requirement | 2 Shareholders | 2 Designated Partners | 1 Director 1 Nominee |
2 Partners |
| Fund Raising Options | High | Low | Low | Low |
| Tax Advantage | Few | Most | Few | Minimal |
| Statutory Compliance's | High | Low | High | Minimal |
| Compliance Cost | High | Medium | Medium | Low |
| Get Started >> | Get Started >> | Get Started >> | Get Started >> |
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