Do I Need an LLC for My Pet Photography Business?

Starting a limited liability company (LLC) for your pet photography business can provide several benefits.

Most importantly, an LLC structure offers limited liability to its owners, which can protect their personal assets from lawsuits and creditors.

For a pet photography business, lawsuits can arise from things like distributing (and profiting from) a customer’s pet’s image without receiving legal consent or from property damage claims due to malfunctioning camera equipment.

LLCs are also affordable, highly flexible (from a tax point-of-view), and can make your pet photography business seem more credible.

Recommended: Use Northwest to form an LLC for $29 (plus state fees).

Two photogenic cats rubbing heads together

Should I Start an LLC for a Pet Photography Business?

LLCs are a simple and inexpensive way to protect your personal assets and save money on taxes.

You should start an LLC when there's any risk involved in your business and/or when your business could benefit from tax options and increased credibility.

LLC Benefits for a Pet Photography Business

By starting an LLC for your pet photography business, you can:

Protect your savings, car, and house with limited liability protection
Have more tax benefits and options
Increase your business’s credibility

Limited Liability Protection

LLCs provide limited liability protection. This means your personal assets (e.g., car, house, bank account) are protected in the event your business is sued or if it defaults on a debt.

Pet photography businesses will benefit from liability protection because of the risk of being sued for things like personal injuries, property damage, and libel.

Example 1: You are hired to take pet portraits of a client's dog, but while posing the dog during the shoot, your camera slips out of your hand and falls onto the dog, causing it serious injury. In this scenario, you can rely on limited liability protection to shield your personal assets from being pursued by the client in a lawsuit.

Example 2: A client of your pet photography business files a lawsuit after losing their beloved cat during one of your photography sessions. Limited liability ensures that your personal assets are protected from legal action against your business.

Example 3: A disgruntled employee of your pet photography business leaks sensitive data about your clients to unauthorized third parties. In the event that any of your clients sue, limited liability can help protect your personal assets from financial damages resulting from this breach in security.

An LLC will also protect your personal assets in the event of commercial bankruptcy or loan default.

To maintain your LLC's limited liability protection, you must maintain your LLC's corporate veil.

LLC Tax Benefits and Options for a Pet Photography Business

LLCs, by default, are taxed as a pass-through entity, just like a sole proprietorship or partnership. This means that the business's net income passes through to the owner's individual tax return.

The business’s net income is then subject to income taxes (based on the owner's tax bracket) and self-employment taxes.

Sole proprietorships and partnerships are taxed in a similar way to LLCs, but they do not offer limited liability protection or other tax options.

S Corp Option for LLCs

An S corporation (S corp) is an IRS tax status that an LLC can elect. S corp status allows business owners to be treated as employees of the business (for tax purposes).

S corp tax status can reduce self-employment taxes and will allow business owners to contribute pre-tax dollars to 401k or health insurance premiums.

The S corp status requires that the business pay the employee-owner(s) a reasonable salary for the work they perform.

In addition, the business might need to spend more on accounting, bookkeeping, and payroll services. To offset these costs, you'd need to be saving about $2,000 a year on taxes.

We estimate that if a pet photography business owner can pay themselves a reasonable salary and at least $10,000 in distributions each year, they could benefit from S corp status.

You can start an S corp when you form your LLC. Our How to Start an S Corp guide will lead you through the process.

Credibility and Consumer Trust

Pet photography businesses rely on consumer trust. Credibility plays a key role in creating and maintaining any business.

Businesses gain consumer trust simply by forming an LLC.

A growing business can also benefit from the credibility of an LLC when applying for small business loans, grants, and credit.

Northwest will start an LLC for you for just $29 (plus state fees).

Get Started

How to Form an LLC

Forming an LLC is easy. There are two options for forming your LLC:

You can hire a professional LLC formation service to set up your LLC for a small fee
Or, you can choose your state from the list below to start an LLC yourself

Select Your State

For most new business owners, the best state to form an LLC in is the state where you live and where you plan to conduct your business.

Should I Start an LLC FAQ

Choosing the right business structure depends on your business’s unique circumstances and needs. However, unless your business is very low risk (like a hobby), an LLC is likely the better option.

Visit our LLC vs. Sole Proprietorship guide to learn more.

At a minimum, you’ll need general liability insurance and commercial auto insurance.

Read our Small Business Insurance article for more info.

You can start a pet photography business by becoming part of a franchise. This requires an initial capital of roughly $71,000, of which about $10,000 would go towards the initial franchise fee while the rest would be used for startup costs. These startup costs include canine behavior training, insurance, photography equipment, a mobile studio, etc.

Visit our How to Start a Pet Photography Business guide to learn more about the costs of starting and maintaining this business.

Ongoing expenses may include equipment repairs and replacement, vehicle repair and fuel costs, props, animal treats and equipment, insurance, marketing, and website maintenance.

Learn more about running a pet photography business.

Pet photographers charge for each shoot, and in addition, charge clients for individual photos and photo packages.

Learn more about starting a pet photography business.

A pet photography business provides photography services to pet owners either in their homes or in a studio.

Profits depend on how many customers you have, how much you charge per photo session, and how many photo packages you sell.

Learn more about starting a pet photography business.