You sell the work. Make sure you own it
An agency runs on a rotating team of employees and freelancers and a book of client contracts. That makes the entity, the contractor agreements, IP assignment, and how you classify your team the things that keep the business clean. We set it up so the work you deliver is genuinely yours to sell, and stays that way as you scale.
You delivered the work. But do you own it?
Agencies sell work made by a rotating team of freelancers, and that is exactly where the risk lives. If a contractor never signed an IP-assignment agreement, they may still own what they made, which becomes a real problem the moment you assign it to a client. Meanwhile a freelancer you treat as a contractor can be reclassified as an employee, and back payroll taxes follow.
We form the entity, put client work under master service agreements, make sure every contributor assigns their IP to the agency, and get your team classified correctly, so the work you deliver is genuinely yours to sell.
- Freelancers with no IP assignment
- Work you cannot fully sign over to clients
- Contractors who may be employees
- 1099s scrambled together in January
- No entity between you and a dispute
- Every contributor assigns IP to the agency
- Work you can fully deliver and defend
- Team classified as employee or contractor
- W-9s up front, 1099s filed on time
- An entity that separates the risk
Set your team mix, see what it takes
Adjust your employees and freelancers and watch the agreements, filings, and payroll obligations change. This is what we set up and keep current for you.
You have employees, so payroll, workers comp, and correct classification all apply. We set them up and keep your freelancer agreements and 1099s in order. See agreements.
Everything an agency needs, in one place
Entity, contracts, IP, team, and tax, handled and kept current together.
LLC formation
A shield around the agency
EIN
Federal tax ID for the business
IP assignment
Contributors sign work over
Client agreements
Master service and statements of work
Contractor agreements
Classified, with W-9s on file
Sales tax
Where your services are taxable
S-corp election
When your profit makes it pay
Compliance calendar
1099s and renewals, tracked
From first client to a clean, ownable book of work
Five steps, in the right order. Select one to see the detail.
Form the entity that shields you
An LLC separates your personal assets from the agency, which matters the moment a client disputes a project or an invoice. We form it in your state, with fees passed through at cost, so a claim tied to the work stays with the business.
A shield between you and a client dispute.Get your EIN and business banking
The EIN is your federal tax ID, and a business account keeps client payments, contractor payouts, and payroll separate from your personal money. Both come before your first retainer lands.
A dedicated account for retainers and payouts.Put client work under contract, with IP assigned
Client engagements belong under a master service agreement plus a statement of work, and every person who touches that work, staff or freelance, must assign their IP to the agency. This is what lets you fully deliver work to a client and defend it. We put the structure in place.
Every contributor signs the work over to the agency.Classify your team and set up tax
Whether each person is an employee or a contractor has real tax consequences if it is wrong, and some states apply a strict test. We set classification correctly, collect W-9s, prepare for 1099-NEC filings, and register sales tax in the states that tax your services.
Team classified, W-9s in, sales tax registered. Sales tax.Scale the team and keep it clean
As you add freelancers, hire across state lines, and grow profit, new obligations appear: payroll in new states, more 1099s, and eventually an S-corp election. We track the filings and flag the elections so growth never leaves a mess behind it.
1099s, multi-state payroll, and elections in the calendar.Built for a team and a book of client work, not a generic business
Most setups skip the IP assignment, the classification, and the 1099s. Here is the difference.
| Capability | File.Business | DIY forms | Local bookkeeper | Generic filer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entity and IP assignment | Templates | Not available | Formation only | |
| Team classified correctly | Not available | Sometimes | Not available | |
| 1099-NEC filings handled | Not available | Add-on | Not available | |
| Sales tax where services are taxable | Not available | Varies | Per filing | |
| Multi-state hiring flagged | Not available | Varies | Not available | |
| Transparent, published pricing | Hourly | Per filing |
The honest version. A good attorney is worth it for your master agreement and any real dispute, and an accountant for your books and S-corp payroll, and nothing here is legal advice. What File.Business does is form the entity, put IP assignment and contractor agreements in place, classify the team, handle 1099s, and register sales tax, so your specialists focus on the high-value work. Compare on the comparison hub.
An operator who knows the agency playbook
Ask in plain English. BosAI knows IP assignment, contractor classification, and 1099s.
A client wants full ownership of a campaign. Can I actually give it to them?
One freelancer works with me full time now. Is that a problem?
Do I charge sales tax on our retainers?
The ownership chain held up
We grew fast on freelancers and never thought about who owned the work, until a client asked for a full IP transfer and their lawyer started asking questions. File.Business set up the entity, put IP assignment in every contractor agreement, and sorted out which of my people were really employees. The transfer went through clean. Now every project is ours to deliver.
Representative composite based on agency outcomes. Nothing here is legal or tax advice; consult your professionals for your situation.
The entity, the agreements, and the tax
Practical resources for setting up and running an agency. All free to read.
Straight answers on IP, team, and tax
Should my agency be an LLC or an S-corp?
Are my freelancers contractors or employees?
Who owns the work my contractors create for clients?
Do I need to file 1099s for my freelancers?
Do agencies charge sales tax on their services?
What contracts does an agency need with clients?
What happens when I hire in another state?
Should each client or brand be its own entity?
Does this replace my accountant or attorney?
Build the agency on a clean foundation
Form the entity, put IP assignment and client agreements in place, classify your team, and let us handle 1099s and sales tax. Start now, or talk with our team about your agency.