How to transfer money from S Corp to personal account?

Asked by: Dulce Beahan III  |  Last update: November 8, 2025
Score: 4.6/5 (74 votes)

Simply transfer funds from your business checking account to your personal checking account. You can use any method you would like for transferring the funds (except for Gusto, which should only be used for monthly payroll). When you go to initiate the transfer, your bank may include a memo option.

Can I take money out of my S Corp for personal use?

As long as you have the profit and basis in the s corporation you can take it as a distribution. It does not effect your tax. You are taxed on your net income whether you distribute it or not.

Can I transfer money from my business account to my personal account?

The short answer to the question is yes, individuals can withdraw funds from their business account for personal use; however, a detailed explanation is necessary to understand the intricate process of safely withdrawing money without significant financial consequences.

What is the best way to pay yourself as an S Corp owner?

Paying yourself through an owner's draw is the standard method for sole member LLCs without an S-Corp election. If you have elected S-Corp status, you must pay yourself a reasonable salary through payroll.

Can I leave money in my S Corp at the end of the year?

At the end of each year, all S corporation profits are allocated to the corporation's shareholders. Even if you and your fellow shareholders choose to leave some or all of the profits in the corporation, taking nothing as distributions or salaries, you will still be required to pay tax on those profits.

How to pay myself from my S Corporation?

31 related questions found

What is the 5 year rule for S Corp?

S Corps that lose their “S” status must typically wait five years before being able to re-elect it. As mentioned, deliberately violating one of the rules, such as transferring stock to an ineligible shareholder, is not a good thing.

Do I pay taxes on distributions from my S Corp?

If a shareholder receives a non-dividend distribution from an S corporation, the distribution is tax-free to the extent it does not exceed the shareholder's stock basis. Debt basis is not considered when determining the taxability of a distribution.

What is the 60 40 rule for S Corp?

The 60/40 rule is a simple approach that helps S corporation owners determine a reasonable salary for themselves. Using this formula, they divide their business income into two parts, with 60% designated as salary and 40% paid as shareholder distributions.

What is it called when an owner takes money out of an S Corp?

Distributions are the best way to get money from your S Corp. Because you'll report it as “passive income” on your income tax return, it won't be subject to employment taxes.

Can my S Corp pay my mortgage?

The direct answer to whether an S Corp can pay a shareholder's mortgage is no. Personal expenses, including mortgage payments, cannot be directly paid by the corporation without significant tax implications and potential violations of IRS regulations.

What is it called when you transfer money from business account to personal account?

Owner's draw

Essentially, it's a withdrawal of funds from your business account for personal use.

What happens if I switch from business to personal account?

Note: When you switch back to a personal account, you'll lose access to Meta business tools like Meta Business Suite and Meta Ads Manager. You'll also lose access to in-app insights, including ads. However, your insights data will be preserved for 90 days.

Can you send money from a business account to a normal account?

If you need money for personal expenses, you just transfer it from the business account to your personal account – it's all yours to do what you want with. Obviously, you need to leave enough in the kitty to pay suppliers when their bills become due.

How can S Corp avoid paying taxes?

As a pass-through entity, one of the biggest tax advantages of the S corp business structure is that it avoids double-taxation, which means S corps don't have to pay taxes at the federal level the way C corps do. Instead, S corp profits are only taxed once, on the personal tax returns of individual shareholders.

Can I take money out of my business account for personal use?

To put it simply, when you mix your business and personal finances, you're essentially treating your business as a personal piggy bank. 🐷 And while it's not technically against the law to make a personal purchase from your business account, it can lead to major issues with taxes, bookkeeping, and compliance.

What is the most tax-efficient way to pay yourself?

For tax efficiency, most company directors will choose to pay themselves a low salary and take any further money from the company in the form of dividends. This is because dividends are taxed at a lower rate than salary, and avoid national insurance contributions.

Can I transfer money from my S Corp to my personal account?

A shareholder distribution is a way to take funds out of your business without incurring payroll taxes. For a solely owned S Corporation, this is achieved by transferring funds from your business checking account to your personal bank account.

How to pull money out of S Corp?

If you're not active in your company's operations and don't provide services to the S corp, you can draw money from the business by using shareholder distributions rather than a salary. A distribution is a payment of earnings to shareholders, usually in the form of cash or stock, and is taxed at the shareholder level.

What is it called when you withdraw money from a business account for personal use?

An owner's draw refers to an owner taking funds out of the business for personal use. Many small business owners compensate themselves using a draw rather than paying themselves a salary. Patty could withdraw profits from her business or take out funds that she previously contributed to her company.

What is the 2% rule for S Corp?

Some unique income tax rules apply to S corporations regarding compensation and fringe benefits paid to shareholders who own greater than 2% of the corporation. Under these S corp income tax rules, a greater than 2% shareholder is taxed as a partner in a partnership for fringe benefits received.

How often do S Corps get audited?

Historically, S Corp owners were audited at the low rate of 0.05 percent. However, starting in 2021, the IRS began to prioritize auditing S Corporations and partnerships, meaning your likelihood of being selected for audit has increased in recent years.

How do I pay myself from my S Corp?

Let's take a closer look.
  1. Salary. S corp owners have the option of paying themselves a regular salary if they are involved in their business's daily operations. ...
  2. Distributions. A distribution is a payment of business earnings, usually either cash or stock, to a company's shareholders. ...
  3. Salary and distributions.

What is a reasonable salary for an S corp?

You may or may not have heard of the S Corp Salary 60/40 rule. The guideline encourages setting reasonable compensation between 60% and 40% of the business's net profits. The IRS does not set this guideline. It should not be relied on as the only factor for deciding S corporation reasonable compensation.

How often can I take a distribution from my S corp?

Because business income is irregular, you don't have to pay yourself distributions on a particular schedule. You can make withdrawals to pay yourself from your business bank account to your personal bank account at any time, as long as you have enough funds left over for your salary and business operations.

Is income from an S corp considered earned income?

Distributions you receive as a shareholder of an S corporation do not constitute earned income for retirement plan purposes (see IRC Sections 401(c)(1) and 1402(a)(2)).