A dividend is essentially any profit taken out of a registered business after all liabilities (including taxes) have been taken care of.
Dividends can be withdrawn any number russian phone number search of times and in any amount necessary - provided all shareholders have approved.
Many business owners would rather pay themselves a small salary and then make up for it by taking regular dividends from the company.
advantage:
Dividends are generally taxed at a lower rate than wages, so you can save money on taxes.
If you pay the dividends yourself, you may not have to pay a compulsory government pension.
It's usually easier to pay yourself dividends - you can write a check to yourself and record it with a directors' resolution (a document that describes the actions authorized by a company's board of directors).
shortcoming:
Dividends do not count as “personal income.” This may prevent you from investing in an account like a 401k or Canadian RRSP.
Owner lottery
If your business is registered as a sole proprietorship or a sole member LLC, you can "withdraw" your profits. This is called an "owner withdrawal."
Since the sole proprietorship is considered to be owned entirely by you, you can withdraw as much money as you want. Withdrawing money from your business reduces your "capital account" (the amount you have invested in the business).
advantage:
It's very simple to pay yourself. Just write a check and deposit it into your personal account.
No Social Security, Medicaid, federal or state taxes are collected when the draw is made. This does vary by country.