The Entrepreneur Salary: How Much Should You Pay Yourself?

Anyone who hasn't been a business owner may romanticize the idea of "being an entrepreneur." It's easy to picture glamorous CEOs who have it all together and take home large salaries. But if you have been an entrepreneur, you know the life of a business owner is rarely that simple, especially when it comes to a small business owner's salary.

Whether you're just getting started or you've been in the business for years, you're probably constantly asking yourself—should you be taking a salary?

In a word: Yes. Well, probably. At least to some extent.

What is the average entrepreneur salary?

If you're considering how much to pay yourself as an entrepreneur, you may be wondering what others in your shoes make. Though many small business owners take no salary at all, that doesn't mean you should forgo an entrepreneur salary yourself. An American Express survey found that the average entrepreneur salary is just $68,000, down slightly from the previous year. According to Payscale, that number is closer to $72,000.

Either way, it's clear most small businesses owners do it because they love it—not because they want to get rich fast. Anyone who has been an entrepreneur knows it's hard work, often stretching into late nights and weekends. The good news is that as you grow, you can expect your entrepreneur salary to increase too.

Why should an entrepreneur take a salary?

You’ve probably worked harder at launching your business than you ever have at any other job in your life. It’s a 24/7/365 thing that never ends. And you're lucky if you get to think about anything else. You’ve poured blood, sweat, tears, and who knows what else into making this dream a reality. It might not be perfect yet, and you might not have it all together—but you need to at least plan to receive some compensation for it.

What's important to know is that there isn't just one type of entrepreneur salary. And there’s no precise equation for determining how entrepreneurs should pay themselves, as the right choice varies dramatically by your business type, age, financial health, and more.

But this all means that there are different approaches depending on your kind of business. With different types of entrepreneur salary options for business owners, there are pros, cons, and legal implications of how and when to take a paycheck. All of them can help you decide exactly how much you should be paying yourself.

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5 steps to paying yourself an entrepreneur salary

Step 1: Separate your business and personal finances ASAP

In those early days when managing your business happens in the post-day job twilight hours, too many entrepreneurs blur the lines between business and personal finances. Before you even start to discuss how to pay yourself, it’s essential that you first make a plan to track expenses and income for your business separately.

This starts with a distinct business checking account. Mixing business and personal finances not only causes accounting headaches—it can also ruin your chances at securing a small-business loan once your business is ready for it, and it can get you into hot water with the IRS. If you’re still using the same checking account to manage your business and personal finances, fix this now.

You can start with applying for a business checking account online, or see if your local bank offers free business checking account options.

You should also consider applying for a business credit card that you pay regularly from your business bank account. This can help you build credit down the line as your business grows.

Step 2: Pick the right kind of entrepreneur salary

Once your business and personal finances are separated and organized, you’ll need to start considering how to pay yourself.

But before you weigh the pros and cons of different compensation amounts and timing, your decision about how and when to take a paycheck will depend on the structure of your business. (If you're not sure what type of business you have, find your business entity type here.)

The IRS’s requirements for owner compensation are different for corporations, sole proprietorships, partnerships, and LLCs, so you’ll need to first determine what your legal rights and obligations are.

For the most part, there are two main ways to pay yourself an entrepreneur salary—with a regular salary or through owner’s draws.

1. Salary method

The salary method is essentially just like getting paid in the workforce at large. You’re paid on a regular schedule, either based on hours worked or at a flat rate.

In fact, if you're an officer of a C-corporation or the owner of an S-Corporation, you're legally required to receive a regular salary with withholdings for Social Security, Medicare, and federal and state income taxes.

2. Owner’s draw method

An owner’s draw is a withdrawal from your company’s profits—profits, not revenues—payable to you, the owner. Make sure that you’re accounting for all expenses (rent, utilities, employee salaries and benefits, supplies, equipment needs, and all the rest) when you calculate how much you can safely afford to take out of your business for your own pocket, and when.

This means you need to know your company’s profit and loss statements inside and out before making this decision.

Draws are not subject to withholding for Medicare, Social Security, or income tax at the time they’re paid out—but remember that you’ll still have to report that income and pay equivalent taxes on it at the end of the year. If you do take draws, keep pristine records and consistently set aside money for taxes so you’re not caught surprised on Tax Day. Your small business accounting software can also automate this process for you.

Sole proprietors, partners, and owners of LLCs aren’t subject to the same rules as corporations. What’s left over after deducting expenses on Form 1040 Schedule C (for sole proprietorships) or Form 1065 (for partnerships) is profit and viewed by the IRS as the owner’s personal income.

Essentially, these business owners are self-employed: as such, they can pay themselves however they want, draw or salary. S-corp owners can also take a draw on top of their salary.

Step 3: Understand the benefits of paying yourself an entrepreneur salary—even if you don’t have to

Although sole proprietors or partners aren’t required to receive an entrepreneur salary (with the associated withholdings), it’s a good idea to do so anyway.

For one thing, paying yourself a salary indicates commitment in the eyes of your employees and investors.

It proves that your own financial well-being depends on the financial success of your business’s success. Likewise, a salary shows the IRS that your business is a legitimate business, not just a hobby that happens to bring in some cash.

Building in an entrepreneur salary (even just a small one) for yourself from the very beginning will not only make your personal finances more manageable, but it will also help you to keep accurate financial records and see the big picture of your company’s wellbeing by establishing a clearer picture from the start of what the company costs to run.

1. Figure out “reasonable compensation”

When receiving a salary, all employers must receive “reasonable compensation” according to the IRS—which is, essentially, a figure comparable to the salary of an employee in your role at another business.

But what does “reasonable compensation” for your work as a business owner look like?

One way to calculate this number, especially early in your business’s growth, is by looking at what you need to cover your basic living expenses. You can also do a bit of homework and look at places, like Glassdoor, that give a market estimate for certain positions, or be resourceful and ask other owners within your industry. (Trust that they've been in your position before, too.)

If you’re concerned about covering fluctuating costs, consider setting your entrepreneur salary as a percentage of profits rather than a fixed yearly amount. This is best for businesses who have been running for a few years and are currently turning a fairly steady profit. Then, if your business does better than expected in a given year, you can give yourself a bonus!

2. Determine your pay day

Just as with the amount of your salary, the scheduling of your paychecks as an owner should be comparable to that of an employee in a similar role at a similar business.

Common salary schedules in the U.S. are generally once a week or twice a month. These schedules provide good frameworks for your own salary, as well. Some startups do pay monthly. If you're confused about when would be best for your business, talking to your accountant is a good idea.

If you’re paying yourself through the draw system, keep to a consistent schedule as much as possible. Inconsistent draws might look fishy to the IRS—and can even trigger a tax audit of your company. It also could be difficult for you to get a handle on your business’s cash flow as well as in your personal finances. A consistent schedule will help assure the IRS that everything’s on the books.

Step 4: Calculating your compensation

Ultimately, there’s no magic formula or small business owner salary calculator to figure out exactly how much to pay yourself. It’s an incredibly business-specific question that depends on a wide number of practical and personal factors.

To come to the right number, go through this checklist:

1. Comparable salary

If you were hired by someone else to do the job you’re doing now, what would your salary be?

Research hourly or yearly market value through your industry’s trade association, the SBA’s Income Statistics page, or a salary listing on sites including Glassdoor, Salary.com, or Payscale.

That said, figuring out your market value can be tricky if—like many small business owners—you wear a million different hats in a single day. So, if finding a matching job description isn’t working, take the opposite approach. List out the most common responsibilities you take on, then determine what it would cost you to outsource those tasks to someone else.

That combined number is sometimes called your “true wage.”

2. The tax factor

Depending on your business’s entity type and whether you’re taking a salary or draws, there are tax pros and cons to taking a payout versus reinvesting in your company. Make sure you've educated yourself on these pros and cons and plan ahead.

Consult with a capable accountant—ideally, your business’s own, but a certified public accountant is also fine—to find out specifically which tax regulations affect your company and how. An accountant can also help you find ways to make the most of deductions, shareholder distributions, and other tax breaks that will help you find the cash to pay yourself an entrepreneur salary.

That said, investing some funds back into the company (rather than taking them as compensation) is another way to help minimize tax burdens. And down the line, lenders will want to see that you've invested in your business—especially if you're applying for a highly desirable SBA loan.

3. Your employees’ compensation

Solopreneurs can ignore this section—but if you have one or a few employees, this factor is important to consider.

Of course, you’re working on and thinking about your business morning, noon, and night—but it's likely that a few other people are, too. If you’ve attracted top talent on the cheap with promises of equity or bonuses down the line, paying yourself a fat entrepreneur salary in the meantime is a lethal morale move.

At the same time, not paying yourself at all isn’t necessarily the right move here, either. In fact, experts have shown that paying yourself a salary is actually an indicator of your commitment in the eyes of your employees because it proves that you’re invested. That is, your own financial well-being depends on the financial success of the business.

4. Cash flow

Issues with cash flow are the first and most immediate factor that can kill the success of an otherwise thriving business—so this factor will have a big impact on the small business owner salary you take. You don’t need to be hugely profitable from the start necessarily, but if your business can’t pay basic expenses like rent on an office/retail space, employee payroll and inventory costs, you won’t be in business for long.

Before you decide on what to pay yourself as a business owner, it’s time to get extremely familiar with your company’s financial reports. Talk to your accountant to gain more insight into your company’s cash flow to determine what you can afford.

If your company isn’t yet turning enough of a profit to pay you, it might be time to consider raising prices to make that happen. You can also take an IOU from your business—but keep in mind that if your business is only making ends meet in the long term because you’re not taking a salary, your company could be in trouble.

5. Growth rate

If your company is growing quickly, you might need all the working capital you can get in order to afford new costs.

Typically, every opportunity that arises comes with its own associated cost, so not having that access to working capital can dramatically hinder your ability to continue growing. If you’re taking out more salary than you need, you may force yourself to take on added loans in order to afford that growth trajectory.

Of course, you'll need to be able to cover your basic expenses. That said, keep in mind planning for growth in order to avoid debts that may cost you more in the long run.

6. What you can afford

Although we’ve listed this factor last, in some ways, it's the most important consideration as you determine how and when to pay yourself. That is, how much or little can you or your family reasonably afford to live on?

Some entrepreneurs find themselves in a fortunate position in which taking no or little salary for a while isn’t really a big deal. Perhaps your spouse brings home a solid salary for your family, you benefit from an inheritance or family trust, or you’re living off earnings from a business you’ve launched and sold in the past.

If that’s the case and you’d rather double down on growing your business by not taking out extra working capital—by all means! You can absolutely take out the minimum amount required by law, depending on your business’s legal structure.

On the other hand, if you do need to rely on income from your business in the short term, it’s important that you make a plan immediately to do so, at least to a modest degree. After all, even if your primary motivation isn’t financial, running your business won’t be sustainable if you’re worried about covering your family’s basic living expenses.

Step 5: pay yourself!

Deciding exactly how much to pay yourself when you start a business is both an emotional and practical decision.

It's easy to get caught in the idealism of entrepreneurship and feel like you don't belong among the Silicon Valley CEOs who seem have it all. Or, maybe, it's just as bad to give yourself an unnecessary ego boost and not realistically assess your situation. One can be unfair to your personal expenses and needs, and the other can be deadly for growth and cash flow.

Although there’s no exact entrepreneur salary equation that'll help you determine when or how much, the best way to avoid any emotional hemming and hawing is to think of your compensation strictly in terms of business. What’s in the long-term best interest of your company? With this mind, you’ll ultimately take home what’s fair for your business—and yourself.