Aureus Advisory Partners
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Your NIL Income Needs a Business Behind It. We Build It Right the First Time.
Collective payments, brand deals, and appearance income should never run through your athlete's personal Social Security number.
Aureus forms the entity, registers the EIN, and structures NIL income correctly before the deals stack up.
NIL TAX & FINANCIAL ADVISORY
Your athlete's engagement is delivered by a team of advisors, accountants, and credentialed tax professionals, anchored by Enrolled Agent representation.
The Enrolled Agent credential is the highest the IRS awards, federally licensed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, with unlimited authority to represent taxpayers in all 50 states.
Why the entity comes first
The first NIL payment usually arrives before anyone has thought about structure. A collective wires money against the athlete's Social Security number. A brand sends a W-9 and the family fills it out the only way they know how. By the time the first 1099 shows up the following January, the income has already been earned personally, no money has been set aside, and the planning window for that year has closed.
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NIL business setup exists to get ahead of that sequence. The entity creates legal separation between the athlete and the business. The EIN gives collectives and brands something to pay besides a Social Security number. The income structure determines what is deductible, what gets set aside for taxes, and what the family can see clearly at any point in the year.
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It is also the foundation everything else stands on. The S-Corporation election that reduces self-employment tax at higher income levels, the payroll that comes with it, and the retirement plan that turns tax dollars into invested dollars all require this structure to exist first. Athletes who set the foundation early have options later. Athletes who wait are cleaning up.
What NIL business setup includes
NIL Business Setup - flat $750.
One fee, defined deliverables, entity live within two to four weeks.
ENTITY FORMATION
NIL LLC Formation
Formation of the athlete's LLC in the appropriate state, including state filing, operating agreement language, registered agent setup, and delivery of complete formation documentation.
FEDERAL REGISTRATION
EIN Registration
EIN application filed with the IRS and confirmation documentation delivered. From this point forward, deals get paid to the business, not to your athlete's Social Security number.
OPERATING FRAMEWORK
Foundational Guides
Tax Foundation Guide, Banking Guidance, Expense Tracking Framework, full W-9 Completion Guide, and the Future Strategy Roadmap delivered fully at handoff.
OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE
Management and Ownership Setup
Single-member or multi-member structure, manager-managed setup applied where appropriate, and parent management guidance for younger athletes.
TAX POSITION
Initial Tax Planning Discussion
A working session covering the athlete's tax position, savings allocation, and estimated tax considerations, so the family knows what April looks like before April arrives.
INCOME STRUCTURE
NIL Income
Structuring
Collective payments, brand deals, social media income, and appearance fees routed through the business, with W-9 completion guidance so every new deal is papered correctly.
Does an LLC save taxes on NIL income?
Here is the part most firms selling NIL entities will not say plainly. A single-member LLC, by itself, does not change your athlete's taxes. It is a disregarded entity. The income lands on the same tax return, at the same rates, with the same self-employment tax, whether the LLC exists or not. Anyone promising that an LLC alone will save taxes is selling paperwork.
What the LLC actually does is different, and it matters more:
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Creates legal separation between the athlete personally and the NIL business
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Gives collectives and brands a business to pay instead of a Social Security number
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Establishes the clean books and expense structure that make deductions defensible
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Serves as the required foundation for the S-Corporation election that does reduce self-employment tax once income supports it
We tell families this up front because the athletes we work with will hear the LLC pitch from a dozen directions. Knowing what the structure actually does is the difference between building a foundation and buying a filing.
How NIL business setup works
1
NIL Strategy Call
A no-cost conversation about the athlete's situation, income profile, deal flow, and goals. We confirm what structure fits before anything gets filed.
2
Formation and EIN
Once the engagement letter is signed, formation begins within one week. The entity is typically live, with EIN in hand, within two to four weeks.
3
Income structuring
Business banking guidance, W-9s redirected to the new EIN, and the money flow framework installed so income, tax savings, and spending stay separated from the first deposit.
4
Foundation handoff
Complete documentation delivered along with the Future Strategy Roadmap, which maps what comes next as the athlete's income and complexity grow.
Frequently asked questions
Which state should the NIL LLC be formed in?
Generally the athlete's state of residency, not automatically the school's state and rarely a state marketed as business-friendly. NIL income earned across multiple states can create registration and filing considerations, and we evaluate the right formation state during the Strategy Call.
Can a parent manage the athlete's LLC?
Yes. A manager-managed structure allows a parent to handle the business operations while the athlete owns the entity. This is common for high school athletes and college freshmen, and we set up the structure and provide the operational guidance that goes with it.
Will forming an LLC affect eligibility or scholarship status?
NIL rules vary by state and by institution. Operating through a business entity is standard practice among NIL earners, but every athlete should confirm their school's disclosure requirements with the compliance office. Aureus structures the business and tax side; the school governs eligibility.
What does NIL business setup cost?
A flat $750. One fee covering entity formation, EIN registration, income structuring, the tax planning session, and the complete guide library. No hourly billing and no surprises. Ongoing retainer engagements are scoped separately during your Strategy Call.
What changes about how my athlete gets paid?
New deals are papered under the LLC's EIN instead of the athlete's Social Security number, payments flow into a business bank account, and business activity stays separated from personal spending. That separation is what makes clean books, defensible deductions, and accurate tax planning possible.
What happens after setup is complete?
The athlete transitions into ongoing support matched to their income level. Most families move into quarterly estimated taxes and IRS compliance or step directly into monthly accounting and tax strategy when income is already established. The Future Strategy Roadmap delivered at handoff walks through both paths.
This page is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute tax, legal, or investment advice.​
Each athlete's situation must be reviewed individually. NIL regulations vary by state and institution and continue to evolve.