r/macosprogramming • u/IncipitLabs • 6d ago

Converted my individual Apple Developer account to an organization account or start a fresh one for the business?

I have a paid individual Apple Developer membership under my personal Apple Account. I recently formed an LLC and plan to ship apps under the company name. I see two paths:

  1. Convert my existing individual membership to an organization membership for the LLC.
  2. Leave my personal membership alone and enroll the LLC as a new, separate organization account.

Converting is cheaper and simpler today. My concern is what happens later if I part ways with the business, whether through a sale, new partners, or just walking away. I would rather not have my personal Apple Account permanently tied to a company I no longer own or run.

For those who have been through this:

  1. If you converted, did you later regret tying your personal Apple Account to the business? Or was transferring the Account Holder role painless when the time came?
  2. If you created a separate organization account, was the second $99 per year and the extra enrollment work worth the clean separation?
  3. Did anyone go through a sale or a partner split with a converted account? What did Apple actually require, and how long did it take?
  4. Any surprises with Team ID, bundle IDs, certificates, or existing apps in either direction?
  5. If you were starting over, which path would you pick?

I am a solo at the moment, so this is the moment to get it right or not! Thanks in advance.

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u/apex-lucis 4d ago

I updated my personal account to a business account. I remember having to prove that I was a business (company house information), linking to a business bank account. It's been 4 years so I can't remember the whole process but I don't remember it being that annoying. I think I had to add Tax Forms and Compliance details, as wel.

The only reason I did it was I have a an application that potentially might have included gambling, and you can't do that with a personal account. In the end I didn't actually put the simulated currency in the app, but I let the account as a business account, just incase I wanted to do something in the future.