Tips on Small Business Tax Accounting from Certified Accountants
Company tax accounting is one of the more important issues for small and growing businesses. The annual tax bill will in part reflect your skills and knowledge and in part reflect the help received from a strong business certified accountant.Business owners need to be sure they’re meeting all of their responsibilities to the IRS, but will also want to take advantage of every opportunity to reduce taxes. The following 5 tips should make it easier to avoid some common mistakes and missed opportunities.
1. Keep Good Records
This tip is straight forward, but with all the high priority tasks you must juggle as a business owner, records sometimes slip through the cracks. Let me remind you of why accurate & timely recording is important.
Good record keeping will allow you to keep track of the status of your business and to figure out what you must do to improve profit. Good records are also needed to prepare financial statements and income tax returns. And finally,maintaining receipts and records of all expenses diminishes the chances of forgetting deductions on tax returns .
2. Classify Employees or Independent Contractors Correctly
When you hire someone, you must classify the worker as either an employee or an independent contractor. Getting it right is important because errors can trigger an IRS audit and possible penalties and interest for failing to withhold and deposit payroll taxes.
According to the IRS website “In determining whether the person providing service is an employee or an independent contractor, all information that provides evidence of the degree of control and independence must be considered.” Common law rules in categories of Financial, Behavioral, and Type of Relationship will determine the type of employment. If there is an issue determining the type of employment there can be an SS-8 form filed and the IRS will declare the worker’s status.
3. Take Deductions Appropriately
Businesses can deduct all “ordinary and necessary” business expenses from their revenues to reduce taxable income. Some deductions are obvious, like business travel, supplies, wages and rent. Some other deduction are not as clear.
Business losses can be deducted against a business owner’s personal income to reduce taxes. If an owner’s losses exceed personal income for a year, the losses could possibly be used to reduce tax in future years.
Trips that combine business and pleasure can be tricky. If more than half the trip is devoted to business, the travel costs and other business-related expenses may be deducted.
Section 179 of the IRS tax code allows businesses to deduct the full purchase price of qualifying equipment purchased or financed during the tax year. For most small businesses adding equipment, software, and vehicles totaling less than $500,000 in 2010, the entire cost can be written-off on the year’s tax return, rather than depreciating the expense over time. In order to claim section 179 deductions, there are many limits and qualifications that must be met, but it would be an advantage to take this deduction when you can.
4. Make Sure Payroll is Correct
The payroll of a company is comprised of all financial records of salaries for an employee, wages, bonuses and deductions. In accounting, payroll is the total sum of money paid by a business to its employees over a set amount of time. Payroll deserves special attention not only because of the financial effect on the company, but also the potentially detrimental impact on morale of the employees caused by mistakes. Problems can occur in the following areas: improper set up, failing to record transactions, submitting deposits late or incorrectly, miscalculation of time or overtime, not updating your State Unemployment Insurance (SUI) Rate. Further discussion can be found here: Common Payroll Accounting Mistakes and How to Avoid Them http://www.efs-tax-accounting.com/accounting-services/payroll-accounting/
5. Properly Compensate S Corp. Shareholders
If you are a corporate officer-shareholder of an S corporation who performs services for the corporation, you must pay yourself a “reasonable salary” but the IRS has not defined reasonable compensation in the code or regulations. Various courts have ruled on the issue based on particular cases. S corporations should not attempt to avoid paying employment taxes by treating officers’ compensation as cash distribution or loans rather than as wages. If the IRS reclassifies these amounts as compensation to the employee it could result in additional taxes and significant penalties.
Go here for more great tax services!



