For unprepared businesses, tax season may be a frightening time. This year and the next, with these pointers, things will go as smoothly as possible. When tax filing season rolls around, a lot of small-business owners find themselves engrossed in a never-ending pile of paperwork and tax expert meetings. The anxiety of tax season may be partly diminished if you have a reliable tax accounting company on your side. Even so, if you’re taking advantage of every advantage to lower your tax liabilities, you could feel uneasy.
You can maximize your tax savings by concentrating on a select few tactics and hiring the correct experts to file your taxes. This article provides you with six effective tax tips for small business solutions with the assistance of various seasoned CPAs and entrepreneurs. These will ensure that the following tax season goes much more smoothly and help you salvage benefits this one.
Tax Tips for Small Businesses
Follow these tax tips for small businesses to grow your business.
Make Use of All Available Deductions
Tax deductions for small businesses are one of the best methods to lower your overall tax liability. Note that deductions are complex, and incorrect filing can result in an audit.
Every necessary expense you incur can result in significant tax savings if your business is run to make a profit. You need to know exactly what the IRS considers a business expense to determine if an expense is tax deductible. The costs that you should deduct are:
- be required, helpful, and pertinent in your sector;
- be made for business (not personal);
- be ordinary (widely acknowledged in your field).
A lot of small businesses overlook the home office deduction. Small business owners can still deduct home office expenses, even though employees can no longer do so. You may claim a deduction for business-related expenses if you have a specific area of your house designated for your business.
Make a Retirement Plan Contribution
Several certified public accountants advise stashing any extra money into a simplified employee pension individual retirement account (SEP IRA). The IRS states that “a business of any size, even self-employed, can establish a SEP.” Using your bank, insurance provider, or another financial institution, such as an online investment agency, is the most straightforward method to open a SEP IRA.
Another option for small firms with fewer than 100 employees to save for retirement is the SIMPLE IRA or savings incentive match plan for employees. Employees cannot contribute to a SEP IRA on their own, but they can contribute to a SIMPLE IRA and receive tax benefits together with their employer. Recall that:
- Your tax return should include information on the contributions you made to your retirement account.
- Since your contributions to employee SEP-IRAs constitute a portion of your business’s income, you should disclose your contributions to your employees’ accounts on your business’s tax return.
Apply the Deduction Under Section 179
Whether it’s office furniture, supplies, cars, machinery, software, or other tangible goods, equipment is a must for all businesses. Throughout the year, you are free to buy as many of these things as you choose and to do so more than once. This is an excellent moment to invest in your business because it permits a business to deduct the cost of eligible acquisitions. It was recently broadened to include upgrades to non-residential buildings, including roofing and security, fire, and heating systems. Getting advice from an accounting specialist at the start of the year can assist you in figuring out how to lower your tax liability through tax-deductible company expenses and prudent expenditures.
Look for Any Available Tax Credits
Tax deductions and tax credits are not the same thing. According to an expert we spoke with, they’re even preferable to tax deductions: Stated differently, tax credits immediately lower the amount of tax you owe on your business income, while tax deductions lower the total amount of income from your business on which you will pay taxes. Typical tax credits to be aware of are:
Credit for Disabled Access
Allowed to small companies that provide wheelchair accessibility.
Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC)
Provided to employers who recruit members of specific designated categories who have a history of facing substantial job hurdles.
Credit for Family and Medical Leave
Allowed by firms who offer their staff paid time off for family and medical needs.
Energy-efficient Business Credits
For companies that support energy efficiency or use renewable energy.
Research and Development (R&D) Tax Credit
For costs incurred internally and through contracts for information-gathering-related research.
Conclusion
Accounting software, in conjunction with a quality tax services provider, allows you to maximize your deductions and credits, organize all of your records in one convenient location, and give all the tax forms you want. Small business owners must be prepared for tax season to ensure they are not paying the government more than they should or, worse still, inadvertently committing tax fraud. Lawas for tax tips for small businesses is intricate and constantly evolving.
