How To Do Taxes For Small Businesses - deandrajalisa.com (2024)

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Wow, I can’t believe it’s a new year and tax season is upon us! So what does that mean? It’s time to get prepared and organized. There are several benefits to being a small business owner during tax season. One of the biggest perks is the tax write-offs and deductions. Making sure you’re keeping your documents organized and not taking too many shortcuts will go a long way. In this post, I will be going over how to prepare taxes for small businesses! Let’s dive in!

Disclaimer: This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal, or accounting advice. You should consult your own tax, legal, and accounting advisors before engaging in any transaction.

Getting organized

So let’s get started with organizing your tax documents so that you’re prepared and squared to do your taxes. Make sure that you have a delegated area for all of your tax documents this can be a file or a folder on your computer. Here are a few documents you should have on hand:

  1. Bank Statements and Income Information
  2. W2 Forms and 1099 forms
  3. Receipts
  4. Tax Deduction Records
  5. Expenses
  6. Car Mileage Info

Next, you can place all of your tax documents into categories to figure your expenses and write-offs for the year. If you use software like Freshbooks, Honeybook, Quickbooks, or an excel spreadsheet, you are way ahead of the game.

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You can skip this step if this is your first time doing taxes. But I highly recommend pulling up your tax return from the previous year to compare notes. Look at your expenses and write-offs for last year so you can have a better idea for the current year.Also, you can see how far your business has come #goals!

Click here to try Freshbooks to keep track of your bookkeeping today!

How To Do Taxes For Small Businesses - deandrajalisa.com (1)

Quick Tip: If this is your first year in business, software systems can be pricey. Try using a Google Excel Spreadsheet to do your bookkeeping. It’s a little more work, but it’s worth it. I also recommend updating your spreadsheet bi-weekly or monthly to stay on track.

Tax deductions and write-offs

As a business owner, you can write off tax deductions for your business, which will help lower the amount that you have to pay for your income taxes. Try to write off what you can, but a side note to keep in mind.Make sure you don’t write off too much, as it will look like your business didn’t make any money, which can hurt you if you plan to invest in any property in the future.

Here is a list of some items you can write off:

1. Travel expenses

2. Business meals

3. Business insurance

4. Business related car use

5. Home office expenses

6. Phone and Internet expenses

7. Office supplies business

8. Interest and bank fees

9. Personal service fees

10. Salaries and benefits

11. Depreciation charitable contributions

12. Child and dependent care

13. Education investments

14. Medical expenses

15. Real estate tax mortgage

16. Interest retirement

17. Contributions business

18. Bad debts

19. Advertising and promotion

20. Client and employee

21. Entertainment

22. Start-up expenses

You can write off a few other deductions, so make sure you speak to your accountant. If you decide to prepare your taxes on your own with a platform likeTurboTax, make sure you have everything you need to do your taxes correctly.

Common Mistakes When Filing

When preparing your taxes, make sure you avoid some common mistakes to have a straightforward tax season.

  1. Math Errors
  2. Missing Tax Deductions
  3. Important Paperwork
  4. Entering the Wrong Routing and Account Number
  5. Unsigned Documents
  6. Misspelled Names

Avoiding these common mistakes will make your tax filing go smoothly. Taxes are already a headache, so you don’t want to add additional stress. Make sure you and your accountant triple-check all of your documents.Also, try to pay your taxes as soon as possible to avoid any penalties.

In conclusion, it can be exhausting to prepare for tax season; I hope you found some information to help you get ready! Again, if you have any other questions, consult with a tax professional. I hope you have an easy-going tax season this year!

If you enjoyed this post check out, 6 Must-Have Apps For Small Businesses.

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How To Do Taxes For Small Businesses - deandrajalisa.com (2024)

FAQs

How do I claim my small business on my taxes? ›

Filing taxes as a sole proprietor

All you have to do is fill out a Schedule C when you file your annual personal tax return. The IRS Schedule C is a form that you attach to your main individual tax return on Form 1040. Essentially, it just gives you a way to tell the IRS about the profit or loss from your business.

How much tax write off for small business? ›

Under the tax law, most small businesses (sole proprietorships, LLCs, S corporations and partnerships) can deduct 20% of their income on their taxes. Woo-hoo! Here's what this means: Say your small business generates $100,000 in profit. You can deduct $20,000 before ordinary income tax rates are applied.

How much should a small business put away for taxes? ›

As a small business owner, you should allocate 30 to 40% of your net income per year to cover your quarterly federal and state tax installments. Setting aside funds for tax time in a separate business bank account with automatic transfers (either monthly or quarterly) makes paying taxes easier.

How to do small business inventory for taxes? ›

How Is Inventory Taxed?
  1. Determine the Cost of Goods Sold (COGS): Calculate the total value of products sold during the year.
  2. Calculate Ending Inventory: Ending Inventory = Beginning Inventory + Net Purchases – COGS.
  3. Calculate Inventory Tax: Multiply the Ending Inventory by the county's tax rate.

How much does a small business have to make to file taxes? ›

Small Corporate Businesses

There is no minimum income you have to meet before your small corporation is taxed. Every dollar it earns (after deductions and credits are factored in) will be taxed at 21%. Corporate tax rates also apply to limited liability companies (LLCs) who have elected to be taxed as corporations.

What deduction can I claim without receipts? ›

What does the IRS allow you to deduct (or “write off”) without receipts?
  • Self-employment taxes. ...
  • Home office expenses. ...
  • Self-employed health insurance premiums. ...
  • Self-employed retirement plan contributions. ...
  • Vehicle expenses. ...
  • Cell phone expenses.
May 31, 2024

What is the 20% tax deduction for small businesses? ›

What Is the 20% Qualified Business Income (QBI) Deduction? Pass-through owners who qualify can deduct up to 20% of their net business income from their income taxes, reducing their effective income tax rate by 20%. This deduction is commonly known as the "qualified business income deduction" or "QBI deduction."

What is the standard deduction for small businesses? ›

There is no "Standard Deduction" for business. You enter your actual expenses. If you have self employment small business expenses you can take either the Standard Deduction or Itemized Deductions on the personal part of your return.

Will I get a tax refund if my business loses money? ›

If you open a company in the US, you'll have to pay business taxes. Getting a refund is possible if your business loses money. However, if your business has what is classified as an extraordinary loss, you could even get a refund for all or part of your tax liabilities from the previous year.

Do small business owners get a tax refund? ›

Yes, you can get an income tax refund as a small business owner. However, the way you receive this refund and the amount will depend on several factors including if your business is a pass-through entity, the type of taxes you've paid, and if you've paid the IRS or your state more than was necessary.

How do small businesses avoid paying high taxes? ›

12 Small Business Tax-Saving Strategies
  1. Hire Family Members. ...
  2. Account for Business Losses. ...
  3. Track Your Travel Expenses. ...
  4. Consider All Expenses Such as Rent and Utilities. ...
  5. Hire a Reputable CPA. ...
  6. Deduct Assets to Charity. ...
  7. Track Every Receipt With Software. ...
  8. Fully Utilize Your Retirement Plan Contributions.

What all can I write off on my taxes? ›

If you itemize, you can deduct these expenses:
  • Bad debts.
  • Canceled debt on home.
  • Capital losses.
  • Donations to charity.
  • Gains from sale of your home.
  • Gambling losses.
  • Home mortgage interest.
  • Income, sales, real estate and personal property taxes.
Jun 14, 2024

What does IRS consider a small business? ›

It defines small business by firm revenue (ranging from $1 million to over $40 million) and by employment (from 100 to over 1,500 employees). For example, according to the SBA definition, a roofing contractor is defined as a small business if it has annual revenues of $16.5 million or less.

Is it better to have more inventory or less for tax purposes? ›

Overstating your ending inventory means you'll be understating COGS, meaning you'll end up with a higher taxable income and, consequently, higher taxes to pay. Equally, understating your ending inventory means you'll be overstating your COGS, resulting in a lower taxable income and lower taxes.

Do I have to claim my business on my personal taxes? ›

According to the IRS, a sole proprietorship is a disregarded entity and doesn't need to file a tax return separately from its owners. You'll report personal and business income with Form 1040. Business revenue and deductible expenses are reported on Form 1040 Schedule C.

Can small business get tax refund? ›

Yes, you can get an income tax refund as a small business owner. However, the way you receive this refund and the amount will depend on several factors including if your business is a pass-through entity, the type of taxes you've paid, and if you've paid the IRS or your state more than was necessary.

Do I file LLC and personal taxes together? ›

The IRS disregards the LLC entity as being separate and distinct from the owner. Essentially, this means that the LLC typically files the business tax information with your personal tax returns on Schedule C. The profit or loss from your businesses is included with the other income your report on Form 1040.

What does the IRS consider a small business? ›

It defines small business by firm revenue (ranging from $1 million to over $40 million) and by employment (from 100 to over 1,500 employees). For example, according to the SBA definition, a roofing contractor is defined as a small business if it has annual revenues of $16.5 million or less.

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