Category: small business tax

  • Traveling for Business Again? What Can You Deduct?

    As we continue to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic, you may be traveling again for business. Under tax law, there are a number of rules for deducting the cost of your out-of-town business travel within the United States. These rules apply if the business conducted out of town reasonably requires an overnight stay. Note…

  • Help Ensure the IRS Doesn’t Reclassify Independent Contractors as Employees

    Many businesses use independent contractors to help keep their costs down. If you’re among them, make sure that these workers are properly classified for federal tax purposes. If the IRS reclassifies them as employees, it can be a costly error. It can be complex to determine whether a worker is an independent contractor or an…

  • An S Corporation Could Cut Your Self-Employment Tax

    If your business is organized as a sole proprietorship or as a wholly owned limited liability company (LLC), you’re subject to both income tax and self-employment tax. There may be a way to cut your tax bill by conducting business as an S corporation. Fundamentals of self-employment tax The self-employment tax is imposed on 92.35%…

  • The IRS Has Announced 2022 Amounts for Health Savings Accounts

    The IRS recently released guidance providing the 2022 inflation-adjusted amounts for Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). Fundamentals of HSAs An HSA is a trust created or organized exclusively for the purpose of paying the “qualified medical expenses” of an “account beneficiary.” An HSA can only be established for the benefit of an “eligible individual” who is…

  • Launching a Small Business? Here are Some Tax Considerations

    While many businesses have been forced to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some entrepreneurs have started new small businesses. Many of these people start out operating as sole proprietors. Here are some tax rules and considerations involved in operating with that entity. The pass-through deduction To the extent your business generates qualified business income…

  • Business Highlights in the New American Rescue Plan Act

    President Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) on March 11. While the new law is best known for the provisions providing relief to individuals, there are also several tax breaks and financial benefits for businesses. Here are some of the tax highlights of the ARPA. The Employee Retention Credit (ERC). This…

  • The New Form 1099-NEC and the Revised 1099-MISC are Due to Recipients Soon

    There’s a new IRS form for business taxpayers that pay or receive certain types of nonemployee compensation and it must be furnished to most recipients by February 1, 2021. After sending the forms to recipients, taxpayers must file the forms with the IRS by March 1 (March 31 if filing electronically). The requirement begins with forms for tax…

  • PPP Loans Have Reopened: Let’s Review the Tax Consequences

    The Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) reopened the week of January 11. If you’re fortunate to get a PPP loan to help during the COVID-19 crisis (or you received one last year), you may wonder about the tax consequences. Background on the loans In March of 2020, the CARES Act…

  • The Importance of S Corporation Basis and Distribution Elections

    S corporations can provide tax advantages over C corporations in the right circumstances. This is true if you expect that the business will incur losses in its early years because shareholders in a C corporation generally get no tax benefit from such losses. Conversely, as an S corporation shareholder, you can deduct your percentage share…

  • New Business? It’s a Good Time to Start a Retirement Plan

    If you recently launched a business, you may want to set up a tax-favored retirement plan for yourself and your employees. There are several types of qualified plans that are eligible for these tax advantages: A current deduction from income to the employer for contributions to the plan, Tax-free buildup of the value of plan…