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New Tax Brackets for 2022

New Tax Brackets for 2022

It’s always a bummer when the IRS releases the new tax brackets for the next year.  Most of my clients will ignore the new tax brackets until, well, tax season.  To get a jump and to figure out some tax planning for next year let’s see how they’ll affect you, your family, and your business.

By understanding where you fall in the brackets can help you plan how you want to contribute to your retirement, how to take deductions that reduce your liabilities so you can fall into a lower tax bracket.  If you’re unsure what deductions, you can use you can check out the Big Fat List of Tax Deductions or one of the end of year tax strategies to save you some additional money you can check those out here and here.

You must use these tips before the end of the year so let’s get started right away to ensure you don’t pay next year.

 

There are only two certainties in life: Death and taxes ~ Benjamin Franklin

Free Ebook:  Grab the Big Fat List of Small Business Deductions:  Save money throughout the year with the Big Fat List of small business tax deductions.  Use it as a reference all year round to save big at tax time.

Understanding 2022 Tax Brackets

First let’s explain that the money you earn is not taxed in whole according to the tax brackets.  For example, if you earn $70,000 in 2022, all your income will be taxed at 22%.

That is not true.  In the US we have what is known as a progressive tax system, meaning that only the income that falls within a tax brackets range is taxed at that rate.

For example, let’s say you’ve earned $70,000 took 15,000 in tax deductions then your taxable income is $55,000.

So, to follow the tax bracket on the taxable income goes as follows if you’re a single filer

 

Single Filers
Income Tax Bracket Taxable Amount
The first $10,275 10% $1,027.50
The Next $41,775 12% $5,013.00
The remaining $2,950 22% $649.00
   
Total Tax Liability $6,689.50

Confusing right? 

I’m not saying you should necessarily figure out these numbers.  But it helps to understand what your marginal and effective tax rate is to determine planning and reducing tax liability.  A little planning on your part can help you save money on taxes. 

Marginal and Effective Tax Rate

If you’re using a CPA or an accountant, they should be able to tell you your Marginal tax rate and your effective tax rate.  But if you’re doing your taxes solo you might have to figure it out yourself.

The marginal tax rate is the highest tax rate that you paid. In the example above your marginal tax rate would be 22%.  If this confuses you just think of it this way.  Your marginal tax rate is the tax rate you paid on the LAST dollar you earned.

Your effective tax rate is the average tax that you paid overall.  If you add up all your taxes and the percentage, you would be paying an effective tax of $14.3%.

I always recommend that you understand your marginal and effective tax rate for your current year so you can do a little planning.

There is a large jump between the 22% tax bracket and the 12% tax bracket yes there is only a dollar difference between them. If you’re borderline.  Let’s say you’re at about 45,000 of taxable and you want to lower your income to be in the 12%.  And you haven’t set any money aside for retirement it might be helpful to plan to contribute to your 401k, or an IRA to reduce your tax liability to 12%.

Or if you’re already in the 12% tax bracket you might want to contribute some of your retirement to a ROTH IRA instead of a 401K because you’ll pay fewer taxes when you retire.

Another way understanding can help us to update your W4 based on next year.  Let’s say you know you’re going to be in the 37% tax bracket you could start by increasing your contributions to your retirement.  If you’re already at the maximum it might be time to start planning what deductions may apply to you and how you can take advantage of them for 2020 to reduce them.

Tax Brackets for 2022

 

Single Filers
Tax Bracket Minimum Maximum
10% $0 $10,275
12% $10,276 $41,775
22% $41,776 $89,075
24% $89,076 $170,050
32% $170,051 $215,950
35% $215,951 $539,900
37% $539,901

 

Married, filing jointly
Tax Bracket Minimum Maximum
10% 0 $20,550
12% $20,551 $83,550
22% $83,551 $178,150
24% $178,151 $340,100
32% $340,101 $431,900
35% $431,901 $647,850
37% $647,851

 

Married, Filing Separately
Tax Bracket Minimum Maximum
10% $0 $10,275
12% $10,276 $41,775
22% $41,776 $89,075
24% $89,076 $170,050
32% $170,051 $215,950
35% $215,951 $323,925
37% $323,926

 

Head of Household
Tax Bracket Minimum Maximum
10% 0 $14,650
12% $14,651 $55,900
22% $55,901 $89,050
24% $89,051 $170,050
32% $170,051 $215,950
35% $215,951 $539,900
37% $539,901

Free Ebook:  Grab the Big Fat List of Small Business Deductions:  Save money throughout the year with the Big Fat List of small business tax deductions.  Use it as a reference all year round to save big at tax time.

Putting it All Together

Understanding the tax brackets for 2022 helps you make better decisions when it comes to your money.  Figure out and understand your marginal and effective tax rate to find planning strategies that reduce your tax liabilities.

Use extra savings on taxes to make contributions to your retirement which will, in turn, reduce your taxes.

If you need a little help and are unsure of what will help you we’ll be happy to review your last tax return for free to help you find additional savings and deductions.  You can schedule an appointment here

If you need some help making some tax plans.  Make an appointment today!

How to Crack the 1099-NEC Code

How to Crack the 1099-NEC Code

Every Year as tax time rolls around inevitably, I get the frantic phone calls from potential clients because there behind in getting their 1099-NEC filed.  Their vendors and contract employees are screaming bloody murder.  If this sounds a little bit like you it may be time to up your game. 

Just remember that as a small business owner you may both send a 1099 and receive a 1099.  We’ll look at both. 

To be clear there are MANY different 1099 forms we are only going to look at the 1099-NEC.  If you have questions about the other ones send us an email and we’ll try to answer the questions for you.

Free 1099-misc tracking sheet:  Get our ” 1099-Misc Spreadsheet” that lets you keep track of your vendors and contractors all year long.  Make tax season a breeze.

What the Heck is a 1099-NEC Form Anyway?

The first thing to understand is what is the 1099-NEC and why do we need it. 

The form is used by companies to tell the IRS that you paid an individual, non-employee money for services over $600.00 annually  You know I love examples so …. 

Let’s say you hired a web design company to redo your website and paid that company $1000.00.  At the end of the year (January 31st) of the following year, you will need to send three entities a copy of the 1099-NEC.

  • The IRS
  • The state government
  • The company or individual that you paid.

Andrea's Tip

This includes all independent contractors who do work for you.  If your’re not sure you can check out our article So, you’re thinking about making a new hire  for more information on independent contractors vs. employees.

Now if you have someone work for you as an Independent Contractor you can request a Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification.  This can be used to verify the TIN or the Social Security Number or an Employer Identification Number (EIN).  Though, to be honest you probably won’t need this.  But if you do You can find the information here.

How do you know if the person you hired needs you to issue 1099?  You need to request their W9.  The W9 proves what the type of business is.  Corporation, Sole Proprietorship, Limited Liability etc.  The W9 is what proves it.  If you ever get audited, they will want a copy of that on file for at least four years,  If you don’t have them on file you can send the form here 

Going back to the Web developer that you paid $1000.00 to redesign your website.  Before they get started or before you pay them even one dime get their W9.  If you need a copy you can find it here. (Insert Link)

 

Andrea's Tip

Going forward there is going to be a LOT more changes in documents you need to fill out and send to contractors, vendors or suppliers.  Make sure you get a W9 from each of them BEFORE you pay them.  (Even if they are a corporation).

What Information Do I Need to Create the 1099-NEC

The only thing you need to create 1099-NEC is their W9.  It will have all the information to prepare and send the form to the three groups mentioned above. 

The second thing you’ll need is the actual form.  Believe it or not, you won’t be able to download a refillable form and send it out.  You will need to purchase the form. Online or by mail.  However, in order to mail this information to the IRS you will need the RED-INK Forms that you buy in packs at your local office supply store. 

Andrea's Tip

You will incur penalties if you try and use the 1099-Misc form downloaded from the website so when you order you may want to keep plenty on hand.

You will have to order the form from the IRS. Which you can do Here

How to Electronically File the 1099-NEC Forms

1099-Misc are really easy to file online.  You can use an online service and file them electronically,  Usually for less than 5 dollars for each form.

The Services will do the following automatically 

  • E-File your forms with the Federal and State Government
  • Mail a copy of 1099 to your contractors
  • Give you a PDF copy for your records

Andrea's Tip

They will also email a copy of the 1099 to your contractors….Please, Please, Please do NOT DO this…not only does it send your personal EIN, or SSN unsecurely but it also shares the contractors’ information and this is an easy way for TAX Identity Theft to occur.

Some good 1099 companies that will file for you

1099online

Efile4Biz

Yearli

What Happens if My Client Doesn’t Send Me a 1099-NEC Form?

Let’ say you are supposed to receive 1099 from a client and January 31st rolls around and nothing shows up.  You call your client, and they play hide and seek with you.  Well, you could go pound on their door but hey these things happen.  First off, hopefully, you got their information EIN, SSN or Tin but if not, you will need to report the income anyway (as long as you earned over 600.00).  While it’s nice for the IRS to have something to cross check against your income, it’s not mandatory for you to have it to report the income.

Andrea's Tip

In case of an audit, you want to have a back up invoice or a receipt of payment so that you can verify your income for that client.

What Happens if My Vendor or Contractor Refuses to Send me a W9?

I try not to worry about why someone might refuse to fill out their W9 or send me the information.  But it happens far more often than I would like for both me and my clients.  The fines can be big, and it doesn’t excuse the business from filing the 1099 and some more issues.

  1. Make sure you made a request in writing for the documentation. This could be an email form.  You’ll need to request this at multiple times throughout the year.  Keep track of this because as you know documentation is everything for the IRS.
    • Make the request for the W9 at the beginning of the relationship
    • Make a second request prior to December 31st
    • And a third request Prior to January 31st of the following year.
  2. If you’ve sent the request and you still have the invoices due to the vendor independent contractor, you’re going to have to begin backup withholding of 24% IMMEDIATELY. The money you withhold will be reported on Form 945 and sent to the IRS.

Note*  If no money is still owed you can skip this step

  1. You MUST file the 1099-NEC even if they do not send you their W9.

Andrea's Tip

You will file the 1099-NEC with all the information that you have.  If you have a copy of their EIN great but if you don’t you’ll have to Mail the 1099 with Refused where the EIN or SSN will go. 

2. If you’ve sent the requests and you still have invoices due to the Vendor you’re going to have to begin backup withholding of 24% immediately. The money that you withhold will be reported on the Form 945 and sent.

3. You will still file a form 1099-MISC EVEN if they Refuse to send you their TIN, EIN or SSN.

Andrea's Tip

You will not be able to fill out this form electronically because you can’t have blank spaces . You will need to complete the Paper Form Write the Word REFUSED where the TIN, EIN or SSN is supposed to go and put all the information you do have on the document. 

How Do I Correct a 1099 Form?

Hey, mistakes happen you type in a wrong number or maybe you were trying to get ahead of the game, and you filled out the form wrong.  No worries it’s pretty easy to correct. 

File out a new 1099-NEC form and Place an X in the “VOID” box at the top of the form and then issue a new 1099 with an X in the “Corrected” box.  The enter in zeros for all the money amounts.  Send the corrected form to the IRS and make sure you send a copy to your Vendor/Supplier or contractor. 

Free 1099-misc tracking sheet:  Get our ” 1099-Misc Spreadsheet” that lets you keep track of your vendors and contractors all year long.  Make tax season a breeze.

What Happens if I file My 1099-NEC Forms Late?

I know that filing a 1099 form may be rushed and you may not be able to get the form in on time.  You should, however, take the penalties very seriously as they can be quick to rack up.

The amount of the penalty is based on when you file the correct information and goes as follows:

1099-NEC Penalty (per form) Maximum Penalty (Annually)
Less than 30 days late $50.00 $194,000 for small businesses, $556,500 for larger businesses
More than 30 Days Late $110.00 $556,600 for small businesses, $556,500 for larger businesses
After August 1, 2023 $270.00 $1,113,000 for small business, $3,339,000 for larger businesses

As you cnn see the penalties (not even including interest) are substantial.  The IRS desginates a small business as making less than $5,000,000 per year on average over the last three tax years.  

Putting it All Together

I know that there is a lot of information here but if you’ve read through the article you now have all the tools you need to file your 1099-NECs without a penalty.  If you’re struggling to put your taxes together, you can feel free to check out some of our other blog posts like The Big Fat List of Small Business Tax Deductions or our Tax Preparation Handbook.

If you have questions or need a consultation you can always talk to us.

 

The Big Fat List of Small Business Tax Deductions for 2021

The Big Fat List of Small Business Tax Deductions for 2021

As a business owner, you have a huge amount of control over your business expenses….that means if you have a plan for your business in the up coming few years you can control your tax deductions.  But you need to know a few things:

Pick an Entity Type that works for you

Most companies start out as a sole proprietorship, an LLC or a Partnership.  You may need to determine when it’s appropriate to change over to a corporation as it may save you some money in the future. 

Whether you have an existing business or you’re just starting out, you have some choices about your entity type but you should contact an attorney to weigh some pros and cons of each one depending on the industry and type of your business.

Tax Law is Complicated

Major legislation, court cases, IRS rulings, and even natural disaster can all affect your taxes and they are constantly changing.

Many changes can benefit you as the business owner-but only if you know about them and you have time to respond.  Waiting for a once-yearly meeting with your CPA may not leave you enough time to learn about and manage these changes.

For example, in 2005, after hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma struck the U.S. the government created several short-term tax savings opportunities for those affected. 

Make sure you check in with your tax specialist throughout the year so understand how these may affect you and your business.

There’s a Difference Between a Tax Credit and a Tax Deduction

Tax credit will reduce the amount of tax that you owe, giving you a dollar for dollar reduction of your tax liability.  Let’s say you’re eligible to receive a tax credit for hiring a military veteran of $1,000.  This will lower your tax bill by $1,000.  So, if you owe $10,000 you would only pay $9,000.  Now let’s say you actually get a refund of 500.00 if you add a tax credit instead you’ll receive $1,500.00

Tax deductions reduce how much of your income is subject to taxes to begin with.  Let’s say you make 100,000 but you have expenses of $10,000 your taxable income would be $90,000.  To reduce your tax, you need to keep track of your deductions (the most hated part of being a small business owner).

A tax deduction is an expense that you can deduct from your taxable income.  You take the amount of the expenses and subtract that from your taxable income.  Essentially, tax write-offs allow you to pay a smaller tax bill.  You just must make sure that your expenses are fitting the IRS criterial of a tax deduction. 

Below is a list of the standard deductions mostly used by sole proprietors, and s-corps or companies organized as partnerships and limited liability companies (LLCs).  Most of these are for your business but as solopreneurs you should be aware of some more personal deductions that business owners can take as well.

Don’t Have Time to Read the Article?

Download the PDF version of the article and keep it with you for reference.  If you purchase something, check to see if you can take a deduction.

Expenses You Can Write Off for Your Small Business – Capitalized Expenses

Depreciation

Need to buy a new computer, office equipment, even a vehicle.  Then you’ll want to look at bonus depreciation where you can write off 100% of the purchase cost.  The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, enacted at the end of 2018, increases first-year bonus depreciation to 100%. It goes into effect for any long-term assets placed in service after September 27, 2017. The 100% bonus depreciation amount remains in effect from September 27, 2017 until January 1, 2023.   If you want to know how you can use this for a vehicle check out last year’s Last Minute Tax Savings on Cars. 

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Bonus Depreciation

Though bonus depreciation is great it may be more tax advantageous to use regular depreciation that can be amortized over a certain number of months and years.

Cost of Goods and Services

If you produce a product or even if you purchase them, those expenses will reduce your income, so your income is lower.  Just remember that these expenses can NOT be deducted as a regular business expense at the same time. If you’ve itemized them under cost of goods sold you can’t take them as a business expense.  If you’re not sure what is considered a cost of goods sold you can check out our article on What the Heck is Cost of Goods Sold.

Hot Tip | Check Your Costs

Costs over $50,000 are subject to certain limitations and at this point you should contact a professional

Start Up and Organizational Costs

If you started your business in 2019 and beyond, and spend up to $5,000, you can deduct the full amount in the first year without having to capitalize the expense.  If you spent more than $5,000, you can deduct a percentage over 15 years.  Just make sure you know how much for each year.

Self-Employment Expenses to Deduct from your Small Business Taxes

Health Insurance Premiums

To give you a break the US allows you to deduct your health insurance premiums paid for yourself, your spouse and your dependents under the age of 27 on your personal income tax. 

If you own an S-Corp, make sure you own more than 2%.  Or you can have this as a business expense and have your business pay for it without it coming out of your personal income.

Retirement Plans

Reduce your tax obligations by contributing to tax deferred retirement plans like SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRAs and 401(k)s.  Checkout the IRS site on how much you can contribute and the limits.  

Hot Tip | Retirement Plans Help You Plan for the Future

Small business owners are responsible for their retirement so make sure your nest egg is getting bigger by putting some money away.

Self Employment Taxes

You still must pay a lot in social security, Medicare taxes that you pay throughout the year however, you may deduct 50% of it off your taxes. 

Standard Small Business Tax Deductions

Hot Tip | Good Records Increase Tax Deductions

Just taking the deductions in many cases won’t get you your deductions but having great records will increase the likely hood of you getting the most deductions. And reduce costs.

Advertising

You already know that providing amazing goods and services isn’t enough to make your business succeed. You also need to advertise so your potential customers can find you. Advertising and marketing dollars can add up fast, but fortunately, they are all tax-deductible.  You can deduct everything that you use to advertise and market from business cards, to google ads.

Bad Debt

Sometimes clients just don’t pay (this sucks! but it is what it is).  You can deduct them.  You’ll just need to make sure that your bookkeeping system reflects them, and you have the paperwork showing that this money is uncollectable

Bank Fees

Pesky little 12-dollar charges and ATM fees suck to pay but they are tax deductible.

Advertising

You already know that providing amazing goods and services isn’t enough to make your business succeed. You also need to advertise so your potential customers can find you. Advertising and marketing dollars can add up fast, but fortunately, they are all tax-deductible.  You can deduct everything that you use to advertise and market from business cards, to google ads.

Bad Debt

Sometimes clients just don’t pay (this sucks! but it is what it is).  You can deduct them.  You’ll just need to make sure that your bookkeeping system reflects them, and you have the paperwork showing that this money is uncollectable

Bank Fees

Pesky little 12-dollar charges and ATM fees suck to pay but they are tax deductible.

Car and Truck Expenses

Let’s face it the biggest deductions you can make right away in your business is your car.  Make sure your keeping track of your expenses with a good mileage tracking program like MileIQ.  If you don’t want an automated way you can keep a log in your car and fill it out as you go.  Make sure that you include all the expenses for the trip including:

  • Parking
  • Tolls

For LLC and Sole Prop you’ll take the standard IRS mileage rate of .56 for 2021on every mile driven for business. 

S-Corp

S corps can make this a little bit more fun by filling out expense reports and reimbursement you and your employees for mileage.  Just make sure you have the reports and have filled out an expense report.  You’ll want to create an Accountable Plan for this expense.

If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been to bed with a mosquito.

Betty Reese

Carryovers from Previous Years.

Some small business tax deductions carry over from year to year. For instance, if you had a capital loss in a previous year, you may be able to take it in the current year. Specifics often change from year to year, to make sure you’re up to date on the latest IRS regulations.

Charitable Donations

Yes, your small business can donate to charity and take a deduction for it. It can donate supplies, money, or property to a recognized charity, but pay attention to the rules before you go crazy giving stuff away. Donations of your time don’t count, and you can’t wipe out your business income with donations. Also, check with the IRS before you make a charitable deduction to make sure the organization you want to support qualifies for the deduction.

Cleaning and Janitorial Expenses

Do you have a janitorial service come in and clean your offices?  Well that’s tax deductible too.  If you use a cleaning service for your home and they clean your office a portion of that charge is tax deductible too.

Conventions and Trade Shows

Conventions, trade shows that networking group and any associations you belong to are all deductions for your taxes.  Make sure that you keep good records and can prove that the events are related to your business. 

Disaster and Theft Losses

If your business is unfortunate enough to suffer theft or to be the victim of a natural disaster during the year, you may be able to turn any losses that your insurance company didn’t reimburse into a small business tax deduction.

Don’t Have Time to Read the Article?

Download the PDF version of the article and keep it with you for reference.  If you purchase something, check to see if you can take a deduction.

Education

As a lifelong learner, I take pride in my education whether it’s a seminar on the latest blockchain technology or new tax changes for the year.  Thankfully, you can claim these as education expenses and deduct them from your taxes.

You must pay taxes. But there’s no law that says you gotta leave a tip.  Morgan Stanley

Furniture and Equipment.

Did you buy new chairs for your eat-in bakery or new juicing blenders for your juice bar this year? You have a choice regarding how you take your small business tax deduction for furniture and equipment. You can either deduct the entire cost for the tax year in which it was purchased, or you can depreciate the purchases over a seven-year period. The IRS has specific regulations that govern your choices here, so make sure you’re following the rules and make the right choice between depreciation and full deduction.

Insurance

Every business should have business insurance which is tax deductible.  So, whether you have business, malpractice, business continuation or errors and omissions you can deduct it.

Intangibles

Getting a trademark or need to pay for franchise fees guess what?  They’re tax deductible.

Interest

This one is often overlooked but you can deduct the interest on a business loan.  Make sure you categorize the money as principle and the interest as interest and your good to go.  It doesn’t count if you take out a home loan only business loans count.

 

The difference between death and taxes is death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets. – Will Rogers

Do you know what your direct labor is costing you?

Home Office

If you do a lot of work at home, it may be time to take that deduction.  I know there is a huge myth about red flags and the IRS but if you keep your paperwork in order an audit will not be an issue.  Let’s take what we can get from the government.

 There are two methods for taking the home office deduction the simplified option and the regular method.  With the simplified option you cannot exceed 300 square foot of space and it must be exclusively used on a regular basis.  (so, you do a lot of administrative type work at home then this would be a great example.  This works even if you have a separate corporate or business office.

You can check out the simplified option vs. the regular method on the IRS website.  You can deduct or expense the following items using the same percentage as the office space

  • Mortgage
  • Real Estate Taxes
  • Utilities
  • Internet
  • Phone

Home Renovations and Insurance

Did you take a deduction for a home office already? If so, business expenses related to any renovations to that part of your home are also deductible, and so is the percentage of your homeowner’s insurance that covers that part of your home. Remember, all small business deductions related to home offices only apply if you use part of your home exclusively for business.

Legal, Accounting and Professional Fees

Yes, if you can deduct my services.  Any consultant or professional that you hire to help you make money or deal within your business are deductible.  So if you need a lawyer, an accountant, or a business consultant you can add them to this list.

Machinery and Equipment Rental

Sometimes renting equipment for your coffee shop or concession stand is beneficial to your bottom line, since you can deduct these business expenses in the year they occur with no depreciation.

Maintenance, Repairs and Renovations

Move into a new space as you expanded this year?  Or maybe just routine maintenance on your existing space well those are tax deductible too.  If your using the home deduction you can and have renovated your office space, you can deduct those too.

Meals and Entertainment

Hot Tip | Deduct 100% on Employee Activities

Throwing a Christmas Party or a Picnic for your employees?  You can deduct 100% of the costs involved.  Just make sure you categorize them separately from the client meals you attend.

Yes, you can take small business deductions for schmoozing your clients, if you do indeed discuss business with them, and if the entertainment occurs in a business setting and for business purposes. In some cases, you can’t deduct the full amount of your entertainment expenses, but every bit helps.

Here are some tips to guide when and what you can deduct:

  • Exceptions include lavish and extravagant meals.
  • At least one employee must be present at the mealor outing.
  • The food and beverages must be provided to a current or potential business customer, client, consultant or similar business contact.
  • Food and beverages provided during or at an entertainment activity may only be deducted as long as they are purchased separately from the entertainment or the cost of the food and beverages is stated separately from the cost of the entertainment on one or more bills, invoices, or receipts. 

You may deduct 100% of the costs of:

  • Company cafeterias and executive dining rooms.
  • Recreational and social activities held for employees.
  • Meals provided as compensation or part of the company culture. 

Mortgage Interest

If your business owns its own building, even if it’s just a hot dog stand, you can deduct all your mortgage interest.

Non-Cash Gifts and Rewards

You can claim up to $25.00 for business gifts that you give to each client or potential customer.  So if your giving out Christmas gift cards your good to go.  You can spend as much as you want but only deduct the $25.00.

Office Supplies, Tools and Services

Even if you aren’t taking the home office deduction all of your business supplies and office expenses are tax deductible as long as they are used within the year they’re purchased.  Make sure you file your receipts with a great app like Expensify.  If shipping samples are a part of your business you can also deduct the postage, delivery and shipping costs (this is assuming you haven’t taken it in Cost of Goods Sold).

The hardest thing i the world to understand is the income tax – Albert Einstein

Qualified Business Income

Remember to claim the 20% deduction on qualified business income.  This rule was a part of the TCJA and you can find out more on what qualifies here.

Free Fillable Accountable Expense Policy:  Get our ” Sample Expense Policy and Calculator” that lets you craft an expense policy that saves you and your employees’ money.

Rent and Property Leases

Rent a space in the mall go ahead and deduct those expenses.  You can also deduct the expenses related to leasing a vehicle and equipment at 100%.

Salaries and Wages

If you’re a sole proprietor or your company is an LLC, you may not be able to deduct draws and income that you take from your business. You can, however, deduct a bunch of other stuff.  Below is a partial list.

Employers may deduct:

 

  • Employer-paid taxes(payroll taxes) including:
  • Employer contributions paid for social security and Medicare (FICA) taxes
  • Employer contributions for federal (FUTA) and state (SUTA) unemployment taxes.
  • Salaries and wages
  • Bonuses, commissions and awards
  • Benefit programs — life insurance, education reimbursements, etc.
  • Meals and lodging provided as part of the workplace
  • Per diems and allowances
  • Fringe benefits
  • Contract labor — if the contractor (freelancer or service provider) was paid $600+ during the year. (Documented by Form 1099-MISC.) Checkout our article on paying contractors here
  • Employer credit for paid family and medical leave

Hot Tip | This is in no way comprehensive

I tried to get everything but there are a lot of benefit programs that you can provide your employees that are tax deductible so don’t forget to head on over to the IRS webpage if you need more information

Software

You may have a lot of subscription software like QuickBooks, Xero, or Microsoft office to name a few you can now deduct the full cost each year.

Taxes

I know it sounds a bit weird but there are some taxes that you can deduct.

  • Employer-paid payroll taxes.
  • Sales tax on day to day items
  • Excise and fuel taxes
  • State income taxes
  • Real estate taxes on business properties

Travel

You already know you can deduct the cost of a tradeshow or conventions, but you can also deduct the travel to and from them too.  Make sure you keep all your receipts and fill out your expense reports for airfare, hotels, meals on the road.  If you drive to the convention you can take the standard mileage rate.  Don’t forget to tip your Uber driver and deduct that too.  Paying for parking at the convention center and hey if you live in Dallas you know you’ll be paying tolls make sure these get deducted as well.

Telephone

If your using your cell phone you may be able to deduct a portion of your bill as a business expense or add a new line just for your business and deduct 50% of your telephone bill

Tools

The IRS distinguishes between tools and equipment. While you may have to capitalize on equipment rather than deducting it in one year, you can deduct tools that aren’t expensive or that have a life of only a year or less. And for the IRS, “tools” doesn’t just refer to hammers or screwdrivers; your spatulas and cookie sheets are tools as well.

Few of us ever test our powers of deduction, except when filling out an income tax form – Laurence J. Peter

Unpaid Goods

If your business produces goods rather than providing a service, you can deduct the cost of any goods that you haven’t been paid for yet.

Utilities

Don’t miss the small business tax deductions for your electricity, mobile phone, and other utilities. If you use the home office deduction, your landline must be dedicated to your business to be deductible. 

Managing Your Small Business Tax Deductions

If you want to maximize your deductions and avoid last-minute mistakes, you must put a system in place right away.

Determine Your Accounting Method

You’ll need to determine which one is best for you the cash or accrual method.

Cash Method – Manage your cash when it comes in and goes out.

Accrual – Manage revenues and expenses when the transaction takes place.  So if you invoice a customer you recognize the invoice before they’ve actual paid for the service

Use a Good Accounting Software

Nowadays accounting software has come a long way and can manage your transactions in real time.  Though it still needs to be categorized correctly to get the maximum taxable deductions and credits.

A solid technology stack will help you get by automating receipts, transactions, projects and even more.  Let us know if your interested in how we go from total chaos to total control.

Don’t Have Time to Read the Article?

Download the PDF version of the article and keep it with you for reference.  If you purchase something, check to see if you can take a deduction.

Putting it All Together

Once your business takes off, you’ll have to pay your estimated taxes if the business income taxes are more then $1,000.  Check out how to pay your estimated tax me every time.

Taxes are complicated.  Prior to your owning your business you paid your taxes through payroll deductions and then filed at the end of the year.  Now you’ll have to pay several times a year plus other scheduled payment like payroll taxes and sales taxes.

Keeping good records is a must and keeping compliant with all the tax codes can be a daunting task.  Make sure you hire a professional that can help you plan to take the maximum amount so you’re not missing out on valuable tax saving strategies that can help you keep more in your pocket.

The Complete Small Business Tax Preparation Checklist

The Complete Small Business Tax Preparation Checklist

January 31st comes quickly around an accounting firm.  Like many busy business owners, you’re probably juggling your business with tying up last year’s accounting. To make your life easier (and mine) I thought I would give you your small business tax preparation checklist to help you keep on track.

Know Your Tax Preparation Deadlines

The first step is easy. What are the tax filing deadlines for small businesses for the 2019 tax season? This will depend on your business structure, so make sure you know what’s expected of you.

Here are a few common deadlines to note:

  • January 31, 2020: Deadline to distribute W-2/1099-MISC forms
  • March 15, 2020: Tax deadline for S-Corporations and partnerships
  • April 15, 2020: Tax Day; deadline for sole proprietorships, single-member LLCs and C-Corporations
  • October 15, 2020: Deadline for extension returns

Small Business Tax Prep Checklist

I won’t lie most of you did not square away your accounting for last year, so it’s time to get started right away so you can get your taxes done on time and make sure you take your maximum deductions  If you need to get this done and just feel overwhelmed, please, schedule an appointment with me and we’ll have you up to date in no time at all.

1. Gather Up Your Year-End Files

If you’re not using any type of accounting system or your system is spreadsheet-based, you might need to gather all your financial statements. If you’ve never run them, you’ll want to start now.

Andrea's Tip

If you haven’t organized your books at all for last year check out our article on the 4 Steps to Organizing Your Business Finances Fast.

If you have a bookkeeper or accountant, they’ve (most likely) kept great records, which will include your end of year balance sheet, profit and loss statement and payroll reports.  Generating these when you have a good system is both quick and easy. 

Before filling out any tax form to report your business income, you should have all records in front of you that report your business earnings and expenses. It might be a good idea to ask your tax accountant what additional documents are necessary, but in the meantime, here is some information that can be helpful to have on hand:

  • Income
  • Gross receipts from sales or services
  • Sales records
  • Returns and allowances
  • Business checking/savings account interest
  • Inventory
  • All expenses
  • Commissions paid to subcontractors
  • Business insurance
  • Business loan interest
  • Professional fees
  • Office supplies
  • Office space rent

Need a copy of the Complete Tax Preparation Checklist?

Download the checklist so you have a record for all your personal and self-employed documents that you’ll need for your accountant or yourself.

2. Gather Up All the Relevant Tax Forms You’ve Received

You’ll receive a lot of tax forms from various institutions in January and some in February, March and maybe even April which you will need to do your tax preparation.  Here are a few of the forms you should have received and when they will most likely head your way.

January

  • W-2
  • 1099-INT from your bank
  • 1099-DIV
  • 1099-R

Are the most common though you may see different ones depending on your financial situation.

February 15

You’ll receive 1099-B for interest and dividends from brokers which will calculate stocks and other investments

March and April

If you’ve invested in a business you’ll receive your Schedule K-1s in March or April.  You may need to file for an extension if you’ve invested in a small LLC as they might not get their K-1s together until April.

What to Do if You Don’t Receive Tax Forms or They Get Lost

First things first, contact your previous or current employer or financial institution.  The IRS frowns heavily on companies and banks that don’t meet the deadline and will fine them with pretty heavy penalties so you should be able to get your answers quickly.

As a small business owner, you may be getting a lot of 1099s from various clients and customers so don’t assume that you don’t need to report this income even if you didn’t receive a 1099-MISC.  The IRS receives these from your clients and will most likely have a record of this income.

If you’re not sure you might want to grab a copy of your IRS transcript.  This is a record that the IRS received under your name, social security number and EIN.  You can check out how to get a free online copy here.

 

Frequent Mistakes Made During Tax Preparation and How to Fix Them

Not keeping your personal/and businesses expenses separate

Let’s face it it’s quite a common place to categorize these wrong even when you have a separate bank account.  Make sure you review all your statements to disallow any personal expenses that might have made it to your statement.

 

Misplacing Your 1099s

You’ve probably already issued and received 1099s for 2019 tax season.  Make sure you have them and they are correct against your sales and income.  If you need some help figuring out 1099s check out how to Cracking the 1099-Misc Code.

Not Taking Enough Deductions

Most small business owners don’t take enough deductions.  I know the 20% pass-through is great but make sure that you take ALL the deductions you can.  If your not sure Check out the Big Fat List of Tax Deductions.

Underpaying Estimated Tax and Payroll Deposits

If you’ve been making estimated income tax payments or payroll deposits throughout the year, make sure you balance these funds against your total income tax liability. Failing to do so will mean overpaying—a simple error that’s easy to avoid with a little planning.

Ruling Out an Extension

Extensions exist for a reason. If you’ve put off your small business tax planning, the above steps might take you a bit longer than you thought. An extension will give you until the fall to get your return submitted. But keep in mind that you’ll still need to pay your taxes on time, even with a legitimate extension.

Putting it All Together

Tax preparation can be hard especially when you haven’t tracked your income and expenses.  While many small business owners think doing their own taxes is cost-effective.  You’d be surprised at how much money can be saved when your taxes are done by a professional.  They can keep an eye on your bottom line while your busy building a solid business.  Make sure you’re prepared for next year, this year.

Cheers!

Andrea

P.S. If you need some help making some tax plans. Schedule an Appointment Today!

 

Happy Holidays!

Andrea

New Tax Brackets for 2020

New Tax Brackets for 2020

It’s always a bummer when the IRS releases the new tax brackets for the next year.  Most of my clients will ignore the new tax brackets until, well, tax season.  To get a jump and to figure out some tax planning for next year let’s see how they’ll affect you, your family, and your business.

By understanding where you fall in the brackets can help you plan how you want to contribute to your retirement, how to take deductions that reduce your liabilities so you can fall into a lower tax bracket.  If you’re unsure what deductions, you can use you can check out the Big Fat List of Tax Deductions or one of the end of year tax strategies to save you some additional money you can check those out here and here.

You must use these tips before the end of the year so let’s get started right away to ensure you don’t pay next year.

 

There are only two certainties in life: Death and taxes ~ Benjamin Franklin

Free Ebook:  Grab the Big Fat List of Small Business Deductions:  Save money throughout the year with the Big Fat List of small business tax deductions.  Use it as a reference all year round to save big at tax time.

Understanding 2020 Tax Brackets

First let’s explain that the money you earn is not taxed in whole according to the tax brackets.  For example, if you earn $70,000 in 2020, all your income will be taxed at 22%.

That is not true.  In the US we have what is known as a progressive tax system, meaning that only the income that falls within a tax brackets range is taxed at that rate.

For example, let’s say you’ve earned $70,000 took 15,000 in tax deductions then your taxable income is $55,000.

So, to follow the tax bracket on the taxable income goes as follows if you’re a single filer

 

Single Filers

Income

Tax Bracket

Taxable Amount

The first 9,875

10%

$987.50

The Next $30,250

12%

$3,630.00

The remaining $14,875

22%

$3,272,50

 

 

 

Total Tax Liability

 

$7,890.00

Confusing right? 

I’m not saying you should necessarily figure out these numbers.  But it helps to understand what your marginal and effective tax rate is to determine planning and reducing tax liability.  A little planning on your part can help you save money on taxes. 

Marginal and Effective Tax Rate

If you’re using a CPA or an accountant, they should be able to tell you your Marginal tax rate and your effective tax rate.  But if you’re doing your taxes solo you might have to figure it out yourself.

The marginal tax rate is the highest tax rate that you paid. In the example above your marginal tax rate would be 22%.  If this confuses you just think of it this way.  Your marginal tax rate is the tax rate you paid on the LAST dollar you earned.

Your effective tax rate is the average tax that you paid overall.  If you add up all your taxes and the percentage, you would be paying an effective tax of $14.3%.

I always recommend that you understand your marginal and effective tax rate for your current year so you can do a little planning.

There is a large jump between the 22% tax bracket and the 12% tax bracket yes there is only a dollar difference between them. If you’re borderline.  Let’s say you’re at about 45,000 of taxable and you want to lower your income to be in the 12%.  And you haven’t set any money aside for retirement it might be helpful to plan to contribute to your 401k, or an IRA to reduce your tax liability to 12%.

Or if you’re already in the 12% tax bracket you might want to contribute some of your retirement to a ROTH IRA instead of a 401K because you’ll pay fewer taxes when you retire.

Another way understanding can help us to update your W4 based on next year.  Let’s say you know you’re going to be in the 37% tax bracket you could start by increasing your contributions to your retirement.  If you’re already at the maximum it might be time to start planning what deductions may apply to you and how you can take advantage of them for 2020 to reduce them.

Tax Brackets for 2020

 

Single Filers

Tax Bracket

Minimum

Maximum

10%

0

9,875

12%

9,876

40,125

22%

40,126

85,525

24$

85,526

$163,300

32%

$163,303

$207,350

35%

$207,351

$518,400

37$

518,400

 

 

Married, filing jointly

Tax Bracket

Minimum

Maximum

10%

0

$19,750

12%

$19,751

$80,250

22%

$80,251

$171,050

24$

$171,051

$326,600

32%

$326,601

$414,700

35%

$414,701

622,050

37$

$622,050

 

 

Married, filing jointly

Tax Bracket

Minimum

Maximum

10%

0

$19,750

12%

$19,751

$80,250

22%

$80,251

$171,050

24$

$171,051

$326,600

32%

$326,601

$414,700

35%

$414,701

622,050

37$

$622,050

 

 

Married, Filing Separately

Tax Bracket

Minimum

Maximum

10%

0

$9,875

12%

$9,876

$40,125

22%

$40,126

$85,525

24$

$85,526

$163,300

32%

$163,303

$207,350

35%

$207,351

$311,025

37$

$311,025

 

 

Head of Household

Tax Bracket

Minimum

Maximum

10%

0

$14,100

12%

$14,101

$53,700

22%

$53,701

$85,500

24$

$85,501

$163,300

32%

$163,303

$207,350

35%

$207,351

$518,400

37$

$518,400

 

Free Ebook:  Grab the Big Fat List of Small Business Deductions:  Save money throughout the year with the Big Fat List of small business tax deductions.  Use it as a reference all year round to save big at tax time.

Putting it All Together

Understanding the tax brackets for 2020 helps you make better decisions when it comes to your money.  Figure out and understand your marginal and effective tax rate to find planning strategies that reduce your tax liabilities.

Use extra savings on taxes to make contributions to your retirement which will, in turn, reduce your taxes.

If you need a little help and are unsure of what will help you we’ll be happy to review your last tax return for free to help you find additional savings and deductions.  You can schedule an appointment here

If you need some help making some tax plans.  Make an appointment today!

 

Happy Holidays!

Andrea

5 Actionable End of Year Tax Hacks

5 Actionable End of Year Tax Hacks

It’s a bit of an oxymoron to believe that the IRS will give you money back if you don’t owe any taxes. But if you do owe some money here are a few strategies that can reduce the money you may owe.

You must use these tips before the end of the year so let’s get started right away to ensure you don’t pay next year.

Tax Hacks 1: Prepay Expenses

Did you know that the IRS lets you pay expenses for next year and then you can deduct them for this year? Now you can only prepay 12 months of qualifying expenses under the safe-harbor rules so don’t try and pay two years of lease payments for your vehicle as it won’t count.

To use the safe harbor rule, you need to be a cash-basis taxpayer, meaning you recognize your expenses when you make them.

You would use this if you have a big tax bill. So, if you’ve figured out that you may owe a bunch of money because you make some money this year then go ahead and pre-pay.

Let me give you an example of how this works.

Let’s say you did an estimate on your taxes and based on last year’s return you ended up owning $10,000 to the IRS. You don’t want to pay that much so you can pre-pay some expenses.

 

You pay $1500 a month for rent and you would like to get a deduction this year. So on December 31, 2019, you mail a rent check to your landlord to cover six months’ worth of rent. Your landlord does not receive the payment in the mail until Thursday, January 2nd.

You deduct $9,000 in 2019 (when you paid the rent

Your landlord will report his earning in 2020 when he received the money.

You’ve now reduced your taxable income by 9,000 so you only owe $1,000 for 2019. Your rent is paid for the first six months of the year. Your happy because you didn’t have to give the IRS money, your rent is paid for six months. Your landlord is ecstatic because he has money and he won’t have to worry about your being late with your rent.

Andrea's Tip

Make sure that you let your landlord know what’s going on so if he by chance receives the check-in 2019, he would have to pay taxes on it so don’t screw your landlord.

Qualifying expenses include things like lease payments on vehicles, rent payments on offices and machinery, and even insurance premiums.

l

Just a Note

Proof is a big thing with the IRS make sure you when you use USPS online tracking and then make sure you print out or save to the cloud the delivery and receipt tracking results. Don’t let it disappear.

Tax Hack 2: Stop Billing Customers, Clients, or Patients

It may seem weird but if you need to reduce your income the best way is to not invoice or bill your clients until next year. Most of your clients won’t pay until they get an invoice so if you don’t send it they probably won’t pay.

If you wait to bill your clients until January, you don’t have to recognize the income until 2020. Please note you must be a cash basis for this to work.

Tax Hack 3:  Upgrade Computers or Equipment

Bonus depreciation is a 100 for 2019 so if it’s time to upgrade your computers if you buy them before December 31st you can take 100 depreciation this year to reduce the cost. You can check out the strategy for bonus depreciation in the Big Fat List of Small Business Tax Deductions for more information on how it works.

Tax Hack 4: Use Your Business Credit Cards to Office Supplies

Most businesses still have some office supplies that are needed next year and beyond. If you need a bunch of paper and use your credit card at the end of the year you can deduct the expenses right away. At least for a single-member LLC or sole proprietor filing a Schedule C for your business.

If your business is a corporation and the corporation have a credit card in the name of the corporation the same rules apply.

Andrea's Tip

Do not use your personal credit card, please.

Tax Hack 5:  Don’t Assume You Have Too Many Deductions

It may be that your business deductions exceed your business income which will mean you have a tax loss for the year. A Net Operating Loss (NOL) is not uncommon in a brand-new business or even with an ongoing successful business.

Before the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, you could carry back your NOL for two years and get immediate tax refunds. Now, you can only carry your NOL forward, and it can only offset up to 80% of your taxable income in any one future year.

For example, let’s say you have an NOL of 5000. Next year you have a taxable income of 10000 you can write up 5000 off your taxable income. But if you have 3000 taxable income in 2020 you can only write off up to 80% of the 3000.

Don’t be worried about deductions and you should NEVER stop documenting them and claim all your rightful deductions. Just because you can’t use them now doesn’t mean you can’t use them in the future when they change the tax laws again.

Putting it All Together

When it comes to taxes, business deductions are king just like cash. The more deductions you can claim, the better because you’ll pay fewer overall taxes.

Claim all your legitimate deductions you can’t have too many and don’t avoid deductions that you think could be a red flag. First, it’s unlikely you could have enough deductions to create a red flag. Second, no one knows what those flags are. Third, if it’s a deduction is legitimate, and you have the documents to back it up, it doesn’t matter if the IRS audits you’ll win.

If you need some help making some tax plans.  Make an appointment today!

 

Happy Holidays!

Andrea

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