LLC vs. corporation
Wednesday, February 1st, 2012
We received this question from a budding entrepreneur about setting up as an LLC or a corporation: I am looking to set up a small business. I am debating on whether an LLC or S-Corp would be better. I am looking to decrease taxes and limit my liability. I, as the owner, will work in the […]
Read More »Employees paid as independent contractors
Friday, January 13th, 2012
A Knoxville company was paying its workers as independent contractors. It was forced to pay back wages to its workers by the Department of Labor, who determined that they were actually employees subject to minimum wage and overtime laws. The news hit the local paper, no doubt as a warning to other businesses who may […]
Read More »New 1099 trap
Tuesday, January 10th, 2012
Business tax returns for 2011 contain new questions about Form 1099 that may trap you if you overlook issuing 1099s this January. The questions appear on Form 1040 Schedules C (sole proprietorships), E (rental), and F (farms). They also appear on partnership (1065) and corporate (1120 and 1120S) returns. The questions: Did you make any […]
Read More »Payroll tax cut extension with a lump of coal
Thursday, January 5th, 2012
Congress extended the payroll tax cut for sixty days after weeks of posturing. The 2% reduction in Social Security tax withholding will continue to put a little extra money in employees’ pockets through the end of February 2012, but Congress threw in a lump of coal with its Christmas gift. If you earn too much […]
Read More »2012 standard mileage rates
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011
The IRS has announced standard mileage rates for 2012. Beginning on Jan. 1, 2012, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be: 55.5 cents per mile for business miles driven 23 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes 14 cents per mile driven […]
Read More »6 Year-end tax reduction tips
Wednesday, December 21st, 2011
Use these six tax reduction tips to reduce your 2011 tax bill, but act before December 31, 2011. Make charitable contributions by December 31. Keep a canceled check, a bank statement, credit card statement or a written statement from the charity, showing the name of the charity and the date and amount of the contribution […]
Read More »Worker classification crackdown coming
Wednesday, October 26th, 2011
The IRS recently announced a voluntary worker classification program that provides amnesty from back payroll taxes and penalties for companies who reclassify their independent contractors into employees. While there may be advantages on the federal tax side of this issue, you must consider other factors before deciding on a course of action. Worker classification has […]
Read More »Bathroom as home office?
Thursday, August 18th, 2011
The Tax Court ruled that a taxpayer cannot claim his bathroom as a home office in Bulas v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2011-201 (Aug. 17, 2011). (Insert your own joke or mental image here….) The taxpayer had a home-based business, a tax practice for which he used one bedroom of his home as an office. He […]
Read More »Plan now to save taxes
Tuesday, August 9th, 2011
Summer is a good time to talk with us about planning to save taxes next year. We have more time to help you take stock of the first half of the year and explore options before it’s too late in the year for them to make a difference. Among those options: Consider equipment purchases, to […]
Read More »Offshore voluntary disclosure deadline
Tuesday, August 9th, 2011
The deadline in the IRS Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Initiative is August 31. For several years, the IRS has required taxpayers to disclose their accounts and income from foreign countries. The 2011 program offers taxpayers penalty reductions if they voluntarily disclose their offshore holdings and income rather than waiting for the IRS to find them. The […]
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