Tis The Season For Taxes

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The tax season is here. Are you ready? Do you have all your ducks in a row? If not do not fret. Here is a short checklist to get you started on your journey.

• Make sure your books are in order: Your accounting records should be categorized properly and reconciled by the month. You will need to have this in place to pull reports for your tax professional.

• Gather all tax-related documents: Your tax professional is going to ask for a plethora of documents so they can complete your filing. Check out this resource for a tax prep checklist and other goodies.

• Find a tax professional to take care of your tax filing: This is not the year to DIY it. Do yourself a favor and find a trusted tax pro to help you navigate the muddy waters this tax year. Check out this resource to help you get started.

Tax time is here and it doesn’t have to be a stressful time for you. Take some time to implement the 3 tips above and you will have smooth sailing.

Keep IT Sunny!

Is The Tax Man Knocking At Your Door?

October 15 is the official tax extension deadline for sole-proprietors, C-Corps & LLC’s taxed as a disregarded entity according to the IRS website. Are you ready to hand over your books to your tax professional? Do you have a tax professional to work with? If the answer is no to both of these questions then start by making sure your books are in order. Many tax professionals complain about receiving a box full of receipts & a spreadsheet from their customers. Check out this post I wrote about why you should keep your books in order and when your ready give me a ring to help you get there. If you are looking for a tax professional check out this post I wrote about how to find one using Dave Ramsey’s Endorsed Local Provider tool.

Happy Tax Season and as always Keep IT Sunny!

How To Ease Your Tax Woes

Now that Turkey day is behind us and the madness of Black Friday is over it is time to turn our attention back to our business and more specifically how to best prepare for the taxman. The first thing to do is just breathe like the picture suggests and create a game plan that will allow you to win and breeze through this as stress free as possible. Check out the previous post that I wrote on how to do this and I hope your tax prep season is truly stress-free.

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Are You Ready For The Tax Man?

It is that time of year to start looking at your books to make sure they are in order. The taxman will come knocking in a few short months along with contractors looking for their 1099’s.

Are you ready to meet these demands? Do you have a tax professional in place already to help you navigate these choppy waters?

If not then it is time to get in gear. Check out this post I previously wrote about finding an endorsed local provider that can help you get with minimizing your tax bill and alleviate your stress during this time of the year. I also wrote a post about how to minimize your tax bill that I will be using for my own business.

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How To Plan For Tax Time For Next Year

We are here my fellow entrepreneurs. It is tax time and if you owe this year I am sure you are wearing a sad face.

BUT it is never too late to plan for next year. Here is a short list to help you get started:

1. Get Your A team together - This includes a CPA, a bookkeeper and a financial advisor

2. Create a System to keep up with your receipts - I like Google Drive, Dropbox and Expensify

3. Keep your books up to date - This goes back to #1

4. Set Up a SEP IRA - This is a retirement account for self-employed entrepreneurs

5. Make sure you have the right business structure - This also goes back to #1:)

6. Plan Write Offs - If you want to make a major purchase you should work with your CPA beforehand to make sure you can write it off

7. Pay Your Estimated Tax Payments - This is on a quarterly basis to ensure you don’t get hit with a big tax bill.

A little planning goes a long way. Although you might owe this year if you take the time to plan ahead you can beat the tax man next year and truly create more Peace in your business.

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How To Choose The Right Tax Professional For Your Business Needs

You are working so hard in your business to provide services to your clients that make them feel better. One day you take a break to work on your business. You are looking at your finances and begin to cringe because you know that your books are not up to date and the tax deadline to file your taxes has come and gone. So you ignore it and go back to doing what you love which is providing the best health and wellness services to your clients. You know you need to connect with a tax professional but the thought of it makes you feel anxious and overwhelmed. You also hate accounting and anything to do with the word taxes.

Does this sound like you?

If it does then you are not alone. According to a survey done on small business owners, “60% of small business owners feel they aren’t knowledgeable about accounting or finance, and 52% of small businesses owners feel they pay too much in taxes.”

So How Do You Choose The Right Tax Professional For Your Business Needs

There are a myriad of ways you can gain access to a tax professional such as getting referrals from friends and fellow entrepreneurs. My favorite tool to use for finding tax professionals and other types of professionals that I might need is to use Dave Ramsey’s ELP program. According to his site, “Endorsed Local Providers (ELP) is a nationwide service that helps you find local experts you can trust. The certified professionals that are recommended are in excellent standing in their industry and provide top-notch customer service.”

So there you have it!

I hope you find the right professional for your business and your personality. They should make you feel enlightened and welcomed. Let me know how it goes and happy hunting!

Keep It Sunny!!

Tax Preparation 101

Are you done with your tax filing yet?

I am sure you are probably shaking your head no and wondering where to start.

Well, have no fear and check out the post I wrote about how to find a tax preparer and other tax tidbits. I am a fellow entrepreneur and not a tax professional so this isn’t advice but reference material to help you in your research.

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What Business Expenses Can I Write Off?

Tax time is here.

Does that statement fill you with stress?

For most people it does. I just want to say upfront that I am not a tax professional and this is not tax advice in any shape or form. What I am is a fellow small business owner and like you are wondering what business expenses can I write off? According to Bench.co and Cogent Analytics, here is a short list of what is currently deductible with the new tax laws that went into effect this year:

1. Office Snacks & meals

2. Company Wide Party

3. Banking Fees

4. Donations to Charity

5. Advertising Deductions

6. Convention and Trade Show Attendance

7. Business and Business Vehicle Insurance Premiums

8. Home Office Expenses

9. Professional Costs like bookkeeping and legal fees

10. Interest on Business Credit Cards and Business Loans

11. Education Expenses

12. Wages and Salaries

13. Taxes Previously Paid

14. Non-Cash Rewards and Gifts

This is just a short list of what you can write off according to these sites. Do you have a tax professional to help you get this squared away? if not check out The Endorsed Local Provider program that is on Dave Ramsey’s site. It is a location specific directory where you can research professionals who have this expertise to help you get through this tax season stress-free. And if you need help to get your books in order to give to your tax professional I am always here to help.

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Help Wanted

I hope you are enjoying the holiday season with your family. This time is very magical and filled with fun. I hate to bring up taxes right in the middle of this fun time of year but hey we are business owners and it’s that time. :)

So do you have a CPA?

If the answer is no then check out Dave Ramsey’s ELP program. ELP stands for endorsed local provider and this is where you can start researching and hopefully find a CPA for your business.

I know you don’t want to think about this but it’s good to get this taken care of so you won’t be in a panic once the new year starts.

Keep It Sunny!

IT's Tax Time

We are getting down to the wire and the end of the year is upon us. Soon we will be in the year 2019 (which sounds very futuristic:) and the tax season will be in full swing.

Are you ready?

According to a stat on Entrepreneur.com, “50% of small businesses in the U.S. spend more than 40 hours a year managing their federal taxes.” That doesn’t sound like fun at all.

Check out this short list to help you not become a part of this statistic:

1. Have a bookkeeping professional help you get your books in order.

2. Gather your receipts and supporting documents

3. Find a CPA that fits your personality & business

Here are some resources for you to check out to help you with these 3 checklist items:

CPA On Fire - Here is an article/video on how to find the best tax preparer for you.

Fit Small Business.com - Here is an article on how to find a bookkeeper who is right for you.

Startups.com - Here is an article on how to best manage those pesky receipts.

I hope this will be helpful to you as you wind down your year and get ready for the one ahead.

Keep it Sunny!

Ready Set Go!

The end of the year is here. I don’t know about you but it seems like it got here really quick. I hope this year was one of your best ones yet and that all the goals you set have come to pass. If not then check out my previous post on how to start fresh with new goals in 2019. This is a busy time of the year for many reasons but don’t forget tax time is just around the corner. Next week I will chat with you about how you can get organized and ready for your favorite CPA. If you don’t have one yet then I will give you some places you might want to check out.

Have an awesome day and as always Keep it Sunny!

:)

The Tax Time Clock Is Ticking and Making A Mistake Will Cost You Big Time!

We are here my fellow entrepreneurs. And just like you I hate tax time and don't want to pay any unnecessary money to good ole uncle sam. Read this article to learn how to avoid givin your money away. Also, now is a good time to put a process in place to get your business receipts in order. If you want to use your expenses as a write off then you need actual receipts because bank statements will not substitute. I hope you gain some useful tips to help you navigate the sharky waters of tax time.

Keep It Sunny.