70: Be Prepared To File Your Business Tax Return Whether You Are Starting A Business
70: Be Prepared To File Your Business Tax Return Whether You Are Starting A Business, You Are Self-Employed, A Solopreneur, Entrepreneur, Small Business Owner, Remote Virtual Online Bookkeeper, Virtual Assistant Or VA
As a business owner, it is important to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to tax preparation. You want to make sure that you are ready for any unexpected decrease in expenses or increases in income so that you don't have any surprises when it comes time to pay your taxes. The rules and regulations change every year, and if you are not prepared you could end up paying more taxes than necessary. In today's podcast episode, I'm discussing a few tips for getting ready for your tax preparation. Another thing to consider is whether or not you have been taking advantage of all available deductions and credits regardless of if you are just getting started with your business, you're a self-employed individual, a solopreneur, entrepreneur, small business owner, a remote, virtual, online or in-house bookkeeper, or a virtual assistant or VA. There are many deductions and credits available to business owners and they can vary. Listen in so that you can follow these tips, to ensure that your business is in compliance with the latest tax laws and that you are taking advantage of all the deductions available to you. It doesn't matter if you are using a computerized software system like QuickBooks, Xero, Wave, or FreshBooks for your business finances, or if you are doing your bookkeeping manually with an Excel spreadsheet or even a Google document, this episode will be helpful for you...
Apply to join the Mastering Your Small Business Finances CEO Mastermind or the Elevate Your Bookkeeping Business GROW Mastermind group:
Grab Your FREE guide: 5 Essential Strategies For Stress-Free Bookkeeping:
Looking for a payroll solution for your business? You can get an exclusive 15% discount on your payroll services when you sign up here:
Looking for an extremely beneficial online bookkeeping resource? Join us in our Mastering Your Small Business Finances Membership where you can ask questions and get answers regarding your specific business. We dive deeper into the topics on this podcast, provide additional resources and accountability:
Fill out the Contact Us form or schedule a call if you have a question or need help with your bookkeeping or payroll:
Your FREE Online Virtual Bookkeeping Business Starter Guide & Success Path is waiting for you:
Sign up for a virtual coffee chat to see if starting a Bookkeeping Business is right for you:
Join Our Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenbusinessownersultimatediybookkeepingboutique
Are you a bookkeeper looking to start, grow or scale your bookkeeping business? Join our FREE bookkeeper community here:
QuickBooks Online - Save 50% Your First 3 Months:
Show Notes:
As a business owner, it is important to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to tax preparation. You want to make sure that you are ready for any unexpected decrease in expenses or increases in income so that you don't have any surprises when it comes time to pay your taxes. The rules and regulations change every year, and if you are not prepared you could end up paying more taxes than necessary. In today's podcast episode, I'm discussing a few tips for getting ready for your tax preparation. Another thing to consider is whether or not you have been taking advantage of all available deductions and credits regardless of if you are just getting started with your business, you're a self-employed individual, a solopreneur, entrepreneur, small business owner, a remote, virtual, online or in-house bookkeeper, or a virtual assistant or VA. There are many deductions and credits available to business owners and they can vary. Listen in so that you can follow these tips, to ensure that your business is in compliance with the latest tax laws and that you are taking advantage of all the deductions available to you. It doesn't matter if you are using a computerized software system like QuickBooks, Xero, Wave, or FreshBooks for your business finances, or if you are doing your bookkeeping manually with an Excel spreadsheet or even a Google document, this episode will be helpful for you...
Welcome Back...Tax time can be stressful. However, it doesn't have to be if you are prepared. As a business owner, there are a few things you can do to make the process easier. The tips I cover today are for the typical small business owner to help you overcome the overwhelm when it comes to getting information ready to file your business tax return.
The first step in being prepared for your tax preparation is to gather all your financial information. This includes all of your business income and expenses for the year. Most tax preparers will ask you to have a Balance Sheet and a Profit and Loss Report prepared for them so that they know you have all of your transactions accounted for. If you are using a computerized bookkeeping software solution, you can usually get these reports with one click of a button if you have all of your bookkeeping up to date. If you are using a spreadsheet like Excel or Google sheets, you can set up your spreadsheet to get this information as well. If you don't have these financial reports and you'd like your tax preparer to generate these for you, make sure you have your documentation for all the money coming in and going out of your business, so they are able to generate these reports for you. Information such as invoices, receipts, and bank statements will help your tax preparer with all the information they need. If you are unsure about which expenses are deductible, make sure you consult with your tax professional to ensure you are taking advantage of all the tax deductions available to you.
If you are doing your own bookkeeping and you are preparing your Balance Sheet and Profit and Loss Report, you will want to make sure you record every transaction you’ve made throughout the year, reconcile each of your accounts and review your information prior to sending it to your tax preparer. You can compare your current year to your last year to see if there are any large variances, and if so, dig a little deeper to make sure you can justify the difference. For example, if you know that your insurance expenses went up considerably more than the prior year, are you able to justify this with an increase in premiums? If not, you may need to dig a little deeper to make sure that you don't have another expense accidentally recorded in this account. This is also a great time to review your expenses and see how they are in alignment with the prior year. If you find that you are spending more money than usual on certain business expenses, see if there are any ways you can reduce those costs.
Once you have reviewed your income and expenses, it is time to calculate your taxable income. Your taxable income is generally your net income on your Profit and Loss Statement, although there may be some adjustments. This number will be used when determining how much taxable income will be coming from your business. If you are a sole proprietor, your taxable income will be included on your individual tax return. If you have a partnership or S-Corporation, you’ll need to file a separate tax return and the taxable income from the business will be passed through to your personal tax return and taxed at your individual rate.
Now that you have calculated your taxable income, it is time to report it on your tax return. This includes all of your business income and deductions for the year. I highly recommend when you have a business that you have a professional prepare your tax return, especially if you have a partnership or a corporation or S-Corporation. These entities require a separate return, and these returns can get complicated. The most important thing is to make sure that everything is accurate and filed on time which is why you want to have a professional working on this for you. Schedule an appointment with your tax preparer early, or at least make sure that you touch base with your tax preparer early in the tax season to see if there are any additional items they would like to receive from you to prepare your tax return. If you are not able to meet with your tax preparer in person, that shouldn’t be a problem. Most tax preparers are able to work with you remotely, or you can simply drop off or upload your tax documents in their secure portal.
By following these tips, you can ensure that your business is not only prepared with everything needed to file your business return, but you are also in compliance with the latest tax laws, and you are taking advantage of all the deductions available to you. Tax preparation can seem daunting, but by breaking it down into simple steps it can make this task a little more trouble-free. I hope these tips have helped clear up any questions you had about filing your taxes. If you still feel like you are struggling to have your business prepared for filing your tax return, let’s schedule a time to chat. I am opening up a few dates in my calendar to help you as one of my podcast listeners be prepared for this tax season. If you haven’t started your bookkeeping for last year yet, what are you waiting for? The tax deadline will be here before you know it. I am able to offer remote sessions where you and I can work together on your actual data to get caught up or to set up your own individual strategy plan so that you know exactly what you need to do to have your bookkeeping up to date. We can start from scratch or if you’ve already started recording your transactions but have that odd feeling that something just isn’t quite right, we’ll walk through it together. You can schedule either a one-hour session or sign up for one of my VIP days where we can really dig in and get you caught up. This option is great for those of you who may need to work on your last year’s information so that you can have everything ready to file your tax return. If you’d like to schedule some one on one time with me, you can go to www.FinancialAdventure.com/Contact-Us and sign up for a call so that we can discuss your specific needs for your business.
If you are interested in joining one of my mastermind groups, where other business owners who are facing the same issues and struggles as you meet on a monthly basis so that you can gain the insight, knowledge and accountability they each have to offer, you can go to www.FinancialAdventure.com/Mastermind to apply. I have a couple of mastermind and coaching groups which are advantageous for both your development as a business owner and the success and growth of your business. Our masterminds cover many of the significant topics you run into in your business. If you are looking for one on one consulting, you are ready to be laser focused on the achievements you want to accomplish and you are looking for an intimate setting with a small group of business owners who have a similar vision as you to raise your business to the next level, there are two masterminds for you to choose from. The Mastering Your Small Business Finances CEO Mastermind is an elite mastermind group for entrepreneurs & business owners who want to level up their business and reach their business goals faster and more efficiently with an experienced, trusted, and knowledgeable group of members who want to help you as much as they are looking for help themselves. The second is the Elevate Your Bookkeeping Business GROW Mastermind. This mastermind is for bookkeepers who want to grow and expand their bookkeeping business by leveraging the experience and knowledge from other bookkeepers and accountants who are looking to add clients and increase profits in their bookkeeping business as well. Both mastermind options are perfect for you if you are ready to grow your business and desire the input, guidance, and feedback from other successful entrepreneurs, whether you are just getting started in your business, or if you’ve been in business for a while. I’ll post links to these and other valuable resources for business owners and bookkeepers where you are listening to this podcast and in the show notes.
And, you know I’m going to ask…what’s at least one thing you will take away from this episode that will help your business succeed and grow your bottom line? If you need some accountability, join our PRIVATE Facebook community, and post your action item, we’d love to support you.
