Has your small business procrastinated in setting up a retirement plan? You might want to take a look at a SIMPLE IRA. SIMPLE stands for “savings incentive match plan for employees.” If you decide you’re interested in this type of retirement plan, you must establish...
Paying the proper amount of tax by the annual federal income tax filing deadline isn’t always enough to avoid penalties and interest; you must also meet requirements for paying tax throughout the year through withholding and/or quarterly estimated tax payments. If you...
Employers must withhold income and employment taxes (including Social Security) on wages paid to their employees. The taxes must then be paid over to the IRS according to a payroll tax deposit schedule. Some business owners and executives facing a cash flow crunch may...
If you run your business as an S corporation, you’re probably both a shareholder and an employee. As such, the corporation pays you a salary that reflects the work you do for the business — and you (and your company) must remit payroll tax on some or all of your...
The IRS may object to the compensation of a C corporation shareholder-employee. If it’s deemed too high — or not “reasonable” under the circumstances — the IRS could force you to make adjustments that increase taxes. This can be particularly troublesome for C...
Many businesses use independent contractors to keep payroll taxes and fringe benefit costs down. But using outside workers may result in other problems. The IRS often questions businesses about whether a worker should be classified as an employee or independent...
You can only deduct losses from an S corporation, partnership or LLC if you “materially participate” in the business. Without material participation, your losses are generally “passive” and can only be used to offset income from other passive activities. Any excess...
When the deductible expenses of a business exceed its income, a net operating loss (NOL) generally occurs. If you’re planning ahead or filing your income tax return after an extension request and you find that your business has a qualifying NOL, there’s some good...
Business owners may need capital to support growth, and the money in their IRA can be tempting. Nevertheless, the pitfalls can be steep, as illustrated in a recent Tax Court case (Thiessen v. Commissioner, 146 T.C. No. 7 [3/29/16]). Here, the court ruled that because...
You might be able to claim a deduction for the business use of a home office. If you qualify, you can deduct a portion of expenses, including rent or mortgage interest, depreciation, utilities, insurance, and repairs. The exact amount that can be deducted depends on...
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