The Small Business Tax Help Blog

Posts Tagged ‘tools’

The Obama Deception HQ Full length version

What Qualifies as a Business Expense?

Question: Small Business Taxes? I am thinking of starting a small business.. Our new president is talking of tax?

breaks for small businesses.. but right now I am forming a small business plan, and need to know about how much taxes are for small businesses. I am sure there is a tax for whatever the community charges, and then county taxes and then federal taxes.. it takes my breath away just thinking about it. Just wondering what a small business that makes say 50 grand a year to (wishful thinking 100,000) a year would overall pay out in taxes… I would really like someone to throw out some “tentative numbers”… if you can. If you know of a “quick” site that launches some numbers that would be nice too. thanks

Answer: There’s really no way to say with any accuracy. I’ve yet to see a good business plan that addressed income taxes. Income taxes are what they are and there’s not a lot that you can do about them. The only taxes that your business plan would address are those taxes that the business will have to pay regardless of what the profits are. Those would include property taxes, sales taxes on items used in course of the business, payroll taxes (as part of your employee costs), etc.

Assuming that you’re operating as a Sole Proprietor, the business income is reported on your personal income tax return and is taxed there. Only the net profit is subject to taxation. You’ll pay self-employment taxes at roughly 14.1% on the first $106,800 of net profit for 2009 and 2.7% beyond that. The income tax will depend upon the usual variables such as other taxable income, marital status, number of dependents, itemized deductions, credits, etc.

As far as what impact future legislation might have, ignore that until it becomes law and then adjust your business plan accordingly. A business plan is not a static document; it must be regularly updated as laws change and your business goals change.

As your business operates you need to stay on top of the finances on a regular basis. You’ll need to make quarterly estimated income tax payments but may well need to adjust those up or down as your profit picture changes.

I’d strongly urge a consultation with a CPA or EA who specializes in small business issues and taxation before you start. They will help you develop your business plan, set up a bookkeeping system that will pass the IRS muster, and project your required tax payments.

If you need a VERY rough “cocktail napkin” estimate, start with 30% of the net profit for Federal income and self-employment taxes, plus whatever your state’s income tax rate is. If you get lucky and your business really takes off that may rise significantly (up to a point; once you hit the Social Security earnings cap it will drop for a while) but you’ll have the profits to pay the taxes from as well as a lot more money for YOU at the end of the day.

There are 3 primary reasons why new small businesses fail. In order of importance:

1. Failure to plan. The cocktail napkin is a starting point only. The primary goal is to generate taxable income. NEVER lose sight of that!

2. Inadequate capitalization. You can replace a lot of liquid capital with “sweat equity” but be prepared to work upwards of 80 hours per week to get it off the ground.

3. Failure to manage the entire business. Fretting about taxes and forgetting to generate taxable income in the first place will kill you in a matter of months.

Rep. Fred Upton Fighting for Small Business, Calls for Repeal of Harmful 1099 Tax Provision

Quad Commentary | Black Ops | Ein kleines Gerede zum Coop von MW3 [HD]

Question: what paperwork do i need to file in order to start a business?

articles of incorporation (do i need these no matter what?)
employee identification number (TIN/EIN)
business licenses (this is a vague one)

Answer: It depends on what type of business are you trying to start. Is it just you, is it a corporation?

1. Start with an EIN first
2. then file for a business license with your State Secretary’s office ( do a search on line) Some states you can file on line
3. Then see what other licenses you might need ex. vendors license

I checked out www.worldwidebrands.com There are some great FREE ebooks that tell you where to start, to open a legal business.

Ein – Han Tun + Tin Zar Maw