Money Management - March 2005

Keep More of What You Earn

Small Business Tax Checklist

Running a successful small business takes time, talent and a little tax know-how. Here are some tax tips, brought to you by the Nevada Society of CPAs, that can prevent you from overlooking valuable deductions and assist you in managing the tax liability for your small business.

Health Insurance: On 2004 tax returns, self-employed taxpayers can deduct 100 percent of their health insurance costs.

Retirement Plans: The rules governing eligibility, contribution limits and deadlines vary depending on whether you have an IRA, SEP or Keogh. But one thing is for sure: contributing to a qualified retirement plan is a great way to reduce your tax bill and save for your future.

Business Use of Car: If you use your car for business, you can deduct expenses proportionate to your business use. One option is to maintain records of your actual expenses, such as gas, oil, repairs, insurance and depreciation. Or you can use the IRS’s standard mileage rate, which is 37.5 cents per business mile for 2004. Parking and tolls are fully deductible regardless of which method you choose.

Family Employees: Self-employed business owners can reduce their overall income tax liability by hiring their children to help out. For 2004, your child could have earned up to $4,850, tax-free. Hiring your child shifts income from a higher to a lower tax bracket, and the salary gets deducted as a business expense, as long as the work done by your child is bona fide.

Section 179 Expensing Deduction: When you buy new or used computers, copiers, software, office furniture or other business property, you can deduct 100 percent of the cost in the year it is placed in service rather than depreciating it over a number of years. For 2004, the expensing deduction is set at $102,000 (adjusted for inflation) and phases out dollar-for-dollar when total purchases for the year exceed $410,000.

Travel and Meal Expenses: The cost of travel by plane, train or auto and your lodging is 100 percent deductible as long as the travel was related to business. You also may deduct 50 percent of the cost of your meals while traveling.

Business Expenses: Ordinary and necessary business expenses can be deducted. Deductible expenses include advertising and promotion, bank service fees, office supplies, interest on business credit cards and loans, subscriptions for magazines and journals related to your profession, postage, uniforms or special work clothing, and more.

Home Office: To deduct expenses related to a home office, you must prove that the home office was (1) used exclusively and on a regular basis either as a place of business to meet with clients in the normal course of business or (2) it is used for management and administrative activities of your business and you have no other fixed location where you can do a substantial amount of such administrative work.

Keeping well-organized and accurate records will simplify the task of preparing your tax return and protect your deductions should your return be subject to an audit. Many small businesses pay more taxes than necessary, often as a result of missed deductions and lack of awareness about tax law changes. A CPA can help your small business make the most of all the available tax benefits.