Posts Tagged ‘small business’
Small Business to be Hit Hard by New SECA Rules
June 16th, 2010 | 
Author: 
IRS closing S-Corp Tax Loop Holes
As a trusted tax advisor I am in the position of researching new proposed tax laws and passing that information on to my clients. Sometimes a new bill comes along that I feel is important for my clients and readers to get a heads up on due to the major tax implications. This latest bill has quietly moved through the House and is on its way up the ladder.
Posted in Business Finance, Self Employment, taxes | 
Tags: American Rcovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, audits, capital gains, H.R. 4213, Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, House Ways and Means Committee, IRS, Medicare, personal services income, S Corporations, SECA, self employment tax, small business, sole proprietorship, tax, tax law, tax loop hole, tax loophole, taxable income | 
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Bad Debts Gone Wild: Part III, Business Debt
Business failure can leave you feeling totally de-railed
In the last part of this series, we covered the consumer side of bad debt charge-offs and how the IRS handles that from a tax perspective. Today I want to delve into the business side of bad debt charge-offs. This side of things is usually quite complex and hard to generalize but I will attempt to keep my “tax guru” side in check and you on board. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Business Finance, taxes |
Tags: 1099-C, accounting, business assets, canceled debts, discharged debt, net worth, ordinary business loss, recession, small business, tax, taxable income, taxes |
4 Comments »
Fast and Easy Cash Accounting….oh, it’s Accrual World
Holy Cow! I'm Not Equipped to Make These Decisions Yet!
Accrual Method or Cash Method Accounting?
New to Self-Employment Business Orientation: How to Avoid Tax Problems & Pave the Way to Success
Today people have more choices than ever before when it comes to making a living. Even those who keep their regular full time positions as employees are taking on side work as independent contractors and some are choosing to make the leap to full time self employment or starting their own small business.
Make sure you have your “parachute” packed when making the leap from employee to sole proprietor!
Finding the Right Accountant to Help Build Your Business
You know you need an accountant to help you figure out your financials and you’re worried about the looming possibility of being hit with a big tax bill in the spring. The problem is, you’ve heard horror stories from friends and family about awful accountants. So now you’re left wondering, how do you know what you’re getting yourself into?
Last week I went over the different types of accountancy services generally available to business owners. This week I wanted to follow up with some advice on an even more individual level: finding an accounting professional you can get along with, communicate with and work with. Yes, that’s a big deal.
How to (Really) Find A Good Accountant
I’ve noticed there has been quite a lot written about finding a good accountant but most of it tends to generalize rather than offering detailed advice to help consumers base their decisions on. So I will do my best to keep it brief, but I will also aim to provide you with some meaty information that can really help you in choosing an accounting service for your business. I should mention here that this post is mainly geared toward business owners, but the same principles generally apply to individuals as well. I should also mention that this discussion is full of generalities when I describe the different types of accountants and accounting solutions available.
Waiting until tax time to hire your accountant / bookkeper / accounting firm is is akin to waiting until labor begins to choose the doctor who’s going to deliver your baby!
Its Here & There Is No Escape: Business Tax Return Deadline Sept. 15
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the time for putting off your business tax return is over. But, of course, you’ve already turned in your paperwork to your Accounting professional and you’re all set to go because you know corporate and partnership tax returns are due September 15, 2009 (assuming an extension was filed), right? So there’s no need to also mention that individual tax returns are due October 15, 2009 (again assuming an extension was filed)? Uhhh, riiiggghht…
Doh! I forgot to file my taxes!
Posted in Business Finance, taxes |
Tags: accounting, extensions, good business practices, late filing, small business, tax, tax law, tax return, taxes |
2 Comments »
Singin' the AR Blues (Part 3) Collecting Past Due Invoices
So now that you have set up new AR policies what is to be done about the business’s that already owe you money? Well, now is the time you have to become resolute in your mission to preserve your business and take action to collect the debt owed to you. I won’t tell you this is an easy or pleasant prospect. On the contrary, you will be facing clients you may have worked with for years and this may be the first time you’ve ever had to deal with them being delinquent. Keep this in mind and approach the matter in a sensitive manner with the thought of preserving the relationship for future transactions if possible.
Unfortunately, you are looking at self preservation at this point and a line needs to be drawn. So, your first step will be putting your client’s account on hold until payment is received. You may want to offer to allow a prepaid account for future services and invoices so you know current services are covered while they are paying off their past invoices.
Posted in Business Finance |
Tags: Accounts Receivable, billing, bookkeeping, business communication, collecting a debt, collecting on past due invoices, collection practices, debt collection, first party collections, invoicing, invoicing policy, non paying clients, prepaid accounts, small business |
2 Comments »
Singin’ The AR Blues? How To Get Your Business Mojo Workin’ Again (Part 2)
In our previous blog we began exploring the benefits of changing your invoicing policy and how that one small change can effectively save you from becoming a casualty of your clients cash flow problems. Today we are looking at the specifics as to how to go about putting that plan into action.
Very few business owners start their company with the goal of becoming collection agents, so being put in that position can lead to avoidance. You have a personal relationship with your clients and it can become an emotional issue for many small business owners—who wants to add stress to people you know are already struggling? So let’s take the emotional baggage out of the equation by setting up some simple guidelines that communicate your expectations and provide more up to date information for your clients that will help them better budget their payments so you get to avoid being “the bad guy”.
Posted in Business Finance |
Tags: A/R, accounting, accounting software, Accounts Re, billing, business communication, cash crunch, cash flow problems, economic crisis, economic downturn, good business practices, invoicing, invoicing policy, non paying clients, recession, small business |
3 Comments »
Singin’ The AR Blues? How To Get Your Business Mojo Workin’ Again
So you are a business owner. The economy is looking grim, but so far your clients keep calling and new people are walking in the door every week. So far, so good right? Until you start noticing a frightening new trend…your clients who have been so happy about using your product or service aren’t so happy about paying their bill at the end of the month. All of a sudden your cash flow is in jeopardy and the economic crunch has just landed on your doorstep. What now?
With the economy in disarray, many businesses are faced with this scenario that not only causes cash flow to slow to an alarming trickle; it actually adds the additional cost of trying to collect from slow or non-paying clients. Most business owners don’t realize this is actually an added expense but once you take into account the time invested in trying to collect on services/products rendered that could be used to generate new revenue, the added systems needed to check clients’ credit worthiness, the time needed to monitor payment collections, send delinquent account collection notices and, in extreme circumstances, make phone calls and visit non-paying clients, it is easy to see how quickly the additional expense adds up.