by: Daniel Lamaute
As a sole proprietor, it*s wise to familiarize yourself with the some key deductions that may reduce your tax bill for 2004. Small-business consultants generally recommend that you hire an accountant to prepare your tax returns, payroll and financial statements. But you should also meet with your accountant well before the year-end rush to discuss such matters as tax planning, and record keeping for tax deductions.
Seven common small business tax deductions:
1. Employee Benefit Plans - You may deduct contributions to employee benefit plans (such as health insurance plans and retirement plans). Depending on your circumstances the maximum contribution that you may deduct per employee in a qualified retirement plan can go up to:
$100,000 or more For a Defined Benefit Plan
$44,000 For a 401(k) plan
$41,000 For a SEP-IRA or Keogh
2. Automobile Expenses- You can elect to deduct the actual expenses incurred (including gas, oil, tires, repairs, insurance, depreciation, and rent or lease payments) for the business-related portion of your car or truck expenses, or simply take the 2004 standard mileage rate of 37.5 cents per business mile.
3. Taxes - You may deduct Social Security and Medicaid taxes paid to match required withholdings on employee wages, federal unemployment taxes, sales taxes and real estate or personal property taxes paid on business assets.
4. Home Office - Depending on whether you use your home or other real estate for business purposes, you may deduct some or all of any mortgage interest paid, as well as some or all of the maintenance and repair expenses associated with the property. The cost of utilities and business supplies associated with business use are also deductible.
5. Depreciation - Depreciation may be taken on passenger cars, equipment used for entertainment or recreational purposes (i.e., photographic equipment, cell phones and computers), as long as these items are used solely for the business.
6. Professional Fees - You can deduct professional fees, such as those paid to a lawyer or accountant.
7. Meals and Entertainment - You may deduct 50 percent of meal and entertainment expenses directly associated with the conduct of your business.
Remember to keep on file the records and documentation necessary to substantiate all of your deductions.
About The Author
Daniel Lamaute, of Lamaute Capital, Inc. specializes in setting up retirement plans for small business owners.
http://www.InvestSafe.com
Friday, June 22, 2007
Succes And Business Intelligence Hand In Hand
by: Derek Gardner
A business without succes in some degree is not good. Succes comes from either growth in the number of customers or in the numbers of sales you do per customer. Business Intelligence can assist a company to gain new customers and keep hold of old ones. And by keeping old customers longer time you earn more money from them because of more sales to them.
Business intelligence can be shortened to BI. A definition of business intelligence is that it is a method of collecting information on your business. Information is enhanced into knowledge. Business Intelligence can present every business a precise idea of its customer’s requirements. Businesses that have huge amounts of information about their customer’s can take action upon that information. Businesses implementing BI add knowledge and understanding of a customer’s desires and decision-making process. Also the financial, cultural and technological trend of the customer is revealed. By using businesses intelligence, businesses choose either short term or long goals. BI helps a company accomplish those goals.
The idea behind Business Intelligence
The idea of business intelligence is to know your own strengths and weaknesses, and the strengths and weaknesses of your competion as well. Simply understanding the customer is not sufficient. BI is the method of gaining information about every element of your market. This is the fundamental idea in today’s business intelligence. Companies must know themselves better than their competitors, and they must know their competitors better.
Business Intelligence Tools
A company using business intelligence has to accumulate a huge amount of information. BI tools can help businesses sort out, store and even bring together business data. Some data tools are data modeling, data mining and data warehouses. Using data tools helps to progress the effectiveness of business intelligence. At the same time as data tools are used for organization, Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) is used in the analyzing process. OLAP is usually referred to as plain analytics, which is based on the hypercube dimensional analysis. A vendor can help your business with business intelligence as well. They provide the business intelligence tools and support needed for a successful implementation of the business process. And something important, support.
Business Intelligence final word
The better a business understand its market, the more successful that business can be. Businesses that have as totalunderstanding of what their customers need and want will be better able to work out successful strategies and implement successful processes to make their business prosper. Business intelligence is the path that businesses can take to accomplish their goals, which can be both short-term and long-term.
Some may question on the ROI of business intelligence. There is no doubt that, if a company ends up getting hold of numerous customers, and retaining existing customers as a result of business intelligence, then it will be a positive ROI. Business intelligence, if implemented right and professionally, will help your business.
About The Author
Derek Gardner
Huge amount of Business Intelligence quality Information on this site. Go pay a visit today. http://www.businessintelligence.infostairs.com
A business without succes in some degree is not good. Succes comes from either growth in the number of customers or in the numbers of sales you do per customer. Business Intelligence can assist a company to gain new customers and keep hold of old ones. And by keeping old customers longer time you earn more money from them because of more sales to them.
Business intelligence can be shortened to BI. A definition of business intelligence is that it is a method of collecting information on your business. Information is enhanced into knowledge. Business Intelligence can present every business a precise idea of its customer’s requirements. Businesses that have huge amounts of information about their customer’s can take action upon that information. Businesses implementing BI add knowledge and understanding of a customer’s desires and decision-making process. Also the financial, cultural and technological trend of the customer is revealed. By using businesses intelligence, businesses choose either short term or long goals. BI helps a company accomplish those goals.
The idea behind Business Intelligence
The idea of business intelligence is to know your own strengths and weaknesses, and the strengths and weaknesses of your competion as well. Simply understanding the customer is not sufficient. BI is the method of gaining information about every element of your market. This is the fundamental idea in today’s business intelligence. Companies must know themselves better than their competitors, and they must know their competitors better.
Business Intelligence Tools
A company using business intelligence has to accumulate a huge amount of information. BI tools can help businesses sort out, store and even bring together business data. Some data tools are data modeling, data mining and data warehouses. Using data tools helps to progress the effectiveness of business intelligence. At the same time as data tools are used for organization, Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) is used in the analyzing process. OLAP is usually referred to as plain analytics, which is based on the hypercube dimensional analysis. A vendor can help your business with business intelligence as well. They provide the business intelligence tools and support needed for a successful implementation of the business process. And something important, support.
Business Intelligence final word
The better a business understand its market, the more successful that business can be. Businesses that have as totalunderstanding of what their customers need and want will be better able to work out successful strategies and implement successful processes to make their business prosper. Business intelligence is the path that businesses can take to accomplish their goals, which can be both short-term and long-term.
Some may question on the ROI of business intelligence. There is no doubt that, if a company ends up getting hold of numerous customers, and retaining existing customers as a result of business intelligence, then it will be a positive ROI. Business intelligence, if implemented right and professionally, will help your business.
About The Author
Derek Gardner
Huge amount of Business Intelligence quality Information on this site. Go pay a visit today. http://www.businessintelligence.infostairs.com
The Seven Deadly Tax Sins: Commonly Missed Deductions
by: Sandra N. Salter
It's that time again, the April 15 tax deadline is looming large. If youre like most people, you havent gathered all of your tax records, let alone filled your return.
Before you dig in and get started, take this opportunity to first review a list of a few tax deductions to which you may be entitled if you itemize deductions but most people overlook. Many of these deductions are subject to various limitations, so consider getting professional help from your tax advisor and accountant to determine which deductions you qualify for and which items apply to your specific circumstances. Remember, there are hundreds of deductions throughout the tax laws; many of them can be quite obscure but also quite lucrative. Here are seven commonly missed deductions to keep top of mind:
Points on Refinancing: With interest rates so low in 2003, there was a great deal of refinancing activity. Any points you pay to refinance your home can be deducted ratably over the life of the new loan. Furthermore, all unamortized points on old refinancing are deducted in the year of the new refinancing.
Health Insurance Premiums: Any health insurance premiums you pay, including some long-term care premiums based on your age, are potentially deductible. Medical expenses have to reach 7.5% of your adjusted gross income before they give you any tax benefit. Self-employed people can deduct 100% of health insurance premiums paid for themselves, their spouses and their dependents.
Non-Cash Charitable Contributions: If you have used your charge card for contributions to charity, remember that the deduction is allowed in the year that you made the charge, not when you actually pay the bill. Also, you may write off certain out-of-pocket expenses related to charitable activities. Appraisal fees paid to value property donated to charities may be taken as a miscellaneous deduction subject to the 2% floor on miscellaneous deductions.
Higher-Education Expenses: If your adjusted gross income wasnt more than $65,000 ($130,000 for married, filing jointly) in 2003, you can get an above-the-line deduction for as much as $3,000 for any higher-education tuition and fee expense you paid. For 2004, the deduction can be as much as $4,000. For those at higher adjusted gross incomes limits ($80,000 single, $160,000 married filing jointly) the deduction is limited to $2,000 for 2004. This deduction must be coordinated with other education credits and savings vehicles.
Work-Related Expenses: You can write off many work-related and work-search expenses, such as education that maintains or improves your skills, certain business tools, dues to labor unions, cell phone depreciation, certain expenses to search for job in your present occupation, including employment agency fees, resum preparation, and travel expenses (local and out of town) and cleaning and laundry bills when on a business trip. Work-related expenses are subject to the 2% floor on miscellaneous deductions. Furthermore, if you buy a new SUV for business use that weighs more 6,000 pounds, and file Schedule C or other business tax return you may be allowed to write off the full amount (up to $102,000 in 2004) in one year as a business expense subject to limitations.
Clean-Fuel Deduction: If you are not in the market for a large SUV for business, you still can get a deduction for your personal car, another above-the-line deduction of up to $2,000 for 2003 ($1,500 for 2004) of the cost of buying a clean-fuel vehicle or a car that uses a significant source of energy other than gasoline. That includes hybrid cars, such as the Toyota Prius, the Honda Insight and the Honda Civic Hybrid. You get the deduction in the year you start using the car, and you must be the original owner.
Investment and Tax Expenses: In addition to forgetting to deduct tax-preparation fees and the portion of your legal, accounting or financial planner fees that relate to tax planning, many people miss deducting investment expenses. Those include certain fees paid to your financial advisor and/or broker and certain IRA fees you may pay directly. It also may include mileage for meetings and long-distance phone calls to your advisor or broker. Dont forget to include deductions for the cost of your investment publications or subscriptions, safe deposit boxes used for investment-related documents, these deductions are subject to the 2% floor on miscellaneous deductions.
About The Author
Sandra N. Salter, Personal Finance Expert, is an American Express Financial Advisor and owner of American Express Financial Advisors Branch Office in Newark, NJ. She focuses on providing comprehensive financial planning services paying close attention to the long-term financial health of their clients, building customized financial plans that help clients achieve both short-term and long-term goals. The types of services she offers clients include: Income Tax Planning, Saving and Investing for Retirement, Working with Retirees, Financial Strategies for Small Business, Domestic Partner Planning, Risk Protection Planning, Estate Planning, Charitable Giving , Investment Strategies for Education , Asset Allocation and Comprehensive Financial Planning, among other areas. They can be reached at sandra.n.salter@aexp.com.
It's that time again, the April 15 tax deadline is looming large. If youre like most people, you havent gathered all of your tax records, let alone filled your return.
Before you dig in and get started, take this opportunity to first review a list of a few tax deductions to which you may be entitled if you itemize deductions but most people overlook. Many of these deductions are subject to various limitations, so consider getting professional help from your tax advisor and accountant to determine which deductions you qualify for and which items apply to your specific circumstances. Remember, there are hundreds of deductions throughout the tax laws; many of them can be quite obscure but also quite lucrative. Here are seven commonly missed deductions to keep top of mind:
Points on Refinancing: With interest rates so low in 2003, there was a great deal of refinancing activity. Any points you pay to refinance your home can be deducted ratably over the life of the new loan. Furthermore, all unamortized points on old refinancing are deducted in the year of the new refinancing.
Health Insurance Premiums: Any health insurance premiums you pay, including some long-term care premiums based on your age, are potentially deductible. Medical expenses have to reach 7.5% of your adjusted gross income before they give you any tax benefit. Self-employed people can deduct 100% of health insurance premiums paid for themselves, their spouses and their dependents.
Non-Cash Charitable Contributions: If you have used your charge card for contributions to charity, remember that the deduction is allowed in the year that you made the charge, not when you actually pay the bill. Also, you may write off certain out-of-pocket expenses related to charitable activities. Appraisal fees paid to value property donated to charities may be taken as a miscellaneous deduction subject to the 2% floor on miscellaneous deductions.
Higher-Education Expenses: If your adjusted gross income wasnt more than $65,000 ($130,000 for married, filing jointly) in 2003, you can get an above-the-line deduction for as much as $3,000 for any higher-education tuition and fee expense you paid. For 2004, the deduction can be as much as $4,000. For those at higher adjusted gross incomes limits ($80,000 single, $160,000 married filing jointly) the deduction is limited to $2,000 for 2004. This deduction must be coordinated with other education credits and savings vehicles.
Work-Related Expenses: You can write off many work-related and work-search expenses, such as education that maintains or improves your skills, certain business tools, dues to labor unions, cell phone depreciation, certain expenses to search for job in your present occupation, including employment agency fees, resum preparation, and travel expenses (local and out of town) and cleaning and laundry bills when on a business trip. Work-related expenses are subject to the 2% floor on miscellaneous deductions. Furthermore, if you buy a new SUV for business use that weighs more 6,000 pounds, and file Schedule C or other business tax return you may be allowed to write off the full amount (up to $102,000 in 2004) in one year as a business expense subject to limitations.
Clean-Fuel Deduction: If you are not in the market for a large SUV for business, you still can get a deduction for your personal car, another above-the-line deduction of up to $2,000 for 2003 ($1,500 for 2004) of the cost of buying a clean-fuel vehicle or a car that uses a significant source of energy other than gasoline. That includes hybrid cars, such as the Toyota Prius, the Honda Insight and the Honda Civic Hybrid. You get the deduction in the year you start using the car, and you must be the original owner.
Investment and Tax Expenses: In addition to forgetting to deduct tax-preparation fees and the portion of your legal, accounting or financial planner fees that relate to tax planning, many people miss deducting investment expenses. Those include certain fees paid to your financial advisor and/or broker and certain IRA fees you may pay directly. It also may include mileage for meetings and long-distance phone calls to your advisor or broker. Dont forget to include deductions for the cost of your investment publications or subscriptions, safe deposit boxes used for investment-related documents, these deductions are subject to the 2% floor on miscellaneous deductions.
About The Author
Sandra N. Salter, Personal Finance Expert, is an American Express Financial Advisor and owner of American Express Financial Advisors Branch Office in Newark, NJ. She focuses on providing comprehensive financial planning services paying close attention to the long-term financial health of their clients, building customized financial plans that help clients achieve both short-term and long-term goals. The types of services she offers clients include: Income Tax Planning, Saving and Investing for Retirement, Working with Retirees, Financial Strategies for Small Business, Domestic Partner Planning, Risk Protection Planning, Estate Planning, Charitable Giving , Investment Strategies for Education , Asset Allocation and Comprehensive Financial Planning, among other areas. They can be reached at sandra.n.salter@aexp.com.
Small Business Tax Deductions for Year End 2004
by: Daniel Lamaute
As a small business owner, it's wise to familiarize yourself with some key deductions that may reduce your tax bill for 2004.
Employee Benefit Plans - You may deduct contributions to employee benefit plans (such as health insurance plans and retirement plans). Depending on your circumstances the maximum contribution that you may deduct per employee in a qualified retirement plan can go up to:
$100,000 or more With a Defined Benefit Plan
$ 44,000 With a 401(k) plan
$ 41,000 With a SEP-IRA or Keogh
Automobile Expenses- You can elect to deduct the actual expenses incurred (including gas, oil, tires, repairs, insurance, depreciation, and rent or lease payments) for the business-related portion of your car or truck expenses, or simply take the 2004 standard mileage rate of 37.5 cents per business mile.
Social Security Taxes - You may deduct Social Security and Medicaid taxes paid to match required withholdings on employee wages, federal unemployment taxes, as well as real estate or personal property taxes paid on business assets.
Home Office - Depending on whether you use your home or other real estate for business purposes, you may deduct some or all of any mortgage interest paid, as well as some or all of the maintenance and repair expenses associated with the property. The cost of utilities and business supplies associated with business use are also deductible.
Depreciation - Depreciation may be taken on passenger cars, equipment used for entertainment or recreational purposes (i.e., photographic equipment, cell phones and computers), as long as these items are used solely for the business.
Bonus Depreciation - The 'bonus' depreciation deduction of up to 50 percent of the cost of new business equipment in the year of purchase applies only to property placed in service on or before December 31, 2004. You may want to consider making any significant equipment purchases before year-end to take advantage of this expiring provision.
Professional Fees - You may deduct professional fees, such as those paid to a lawyer or accountant.
Meals and Entertainment - You may deduct 50 percent of meal and entertainment expenses associated with the conduct of your business.
State and Local General Sales Tax - Beginning in 2004, you will have the option of electing to take an itemized deduction for state and local general sales taxes in lieu of the itemized deduction provided for state and local income taxes.
Charitable Donations of Vehicles – Through 2004, a deduction equal to the fair market value of a donated vehicle is allowed. Starting next year, however, the deduction allowed will generally be limited to the gross proceeds from the sale of the vehicle by the charitable organization.
Remember to keep on file the records and documentation necessary to substantiate all of your deductions. You should consult a tax preparer or professional tax advisor to determine how specific tax rules may impact your individual situation.
About The Author
Daniel Lamaute specializes in setting up retirement plans for the self-employed. Visit http://www.investsafe.com to learn about methods to maximize retirement contributions and to reduce taxes and penalties on early withdrawals.
As a small business owner, it's wise to familiarize yourself with some key deductions that may reduce your tax bill for 2004.
Employee Benefit Plans - You may deduct contributions to employee benefit plans (such as health insurance plans and retirement plans). Depending on your circumstances the maximum contribution that you may deduct per employee in a qualified retirement plan can go up to:
$100,000 or more With a Defined Benefit Plan
$ 44,000 With a 401(k) plan
$ 41,000 With a SEP-IRA or Keogh
Automobile Expenses- You can elect to deduct the actual expenses incurred (including gas, oil, tires, repairs, insurance, depreciation, and rent or lease payments) for the business-related portion of your car or truck expenses, or simply take the 2004 standard mileage rate of 37.5 cents per business mile.
Social Security Taxes - You may deduct Social Security and Medicaid taxes paid to match required withholdings on employee wages, federal unemployment taxes, as well as real estate or personal property taxes paid on business assets.
Home Office - Depending on whether you use your home or other real estate for business purposes, you may deduct some or all of any mortgage interest paid, as well as some or all of the maintenance and repair expenses associated with the property. The cost of utilities and business supplies associated with business use are also deductible.
Depreciation - Depreciation may be taken on passenger cars, equipment used for entertainment or recreational purposes (i.e., photographic equipment, cell phones and computers), as long as these items are used solely for the business.
Bonus Depreciation - The 'bonus' depreciation deduction of up to 50 percent of the cost of new business equipment in the year of purchase applies only to property placed in service on or before December 31, 2004. You may want to consider making any significant equipment purchases before year-end to take advantage of this expiring provision.
Professional Fees - You may deduct professional fees, such as those paid to a lawyer or accountant.
Meals and Entertainment - You may deduct 50 percent of meal and entertainment expenses associated with the conduct of your business.
State and Local General Sales Tax - Beginning in 2004, you will have the option of electing to take an itemized deduction for state and local general sales taxes in lieu of the itemized deduction provided for state and local income taxes.
Charitable Donations of Vehicles – Through 2004, a deduction equal to the fair market value of a donated vehicle is allowed. Starting next year, however, the deduction allowed will generally be limited to the gross proceeds from the sale of the vehicle by the charitable organization.
Remember to keep on file the records and documentation necessary to substantiate all of your deductions. You should consult a tax preparer or professional tax advisor to determine how specific tax rules may impact your individual situation.
About The Author
Daniel Lamaute specializes in setting up retirement plans for the self-employed. Visit http://www.investsafe.com to learn about methods to maximize retirement contributions and to reduce taxes and penalties on early withdrawals.
Little Known Tax Deductions That Can Save You Big
by: Diane Hughes
When you say "end of the year", most small business owners think of two things immediately. The *second* is the holidays. The *first* is taxes! While almost all of us pay taxes quarterly, we still have to file in January. That means November and December are spent getting ready. When you're gathering all your information together for your accountant, don't forget about these regularly overlooked deductions.
Mileage
Sure, most of us already know that we can deduct a mileage allowance from our taxes. However, many of us (especially dot coms who don't travel much) don't bother to keep track of our travels thinking it won't be worth the trouble. Oh, but it is!
I had the same mind-set, but - at the urging of my accountant - decided to keep track and see for myself. I'll never neglect to do it again! Even though almost every place that I travel is nearby, when I added up all the 10-mile trips to the office supply store, the bank, etc., it turned out to be a hefty total. Haven't kept track this year? Start now.
Go back and look for deposits in your check register. This would have meant you traveled to the bank on that date... write it down. Do you have receipts from the office supply store? You must have traveled on that day, too. Write that down. Keep all your information on a log sheet with the date, number of miles traveled round trip, and the purpose of the drive (i.e., office supply store, bank deposit, etc.). You'll be pleased to find that even short, weekly trips all throughout the year can add up to 800 - 1,000 miles or more. Multiply that times the 2002 allowance of 36.5 cents per mile and you get a $292 - $365 tax deduction!
Bad Debt
Did you sell products or services to someone who did not pay you? Have you tried to collect the money without success? You can write those losses off and get a deduction for them. No, it won't equal the total amount of the money you lost, but it is better than nothing.
Simply gather the information about the sale, the invoice you submitted to the customer, and documentation of your attempts to collect the amount owed. You do not have to file bad debt deductions in the same year they occurred, so if you have old losses, gather the information now so you can include it on your 2002 return.
Travel
Almost any trip can become a business trip if you plan it right. Even if you're traveling to your 20-year high school reunion, you can write off your travel expenses IF you play your cards right.
While mingling with your old chums, collect some business cards, and hand out a few of your own. Ask people what they do for a living (in tax talk that relates to "market research"), and set up a phone call or two for when you return home.
I know one woman who took a pleasure trip to England. However, while she was there, she took tons of pictures of museums, landscapes, etc. She gathered brochures and picked up some information from a few local vendors. She used these things to justify her trip as business travel for her set design (theater) company.
No, you don't have to spend the entire trip talking/doing business. Just be able to document that you did some business while you were there. You can also take deductions for lodging and meals while you're on your trip so save your receipts!
As you can see, there are many tax deductions available to you. To find out about more, set up a "pre-tax" appointment with your accountant or tax pro. They can give you information on additional tax deductions that might apply to your particular industry. When you add up all the small stuff, you can end up with some major tax savings!
Copyright 2004 Diane Hughes
About The Author
Diane C. Hughes * ProBizTips.com
FREE Report: Amazingly Simple (Yet Super Powerful) Ways To Skyrocket Your Sales And Build Your Business Into A Tower of Profits! ==>> http://madmarketer.com/diane
When you say "end of the year", most small business owners think of two things immediately. The *second* is the holidays. The *first* is taxes! While almost all of us pay taxes quarterly, we still have to file in January. That means November and December are spent getting ready. When you're gathering all your information together for your accountant, don't forget about these regularly overlooked deductions.
Mileage
Sure, most of us already know that we can deduct a mileage allowance from our taxes. However, many of us (especially dot coms who don't travel much) don't bother to keep track of our travels thinking it won't be worth the trouble. Oh, but it is!
I had the same mind-set, but - at the urging of my accountant - decided to keep track and see for myself. I'll never neglect to do it again! Even though almost every place that I travel is nearby, when I added up all the 10-mile trips to the office supply store, the bank, etc., it turned out to be a hefty total. Haven't kept track this year? Start now.
Go back and look for deposits in your check register. This would have meant you traveled to the bank on that date... write it down. Do you have receipts from the office supply store? You must have traveled on that day, too. Write that down. Keep all your information on a log sheet with the date, number of miles traveled round trip, and the purpose of the drive (i.e., office supply store, bank deposit, etc.). You'll be pleased to find that even short, weekly trips all throughout the year can add up to 800 - 1,000 miles or more. Multiply that times the 2002 allowance of 36.5 cents per mile and you get a $292 - $365 tax deduction!
Bad Debt
Did you sell products or services to someone who did not pay you? Have you tried to collect the money without success? You can write those losses off and get a deduction for them. No, it won't equal the total amount of the money you lost, but it is better than nothing.
Simply gather the information about the sale, the invoice you submitted to the customer, and documentation of your attempts to collect the amount owed. You do not have to file bad debt deductions in the same year they occurred, so if you have old losses, gather the information now so you can include it on your 2002 return.
Travel
Almost any trip can become a business trip if you plan it right. Even if you're traveling to your 20-year high school reunion, you can write off your travel expenses IF you play your cards right.
While mingling with your old chums, collect some business cards, and hand out a few of your own. Ask people what they do for a living (in tax talk that relates to "market research"), and set up a phone call or two for when you return home.
I know one woman who took a pleasure trip to England. However, while she was there, she took tons of pictures of museums, landscapes, etc. She gathered brochures and picked up some information from a few local vendors. She used these things to justify her trip as business travel for her set design (theater) company.
No, you don't have to spend the entire trip talking/doing business. Just be able to document that you did some business while you were there. You can also take deductions for lodging and meals while you're on your trip so save your receipts!
As you can see, there are many tax deductions available to you. To find out about more, set up a "pre-tax" appointment with your accountant or tax pro. They can give you information on additional tax deductions that might apply to your particular industry. When you add up all the small stuff, you can end up with some major tax savings!
Copyright 2004 Diane Hughes
About The Author
Diane C. Hughes * ProBizTips.com
FREE Report: Amazingly Simple (Yet Super Powerful) Ways To Skyrocket Your Sales And Build Your Business Into A Tower of Profits! ==>> http://madmarketer.com/diane
Business Tax Deductions
by: Richard A. Chapo
As we enter mid-March, taxpayers begin to become very interested in deductions. Following are a few that you may be entitled to claim.
Deductible Expenses
Office expenses
Rent or lease payments
Advertising
Costs of goods sold
Insurance costs
Utilities
Payments to independent contractors [file form 1099]
Accounting fees
Legal fees
Communication expenses
Credit Card Interest for business charges
Travel expenses
Vehicle expenses
Business-related meals and entertainment
Uncollected receivables
Bank fees on business accounts
Interest payments on notes
Excise and fuel taxes
Employment taxes
Real estate tax paid on business property
Special local assessments for repairs or maintenance to business property
Promotional costs that create goodwill such as sponsoring a youth team
Business association dues
Business-related magazines
Casualty losses
Beverage services
Credit bureau fees
Taxi fares
Telephone calls made on trips
Self-employment tax [if applicable]
Sales Tax Deduction Option
The American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 provides all taxpayers with the option to claim a deduction for state and local sales taxes instead of state and local income taxes. If you purchased a high cost item during 2004, you may find that the total sales tax you pay far exceeds your state income tax payment. If so, you should determine whether you should claim a larger deduction by using the IRS Optional State Sales Tax Tables found in IRS Publication 600.
The new sales tax deduction is a windfall for taxpayers in Alaska, Florida, Nevada, Texas, Washington, South Dakota and Wyoming. These states do not tax the income of their residents, which makes the sales tax deduction a very valuable deduction indeed! Regardless, taxpayers in all states should the possibility of claiming a sales tax deduction.
About The Author
Richard Chapo is CEO of http://www.businesstaxrecovery.com - Obtaining tax refunds for small businesses by finding overlooked tax deductions and credits through a free tax return review.
As we enter mid-March, taxpayers begin to become very interested in deductions. Following are a few that you may be entitled to claim.
Deductible Expenses
Office expenses
Rent or lease payments
Advertising
Costs of goods sold
Insurance costs
Utilities
Payments to independent contractors [file form 1099]
Accounting fees
Legal fees
Communication expenses
Credit Card Interest for business charges
Travel expenses
Vehicle expenses
Business-related meals and entertainment
Uncollected receivables
Bank fees on business accounts
Interest payments on notes
Excise and fuel taxes
Employment taxes
Real estate tax paid on business property
Special local assessments for repairs or maintenance to business property
Promotional costs that create goodwill such as sponsoring a youth team
Business association dues
Business-related magazines
Casualty losses
Beverage services
Credit bureau fees
Taxi fares
Telephone calls made on trips
Self-employment tax [if applicable]
Sales Tax Deduction Option
The American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 provides all taxpayers with the option to claim a deduction for state and local sales taxes instead of state and local income taxes. If you purchased a high cost item during 2004, you may find that the total sales tax you pay far exceeds your state income tax payment. If so, you should determine whether you should claim a larger deduction by using the IRS Optional State Sales Tax Tables found in IRS Publication 600.
The new sales tax deduction is a windfall for taxpayers in Alaska, Florida, Nevada, Texas, Washington, South Dakota and Wyoming. These states do not tax the income of their residents, which makes the sales tax deduction a very valuable deduction indeed! Regardless, taxpayers in all states should the possibility of claiming a sales tax deduction.
About The Author
Richard Chapo is CEO of http://www.businesstaxrecovery.com - Obtaining tax refunds for small businesses by finding overlooked tax deductions and credits through a free tax return review.
Writing Off Vehicles as Tax Deductions
by: Stephen L. Nelson, CPA
You’ve heard it a hundred times: That shiny new car your buddy just bought? It doesn’t really cost him anything. He writes off the car as a tax deduction.
Your first thought is usually, “That can’t be right.” Your second thought is, ‘I got to figure out how to enjoy that loophole.”
But what does the law say? And what are the rules for writing off vehicles? It turns out that you can write off the cost of buying and using a car if you’re self-employed and use your vehicle in your business. Specifically, you can probably deduct the business portion of your vehicle expenses on your business tax return.
But this deduction is trickier than most people realize. Here’s the first big thing that goofs many people up. You need substantiation to prove your business use. Ideally, in fact, the Internal Revenue Service wants you to keep a log of your business miles, your commuting miles, and your personal miles.
With this information, you can then either deduct an amount equal to the business miles times a standard per-mile rate of roughly $.35 or $.40 a mile (depending on the year)… or you can deduct the percentage of your vehicle expenses equal to the percentage that your business miles represent.
Note that only your business miles—and not your commuting miles or personal miles are deductible.
For example, if your business use equals 5,000 miles, personal use equals 3000, and commuting equals 2000 miles, your total miles for the year equal 10,000. Business miles as a percentage of total miles equal 50% because 5,000 divided by 10,000 equals .5 or 50%.
In this example, you could therefore deduct 50% of your fuel, 50% of your insurance, 50% of your maintenance and repairs, 50% of the car loan interest, 50% of the depreciation, and so on, as a business deduction. This means you can’t ever deduct all the costs of owning and running vehicle—only the business use of a vehicle.
If you don’t have exact records about your business use, you can sometimes use good sampling. For example, if you keep a good appointment calendar of your business activities, one popular tax reference suggests that you can look at the total business, personal and commuting miles driven during one week each month. Then, you can average this data to get good weekly estimates of your business, personal, and commuting miles. Finally, you can multiple these weekly estimates by 52 (the number of weeks in a year) to get reasonable estimates of your business, personal and commuting miles.
But before you go out and buy a new luxury auto, you need to know there’s another complication. Congress limits in most cases the amount of depreciation or lease rental that you can include in your vehicle expense calculations. The rules are a bit tricky, but essentially, for purposes of vehicle depreciation and lease payments, you only get to look at the first $17,000 (roughly) of vehicle cost. In other words, if you buy a $60,000 vehicle and your friend buys a $15,000 vehicle, you may both have the same business depreciation expense—even though your vehicle costs four times what your friend’s does.
One other related point: You may have heard about the sport utility vehicle loophole. This SUV loophole really does exist. Specifically, the luxury auto limits mentioned above don’t apply to sport utility vehicles that weigh more than 6,000 lbs. Note that Congress partially closed that loophole in 2004, however, by saying that a special, super-accelerated form of depreciation called Sec. 179 depreciation can’t be used to write off all of the cost of an expensive SUV in the year the vehicle is purchased.
About The Author
Stephen L. Nelson, CPA
Redmond WA tax accountant Stephen L. Nelson is the author of both Quicken for Dummies and QuickBooks for Dummies and an adjunct tax professor for Golden Gate University’s graduate tax school.
steve@stephenlnelson.com
You’ve heard it a hundred times: That shiny new car your buddy just bought? It doesn’t really cost him anything. He writes off the car as a tax deduction.
Your first thought is usually, “That can’t be right.” Your second thought is, ‘I got to figure out how to enjoy that loophole.”
But what does the law say? And what are the rules for writing off vehicles? It turns out that you can write off the cost of buying and using a car if you’re self-employed and use your vehicle in your business. Specifically, you can probably deduct the business portion of your vehicle expenses on your business tax return.
But this deduction is trickier than most people realize. Here’s the first big thing that goofs many people up. You need substantiation to prove your business use. Ideally, in fact, the Internal Revenue Service wants you to keep a log of your business miles, your commuting miles, and your personal miles.
With this information, you can then either deduct an amount equal to the business miles times a standard per-mile rate of roughly $.35 or $.40 a mile (depending on the year)… or you can deduct the percentage of your vehicle expenses equal to the percentage that your business miles represent.
Note that only your business miles—and not your commuting miles or personal miles are deductible.
For example, if your business use equals 5,000 miles, personal use equals 3000, and commuting equals 2000 miles, your total miles for the year equal 10,000. Business miles as a percentage of total miles equal 50% because 5,000 divided by 10,000 equals .5 or 50%.
In this example, you could therefore deduct 50% of your fuel, 50% of your insurance, 50% of your maintenance and repairs, 50% of the car loan interest, 50% of the depreciation, and so on, as a business deduction. This means you can’t ever deduct all the costs of owning and running vehicle—only the business use of a vehicle.
If you don’t have exact records about your business use, you can sometimes use good sampling. For example, if you keep a good appointment calendar of your business activities, one popular tax reference suggests that you can look at the total business, personal and commuting miles driven during one week each month. Then, you can average this data to get good weekly estimates of your business, personal, and commuting miles. Finally, you can multiple these weekly estimates by 52 (the number of weeks in a year) to get reasonable estimates of your business, personal and commuting miles.
But before you go out and buy a new luxury auto, you need to know there’s another complication. Congress limits in most cases the amount of depreciation or lease rental that you can include in your vehicle expense calculations. The rules are a bit tricky, but essentially, for purposes of vehicle depreciation and lease payments, you only get to look at the first $17,000 (roughly) of vehicle cost. In other words, if you buy a $60,000 vehicle and your friend buys a $15,000 vehicle, you may both have the same business depreciation expense—even though your vehicle costs four times what your friend’s does.
One other related point: You may have heard about the sport utility vehicle loophole. This SUV loophole really does exist. Specifically, the luxury auto limits mentioned above don’t apply to sport utility vehicles that weigh more than 6,000 lbs. Note that Congress partially closed that loophole in 2004, however, by saying that a special, super-accelerated form of depreciation called Sec. 179 depreciation can’t be used to write off all of the cost of an expensive SUV in the year the vehicle is purchased.
About The Author
Stephen L. Nelson, CPA
Redmond WA tax accountant Stephen L. Nelson is the author of both Quicken for Dummies and QuickBooks for Dummies and an adjunct tax professor for Golden Gate University’s graduate tax school.
steve@stephenlnelson.com
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