Business Income 5 Tax Tips for Starting a New Business Read the Article Open Share Drawer Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window) Written by Ginita Wall Published Feb 2, 2023 - [Updated Jul 13, 2023] 2 min read Reviewed by Katharina Reekmans, Enrolled Agent If you are venturing out on your own, congratulations! Starting your own business can be tremendously rewarding, if you do it right. From business plans to market strategies, there’s a lot of important financial decisions ahead. So let’s start you off on the right foot. Here are 5 tax tips to help you get started. Operate as a Business, Not a Hobby Losses from a hobby are not tax deductible, so it is important for the IRS to view your business as having a reasonable expectation of earning a profit. To demonstrate this, write out a business plan and document your marketing and management efforts. The IRS presumes that your activity is a business if it makes a profit during at least three of the past five tax years. Document Your Income and Expenses You are required to keep track of your income and expenses so that you can accurately report them to the IRS on your annual tax return. Keep track of car mileage, the cost of a computer you buy for business use, daily appointments, and anything else that could help you to substantiate your tax deductions. Report Your Income as You Receive It Most small business owners with gross receipts of less than $1 million a year find it beneficial to report on the cash method of accounting, where income is reported as it is received, rather than when it is billed, and expenses are reported as paid. The cash method gives you greater flexibility to save taxes by shifting income and expenses between years. Deduct an Office In Your Home If you regularly and exclusively use part of your home to perform administrative or managerial activities for your business, you may be able to claim a home office deduction for a portion of your expenses related to utilities, rent or mortgage interest, cleaning and the like. You can even take this tax deduction if you provide products or services at other locations. Choose Your Business Entity Carefully Many small business owners rush to incorporate when it may be more costly to incorporate for someone who is self-employed. When incorporating, keep in mind you will be subject to additional costs like payroll taxes on your income since. This includes employee wages, worker’s comp, unemployment taxes, and state taxes up to $800 depending on your state. Also, remember business deductions are basically the same for self-employed people as they are for corporations. With NEW TurboTax Live Full Service Business, we enable the small business owner to be paired with a dedicated tax expert specializing in small business taxes to handle Partnerships (1065), S-corp (1120-S), and multi-member LLCs. Get matched with a dedicated small business tax expert, enjoy unlimited year-round advice and answers at no extra cost, and be confident that our small business tax experts will help you find every tax deduction and credit your business deserves. Previous Post What To Expect When You’re Expecting…a Tax Refund Next Post Can I File Exempt & Still Get a Tax Refund? Written by Ginita Wall More from Ginita Wall 2 responses to “5 Tax Tips for Starting a New Business” What happens if you fail to make a profit in 5 years? Reply Thanks for the helpful tips, especially the one that talks about the difference between a business and a hobby, at least from the IRS’s point of view. As I mention in my blog, turning a hobby into a business is the best of all possible worlds because you’re able to make money doing something you enjoy and, hopefully, are good at. Reply Leave a ReplyCancel reply Browse Related Articles Self-Employed Hobby Meets Hustle: Self-Employed Tax Tips For Small Bu… Self-Employed Is Your Pet Insta Famous? Here’s What It Means fo… Self-Employed Moving from Employee to Self-Employed? Here’s What it… 2022-03-23 Self-Employed Hobby Meets Hustle: How To File Self-Employment Taxes Self-Employed 5 Tax Implications and Tips if You Flip Things for Prof… Self-Employed 1099-K Form Reporting Threshold Delay Announced Self-Employed Self-Employed Tax Tips & Summer Jobs Self-Employed Self-Employed? Quarterly Tax Date Deadlines Self-Employed How to Determine My Federal Income Tax Rate If I’…
Thanks for the helpful tips, especially the one that talks about the difference between a business and a hobby, at least from the IRS’s point of view. As I mention in my blog, turning a hobby into a business is the best of all possible worlds because you’re able to make money doing something you enjoy and, hopefully, are good at. Reply