Barbara Weltman - AARP J.K. Lassers Small Business Taxes 2010. Your Complete Guide to a Better Bottom Line

Table of Contents

According to Discover Small Business WatchSM, 69 percent of small businesses use paid professionals to handle their tax returns, and 21 percent use computer software. So why do you need to read up on taxes? The answer is simple: You, not your accountant or other financial adviser and not software, run the business, so you cant rely on someone else to make decisions critical to your activities. You need to be informed about tax-saving opportunities that continually arise so you can strategically plan to take advantage of them. Being knowledgeable about tax matters also saves you money; the more you know, the better able you are to ask your accountant key tax and financial questions that can advance your business, as well as to meet your tax responsibilities.

Even though the economy is tough now, this is still a great time to be a small business. Not only is small business the major force in our economy but it also is the benefactor of new tax rules that make it easier to write off expenses and minimize the taxes you owe. This edition of the book has been revised to include all of the new rules taking effect for 2009 returns. Your business needs to use every tax-saving opportunity to survive and thrive at this time. The book also provides information about future changes scheduled to take effect in order to give you an overall view of business tax planning. Most importantly, it addresses the many tax questions I have received from readers as well as visitors to my web site, www.barbaraweltman.com.

This book focuses primarily on federal income taxes. Federal taxes rank as the second biggest concern in running a small business (NFIB Research Foundation). Businesses may be required to pay and report many other taxes, including state income taxes, employment taxes, sales and use taxes, and excise taxes. Some information about these taxes is included in this book to alert you to your possible obligations so that you can then obtain further assistance if necessary.

It is important to stay alert to future changes. Pending or possible changes are noted in this book. Be sure to check on any final action before you complete your tax return or take any steps that could be affected by these changes. Changes can be found at my web site.

For a free update on tax developments affecting small businesses and a free download of the Supplement to this book (available in February 2010), go to www.jklasser.com or www.barbaraweltman.com.

The purpose of this book is to make you acutely aware of how your actions in business can affect your bottom line from a tax perspective. The way you organize your business, the accounting method you select, and the types of payments you make all have an impact on when you report income and the extent to which you can take deductions. This book is not designed to make you a tax expert. It is strongly suggested that you consult with a tax adviser before making certain important decisions that will affect your ability to minimize your taxes. I hope that the insight you gain from this book will allow you to ask your adviser key questions to benefit your business.

In Part 1, you will find topics of interest to all businesses. First, there is an overview of the various forms of business organization and an explanation of how these forms of organization affect reporting of income and claiming tax deductions. The most common forms of business organization include independent contractors, sole proprietors, and sole practitionersindividuals who work for themselves and do not have any partners. If self-employed individuals join with others to form a business, they become partners in a partnership. Sometimes businesses incorporate. A business can be incorporated with only one owner or with many owners. A corporation can be a regular corporation (C corporation ), or it can be a small business corporation (S corporation). The difference between the C and S corporations is the way in which income of the business is taxed to the owner (which is explained in detail in Part 1). There is also a relatively new form of business organization called a limited liability company (LLC). Limited liability companies with two or more owners generally are taxed like partnerships even though their owners enjoy protection from personal liability. The important thing to note is that each form of business organization will affect what deductions can be claimed and where to claim them. Part 1 also explains tax years and accounting methods that businesses can select.

Part 1 contains another topic of general interest to all businesses. It covers important recordkeeping requirements and suggestions to help you audit-proof your return and protect your deductions and tax credits. In the course of business you may incur certain expenses, but unless you have specific proof of those expenses, you may not be able to claim a deduction or credit. Learn how to keep the necessary records to back up your write-offs in the event your return is questioned by the IRS.

Part 2 details how to report various types of income your business may receive. In addition to fees and sales receiptsthe bread-and-butter of your businessyou may receive other types of ordinary income such as interest income, royalties, and rents. You may have capital gain transactions as well as sales of business assets. But you may also have lossesfrom operations or the sale of assets. Special rules govern the tax treatment of these losses. The first part of each chapter discusses the types of income to report and special rules that affect them. Then scan the second part of each chapter, which explains where on the tax return to report the income or claim the loss.