samedi 20 juin 2015

Little Known Legal Loopholes That Can Help Your Small Business

By Marjorie Richards


Starting a business can be a daunting and expensive experience. For small business owners, every penny counts, especially in the beginning stages of starting the business and getting all the legal paperwork in order. These little known legal loopholes can go a long way in helping small business owners to save quite a bit of money in the process, which is always a good thing.

To begin with, it's really crucial that the business is registered as the right kind of legal entity. Sadly, not all businesses are subject to equal taxes. As such, being listed as a corporation can make a huge difference as opposed to being listed as a partnership, sole proprietorship or a Limited Liability Company (LLC).

Once a business is listed properly, then it becomes clearer which tax bracket the business falls into. As a corporation, a business can be listed as a 'C' Corporation or an 'S' Corporation. Again, this makes a huge difference when it comes to saving money. An 'S' Corporation is able to save up to thousands more in taxes simply because of the way the arrangement for said businesses is set out. Subsequently, it's a good idea for owners of partnership or sole proprietorship businesses to consider forming a corporation instead.

If you want to save big on taxes, then you should begin paying yourself a real salary instead of taking whatever profit the business makes. As an employee rendering services in your business, you can receive an FMV, which is Fair Market Value wages for your services. This helps you to avoid paying excessive amounts in payroll tax by overpaying yourself in profits.

Any excess profit then becomes a dividend to be paid out that is not actually subject to any payroll tax. This is another advantage of having 'S' Corporation status. Other business types would be subject to at least 15% taxes on business profits, regardless of any Fair Market Value wages that may be in place.

Yet another reason to make a small business into an 'S' Corporation is that business owners can make deductions on losses. As a 'C' Corporation, a business may have to carry losses forward to the first year of experiencing a profit. This can be quite difficult and trying for new businesses, as running a small business can often run into financial trouble long before any profit is made and, of course, end in failure.

Another very good way to save money when running a small business is to hire family members, namely children who are old enough to work. They will, of course, need to receive fair pay for their services, but by keeping the business in the family, it can get a deduction every year in taxes. This is due to each child being allowed a certain threshold of income completely tax-free.

Last but not least is the issue of vacation time. Instead of taking separate vacations, small business owners should try and work a few extra days into business trips. This way, travel expenses become deductible as part of business spending, while allowing time for rest and relaxation without having to spend any more.




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