Accountant Billings MT, Tax, Tax Preparation Billings MT, Tax Tips Billings MT

IRS

Have you heard of the phone scam where someone calls and pretends to represent the IRS? The scammers inevitably ask for personal information, and, too often, people willingly give out their personal information, such as their social security number to these scammers. The scammers also ask for money. And, unfortunately, people pay it; or they provide their banking account numbers. It’s estimated that over ten thousand people—more everyday—have been affected by these phone scams; estimated that over fifty-four million dollars has been paid to these scammers. But you should know that there should never be a day where an IRS agent simply calls you up, unannounced, and asks personal questions.

The IRS will make initial contact via the good old USPS. If they are requesting money, they will send to you in the mail a bill, requesting payment. The bill will look like any other bill you would receive in the mail; however, it will be from the IRS. There will be directions in the bill as to how to proceed to pay the bill or how to contact the IRS with any questions you may have; it will be simple and to the point. The IRS may notify you of a possible attempt to contact you via telephone—possibly even request a face-to-face meeting—but, when they do call, they won’t request that you tell them all your personal information. Remember, the IRS already has a lot of your personal information, and they won’t ask you for your social security number over the phone; they won’t ask you to tell them your bank routing codes, or your checking account number; they won’t ask you to pay your bill over the phone, and they won’t initially demand a payment—remember that you have rights, too, and one of those rights is to appeal. And they won’t threaten to have you arrested by the local police if you don’t pay.

Call Practical Taxes for all your tax needs.

January 6, 2018/by admin

Accountant Billings MT, Billings Best Tax Preparation, Bookkeeper Billings MT, Payroll Services Billings MT

Tax Bill

Unless you have been hiding under a rock, or you pay as little attention to the news as possible, you would have heard that our Government—in particular the Republican Party in the Senate—is attempting a massive tax reform. It’s interesting and a little unsettling—the bill passed in the Senate, late at night, just hours after the almost 500-page document—parts of which were edited in pen and scribbled on the margins (taxes are a hotly contested and divisive topic right now!)—was given out to members of the Senate But this is the politics of tax reform. And what does the tax bill, at least at it stands today, mean for the rest of us?

Ok, let’s only scrape the surface of this, focusing only on how a possible tax reform could affect the average person’s taxes. Regardless of the politics behind tax legislation—these days politics are a very, very divisive topic—remember that these numbers will likely—most definitely—change, at least somewhat, and nothing here is completely definitive (nor is it a sure thing) as this bill has only been voted on, and passed, in the Senate; but, the statistics, at least so far, are interesting to dissect. First, earners from across the board, including people who make only ten-thousand dollars every year on up to people making over a million dollars a year could see a possible tax cut in the first year that this bill gets enacted—2019. A good percentage of the people who make over forty-thousand dollars annually on up to over a million will see a tax cut—not everyone, but a good percentage. But—and here is where the legislation gets tricky—by the year 2027, those tax cuts, especially for the people earning under one-hundred-thousand dollars every year, don’t exist, and these people will be required to pay in on their taxes.

No, the current discussion of tax reform will not affect this year’s taxes, which are coming up fast. Make sure to make your appointment with Practical Taxes and forego the anxieties involved with the tax season.

January 4, 2018/17 Comments/by admin

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Child Tax Credit

Let’s discuss the Child Tax Credit. It’s a tax credit, taken annually, by people with children. The credit does not apply to everyone, however, and there are limitations and rules that govern when it can be used. Here are a few reasons why the Child Tax Credit might be a big advantage for your family.

The amount of the Child Tax Credit is one-thousand dollars per qualifying child. That means if you have three children who qualify for the Child Tax Credit, then you will get one-thousand dollars for each of the qualifying children. The child needs to be under the age of seventeen to qualify (sixteen and under).

To claim the child, you will need to have a legal parental relationship with the child. This relationship includes: son, daughter, stepchild, foster child, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, grandchild, niece or nephew. Brother, sister, etc., applies only in the case that the child meets the requirements for financial support. In order for the child to meet the financial criteria, the child cannot have provided more than half of their own support—the bulk of the financial responsibilities should fall on the parent.

There are also citizen and resident requirement to meet when claiming this credit. The child must be a citizen of the United States, a U.S. National, or a legal resident alien. The child needs to have lived in your household, in your care, for half the year. There are some exceptions to this requirement, however they don’t apply to everyone, and should be discussed with your tax preparer.

It’s for reasons such as these that hiring a tax preparer, come tax season, is important. Your relationship with your child may not be black and white. You might not know if your child qualifies for the credit or not. A qualified, professional tax preparer can help you through the process; they can make sure you get each and every dollar back on your taxes. Remember, if you make a mistake on your taxes, the IRS may audit you to get every last penny, but they won’t be banging on your door ready to hand you back money you’ve already paid. Don’t leave money behind.

November 7, 2017/1 Comment/by admin

Accountant Billings MT, Accounting, Bookkeeper Billings MT

Bookkeeping

Bookkeeping is vital to any business. Everything a business does financially should be recorded for official record. Tax records, financial statements, receipts of purchase, and ledgers should be organized and stored. Record keeping is vital to business success, and here are a few reasons why.

Audit

No one likes an audit. But the more prepared you are for an audit the better. If you have all of your financial documents in one place, an audit goes quick and easy. Oftentimes, what gets audited are small discrepancies that diligent bookkeeping can, hopefully, clear up easily. An audit takes your attention away from your business, and causes unneeded anxieties and stress. If you do get audited, the IRS will request all of your applicable records, so make sure that you have everything ready to show them.

Deductions

Tax deductions are important. At tax time, it’s important that every dollar your business spends, gets noted at the end of the year. Each and every dollar counts. This applies to businesses as much as it does to individuals. Keep track of every receipt! If the IRS ever questions an expense, you will have the evidence to back it up!

Tax Time!

At tax time, you will have all the required paperwork ready. If your books are well kept, up to date, then everything at tax time should go quick and easy. You don’t want to have to scramble at the end of the year for all of you tax documents.

If you have any questions as to how to keep diligent books, or would like the assistance of a qualified accounting and tax professional, then Practical Taxes is here to help. At the end of the day, wouldn’t it be nice to have someone qualified have your back? Wouldn’t it be beneficial at the end of the year to have your business in the hands of the reliable services of a tax professional who understands your business’s needs? Practical Taxes is ready to help, and can customize accounting services to fit all your needs. Call today to schedule an appointment.

October 6, 2017/100 Comments/by admin

Accountant Billings MT, Accounting, Billings Best Tax Preparation, Payroll Services Billings MT

Marketing

If you own a small business, you know just how important the standard tax write-off is. What you may not know is that marketing costs are win-win write-offs for every small business. Every small business needs to standout, meaning that every small business should be doing everything in their power to get out their name and then to keep their name in their local community (or local online community—i.e. Etsy). And the expense that comes from marketing a business is directly related to a future write-off on your taxes. Now, this isn’t to say that everything you do will lead to a write-off. The IRS believes that all tax write-offs should be reasonable in amount, and directly related to your business (How it’s related could bristle the hairs on the back of an IRS agent’s neck). Here are few ways to market your business that make for simple, straight-forward write-offs at the end of the tax season.

A new or up-to-date website

The rules and designs of the web change almost monthly. Google has new rules for keeping websites at the top of search engines, and customers have come to expect proficient designs that are easy to navigate. So, hiring someone (or, if you yourself have the spare time and experience) to update your website, add to its design, or shake things up. If there are any fees involved to host the website through a third party, these may also be accounted for. Also adding premium services so that your website runs smooth and efficient.

The Google Search Words Campaign

Many businesses spend exorbitant amounts on google ad-words, search terms. These can add up quickly. At the end of every month google should provide you with a receipt from the month’s transactions—this data is also included in your Google analytics package, however, just to be safe, don’t wait until tax season to save this data, in case anything were to happen.

Flyers

A marketing flyer is still be an effective marketing strategy in the digital age. Or a personalized Christmas card from your business to your customers at Christmas. Oftentimes, things like flyers, cards, and letters are easily deductible. Keep every receipt!

If you need advice as to which potential deductions will benefit your business, Practical Taxes is here and ready to help.

September 10, 2017/by admin

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Payroll Services

Did you know that it’s becoming ever-more popular to outsource payroll to an accountant service? It’s true, payroll is the number one thing businesses will outsource. There are many reasons including, cost, productivity, accountability, legality, and service.

Cost
Small businesses can absolutely save money by outsourcing payroll. Add up those hours spent on payroll and then calculate the costs to the company. Most times—especially for small businesses where each minute of the day could be filled with some type of progressive work—the outsourcing of payroll is considerably less than the cost of doing it internally. Oftentimes this is because accountants oftentimes use more sophisticated software than a typical small business, and accountants have the job streamlined.

Productivity
If you own a small business you will grow to appreciate the freedom that freeing up internal sources from the job of payroll will provide. You get to focus on the job you want to do, which is especially important for new businesses, not yet established—in today’s world the percentage of new businesses that fail is staggering.

Accountability
Did you know that a high percentage of small business pay a penalty to the IRS every year for improperly filed payroll taxes? Hiring an accountant at Practical Taxes makes sense, when you consider that they understand the ins and the outs of current tax policy. This also goes hand in hand with legal compliance. Because a payroll service like Practical Taxes is going to understand the continually shifting laws and obligations involving payroll.

Service
In today’s modern world you can find just about anything on the internet—including a payroll service! Regardless of how reputable companies are, isn’t it best to have an accounting service such as Practical Taxes with whom you can work, face to face in some cases, and trust all that important paperwork and sensitive documents to a responsible face. If you have any questions as to how Practical Taxes can help your business grow and succeed, be it with the outsourcing of payroll or the general everyday management of your business, call today.

August 10, 2017/1 Comment/by admin

Accountant Billings MT

Get an Accountant

Did you know most, over two thirds, of all small businesses fail within the first eighteen months? Why do you suppose they failed? Were they just not good at their jobs? Did the economy take a sudden and incredible dive? Most often the answer is that the business was not managed well financially, from the start. That’s not to say it’s the same for all businesses, but that’s the most common reason.

And, knowing that, so many small businesses still rely on internet software to manage their financials and to do their taxes. Now, it’s important to document everything, to document every penny that either comes or goes out of your business, but, it’s equally important to have guidance on how, in the scheme of things, those pennies are being spent.

If you have a small business deductions on your taxes count. You need them. And you need to maximize every single deduction. At the end of the tax year, you don’t want any money left on the table. Equally important is the accountant, when a business gets audited. And businesses with extensive write-offs are likely targets.

It’s not that you’ve done anything wrong, it’s that the IRS needs to make sure you’re doing everything right. And, while an accountant doesn’t “get you out of the audit”, you can be assured that he or she knows the ins and outs of your yearly finances, and can help you through the process.

Maybe the most important reason of all to hire an accountant is that they take some of the work off your hands. If you’re running a small business, you’re going to be busy running a small business. The time they take off your hands may be equal to the cost of hiring an accountant. You, the business owner, can maintain focus and determination in your daily goals, while your accountant ensures that some of the financial details are handled appropriately and professionally.

If you would like to speak with someone about setting yourself up with an accountant, for your small business, then call Practical Taxes today.

Practical Taxes

Practical Taxes is a full service accounting firm in Billings, Montana. We can help you get the most from your taxes, and make sure that you will get the maximum refund every year. But we don’t just do taxes! We can help with your bookkeeping, payroll, bank reconciliation, budgeting, and more. Give us a call at 406-894-2090 to learn more.

July 9, 2017/by admin

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Long Term Financial Planning

Not everyone is a first-rate financial planner, and studies show that people today are working well past, what used to be, the average age of retirement—now, whether that is the cause of poor financial planning, or just the measure of our country’s current economic circumstances is debatable. But, what we do know is that almost all of us, regardless of how much we’ve saved for our financial futures, could always save more. This is especially evident for those of us running small businesses, in charge of our own retirements, and every dollar we make needs to be put to good use. So, how do we do it? How do we become better financial planners? Here are a few helpful tips.

Know your goal and stick to it

Even if you’re a twenty-something or thirty-something, know that your end goal is to retire as comfortably as you are able. This may mean setting up retirement accounts early, and remembering to always put money into your retirement account. When you’re young, consider short-term goals for financial independence: consider trying to pay down your mortgage loan, ridding yourself of those student loans, so that money won’t be adjusted further, with more interest added, and the amount you were using to pay down your loans can then be added to the amount you pay into your retirement fund every month.

Try and find ways to manage your expenses, and know where you’re spending your hard-earned money. Obviously if you discover an abundance of overspending in a certain area, curtail the spending and stay on track with your financial goals. Create a budget, something to be stuck to weekly, maybe monthly. A budget is a constant reminder of how to best keep responsible for our money.

Lastly, although there are so many ways in which you can focus your energies for retirements, these were just a few important tips, consider speaking with your accountant as to your spending, how you’re affected by retirement plans and the amounts you are paying into your retirements. If you own a small business, an accountant can be one of your most important assets.

If you have any questions, call Practical Taxes today, and remember that it’s tax season, with just a little over a month left to file those income taxes.

Practical Taxes

Practical Taxes is a full service accounting firm in Billings, Montana. We can help you get the most from your taxes, and make sure that you will get the maximum refund every year. But we don’t just do taxes! We can help with your bookkeeping, payroll, bank reconciliation, budgeting, and more. Give us a call at 406-894-2090 to learn more.

March 20, 2017/by admin

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Property Taxes

Property Tax

Property taxes are beneficial because they support many of our community’s public services. Property taxes can support schools, police and fire, parks services, and street maintenance. But, because most people pay different, varying sums in property tax, it can be confusing to know if you are paying your fair share, or too much. The following is the how/why of property taxes.

Tax Assessments

Tax assessments are the basis for all property tax. These assessments are based on how much a home is worth. Usually, the higher a home’s value, the higher it’s property taxes. This is something to consider if you are planning to trade-up for a new home, know your property taxes will likely be assessed at a higher rate, because the new home possesses a greater value. This could also be true of the neighborhood, if the other houses in the neighborhood are considered to have considerable value. That value will likely be figured into the assessment of your new home (even in the case of buying a less expensive home in a neighborhood). The reasons for this is that a tax assessment is conducted by an assessor who groups together comparable homes, comparing all the home’s in the value range, and comes up with a tax figure that they determine to best assesses the home’s value. It’s a process akin to a home appraisal, however everything, including neighborhood, etc. is put into consideration.

Appeal your Property Tax Rate

It’s not unheard of to appeal your property tax rate. There’s formal processes for those folks thinking that the assessor may have missed something in determining a home’s value. Reasons for appeal are varied, but the most common could include: incorrect assessments of the home’s square footage, missing something like an addition, or possibly even incorrectly determining the number of bedrooms within the home. It’s times like these your accountant is ready to help you get through the appeal process. You can hire also a home appraiser, who may come in, and do a private assessment as to a home’s value.

If you find yourself struggling with property taxes, or just have tax questions in general, give us a call today.

Practical Taxes

Practical Taxes is a full service accounting firm in Billings, Montana. We can help you get the most from your taxes, and make sure that you will get the maximum refund every year. But we don’t just do taxes! We can help with your bookkeeping, payroll, bank reconciliation, budgeting, and more. Give us a call at 406-894-2090 to learn more.

October 3, 2016/13 Comments/by admin

Accountant Billings MT, Billings Best Tax Preparation, Tax Tips Billings MT

How Saving Energy can save you on your Taxes

In the current wake of drought, the dire predictions of global warming, and the ever-expanding population, the talk of energy efficiency is becoming more prevalent. There are no immediate answers yet, however what we do know is that many of our appliances, our vehicles, etc. directly contribute to green house gas emissions. Newer appliances, however, are being built to perform to higher standards of energy efficiency.

Everything from washers and dryers, water heaters, kitchen appliances, etc. each year seem to supersede the appliances that came before. To install new appliances throughout the home, however, is expensive, although it will help to lower the cost of a homeowner’s energy bills. The government offers the Residential Energy Efficient Property Tax Credit, and the Nonbusiness Energy Property Tax Credit.

Residential Energy Efficient Tax Credit

The Residential Energy Efficient Property Tax Credit involves modifications to one’s home that are considered energy efficient. These updates include the use of solar, wind, geothermal, and, in some cases, fuel-cell technology. To qualify for the upgrades, upgrades need to be in direct use with the home. The electricity generated from solar power should be responsible for powering the home. The credit to be issued at tax time is the equivalent of 30% of the cost of the improvement—this includes the cost of installation, which for items like solar panels can be quite costly.

Nonbusiness Energy Property Tax Credit

This is where some of your appliance purchases, etc. can qualify for tax credits. This could include everything from new home insulation to a new electric water heater. However, there are qualification requirements for the appliances. While these are not often advertised by companies, you may call the companies themselves and ask if they are participating, and, if so, with which models. The recouped costs of the tax credit is 10%, or, if you have already participated in this tax credit, $500 for all the years combined.

Practical Taxes

Practical Taxes is a full service accounting firm in Billings, Montana. We can help you get the most from your taxes, and make sure that you will get the maximum refund every year. But we don’t just do taxes! We can help with your bookkeeping, payroll, bank reconciliation, budgeting, and more. Give us a call at 406-894-2090 to learn more.

August 5, 2016/4 Comments/by admin

IRS

Tax Bill

Child Tax Credit

Bookkeeping

Marketing

Payroll Services

Get an Accountant

Long Term Financial Planning

Property Taxes

How Saving Energy can save you on your Taxes

Residential Energy Efficient Tax Credit

Nonbusiness Energy Property Tax Credit

Practical Taxes

Check Your Refund Status

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