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Small Business Tax Essentials: A Comprehensive Guide for Billings, MT, Entrepreneurs

Owning a small business in Billings, MT, brings both unique challenges and opportunities for success. One vital aspect of running a small business is understanding and managing your tax obligations, which is an often complex and evolving process.

A well-executed tax strategy can lead to significant financial savings for your business, while maintaining tax compliance ensures continuing growth and success. This comprehensive guide on small business tax essentials aims to provide entrepreneurs in Billings, MT, with the necessary tools and knowledge to navigate the complexities of small business taxation.

Effective tax management begins with understanding the various tax obligations that apply to small businesses, including federal and state income tax, employment taxes, and sales taxes. Depending on the nature of your business, these obligations may differ, making it essential to stay informed about any changes that could impact your bottom line.

Choosing the right business structure is essential, as the type of business entity you form can significantly affect your overall tax liability. To create a thriving and financially sound enterprise, you must also be aware of the available tax deductions, ensuring you capitalize on these opportunities to minimize taxable income and maximize tax savings.

In a rapidly changing tax landscape, it’s crucial for small business owners in Billings, MT, to equip themselves with the knowledge and resources needed to manage their unique tax obligations, maintain compliance, and take advantage of tax-saving opportunities. By diving into the world of small business taxation, you will set your enterprise on the path to success in Billings, MT, fostering a stable financial future and expanding your business horizons.

Essential Tax Obligations for Small Business Owners

Understanding your tax obligations as a small business owner in Billings, MT, is crucial for maintaining compliance and avoiding penalties:

1. Federal Income Tax: All businesses, except for partnerships, must file annual income tax returns with the IRS. Partnerships file an information return instead. Your business structure determines the appropriate tax form to use, such as Form 1120 for corporations or Schedule C for sole proprietors.

2. State Income Tax: Billings, MT, business owners are also subject to Montana state income tax, with varying rates depending on your business structure. Be sure to familiarize yourself with Montana’s tax regulations and file the necessary state tax returns, in addition to your federal returns.

3. Employment Taxes: If you have employees, you’re responsible for withholding Social Security and Medicare (FICA) taxes, as well as federal and state income tax from employee’s wages. You also need to pay federal and state unemployment taxes and workers’ compensation insurance.

4. Sales Tax: If you sell products or certain services in Montana, you must collect and remit sales tax to the state. Registering with the Montana Department of Revenue and obtaining a sales tax permit will enable you to meet this obligation.

Tips for Choosing a Business Structure with Tax Considerations

Selecting the right business structure is a critical decision that impacts your tax obligations and liabilities:

1. Sole Proprietorship: As a sole proprietor, you report all business income and expenses on your personal income tax return. This structure is relatively simple and may be suitable for individuals starting a small business with limited liability concerns. However, sole proprietors are subject to self-employment tax, which covers Social Security and Medicare contributions.

2. Partnership: In a partnership, business income and losses flow through to the individual partners’ personal tax returns. Partners are responsible for self-employment taxes and must file an annual information return (Form 1065) to report partnership income, deductions, and credits.

3. Limited Liability Company (LLC): Operating as an LLC can provide personal asset protection and allows for flexible tax treatment. By default, single-member LLCs are taxed as sole proprietorships, while multi-member LLCs are taxed as partnerships. However, LLCs can also elect to be taxed as corporations by filing Form 8832 with the IRS.

4. Corporation: Corporations face double taxation; profits are taxed at the corporate level, and dividends paid to shareholders are taxed again on the shareholders’ personal income tax returns. However, corporations benefit from lower federal income tax rates and limited personal liability for shareholders.

Consult with a tax professional to determine the best structure for your specific business needs, keeping in mind potential tax liabilities and complexity of each option.

Common Tax Deductions for Small Business Owners

Maximizing tax deductions helps reduce your taxable income and overall tax bill:

1. Home Office Deduction: If you use part of your home exclusively for conducting business, you may qualify for the home office deduction. This deduction allows you to write off a percentage of your home-related expenses, including mortgage interest, utilities, and property taxes.

2. Vehicle Expenses: If you use a vehicle for business purposes, you can deduct expenses related to its use. You may choose between using the standard mileage rate or the actual expense method, which involves tracking all vehicle expenses and deducting a percentage based on business use.

3. Employee Benefits: You can generally deduct expenses related to employee benefits, such as health insurance premiums, retirement plan contributions, and educational assistance programs. These deductions not only lower your tax bill but also make your business more attractive to potential employees.

4. Advertising Costs: Advertising and marketing expenses related to promoting your business are fully deductible. This includes costs such as print and online ads, business cards, and even sponsoring local events or charities.

Understanding and Managing Sales Tax

Managing sales tax correctly and efficiently is essential for businesses operating in Billings, MT,:

1. Registering for Sales Tax: To collect sales tax in Montana, register with the Montana Department of Revenue and obtain a sales tax permit. Once registered, you’ll receive a certificate that should be displayed prominently in your place of business.

2. Collecting Sales Tax: Upon making a sale, collect the appropriate sales tax based on your customer’s location and the type of product or service you’re selling.

3. Reporting and Remitting Sales Tax: You must file regular sales tax returns, either monthly, quarterly, or annually, with the Montana Department of Revenue. To avoid potential penalties or late fees, ensure that you’re remitting the collected sales tax by the deadline specified.

Decoding Business Taxes for Entrepreneurs in Billings, MT

Successfully managing your small business in Billings, MT, involves more than just providing exceptional products and services. Ensuring compliance and optimizing your tax strategy are also key factors in building a stable and financially sound enterprise.

By understanding your tax obligations, choosing the right business structure, maximizing deductions, and managing sales tax effectively, you’ll be well-equipped to navigate the world of small business taxation and achieve financial success.

Need expert guidance to optimize your small business practical tax solutions in Billings, MT? Practical Taxes offers personalized tax advice and financial services for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and take the first step towards simplifying your small business tax management.

There are two steadfast rules to know when you are experiencing a financial hardship and are unable to pay your taxes by the deadline. The first rule is that you should get in touch with the IRS immediately; the second is that you should speak with your accountant at Practical Taxes to determine the best course of action going forward. Remember the most pressing business is to notify the IRS, because they have deadlines, and when you cannot meet those deadlines they have policies in place to charge you a penalty or, in the most serious cases, use legal power to enforce the collection of the payment. A financial hardship is nothing to be overly ashamed about; an unexpected financial difficulty can happen to anyone. Here’s a few things you should know if you do have a financial hardship this tax season… 

The IRS offers ways to pay the tax debt, and the options for payment range from receiving an extension on the payment to entering into a structured payment plan. For the most serious cases, the IRS can offer a deferred payment or even a settlement of the debt, however these are special programs. Your accountant at Practical Taxes can help guide you through the repayment process; you don’t have to face the IRS alone, and your accountant may be able to determine if you qualify for a repayment program that could save you money. Before you enter into a repayment program, determine the amount you can afford to pay each month. 

Of course, before you determine whether or not you’re able to afford to pay the tax owed, you need to first file your income taxes. Tax Day is quickly approaching; the deadline is only a few short months away. Remember, February and March are busy months at your accountant’s office, and it’s best to make your appointment early: if there are going to be any difficulties in the completion of your income taxes or if you are going to need to enter a repayment or similar IRS special program, then you will have the time to plan.

Do the words Independent Distributer mean anything to you? Have you ever heard the phrase multilevel distribution company? Probably, and it’s likely that if you’ve heard it then either you or someone you know is directly involved. These words mean that a person works for themselves selling another company’s goods and/or services; it’s a tiered approach to business, meaning that employees are usually considered self-employed, and sometimes—but not always—are licensed independent contractors. Mary Kay, Amway, and Scentsy are popular and well-known tiered distribution companies, but there are also others—essential oils have become a very trendy and often operate using Independent Distributors. In fact, it’s become so prevalent that an estimated 16.8 million Americans participate in this type of work on at least part time basis. Here’s what it means for income tax…

Self-Employment Tax

There’s a self-employment tax that accompanies this kind of work. It’s a percentage that gets taxed in a similar way as Medicare and Social Security. It’s based on the total amount of taxable income—that means that in addition to Federal and State Income Tax the self-employed get hit up for more money. And that’s difficult, especially when you consider the time and effort that usually accompanies the ownership of a small business, regardless how small. So, this is where deductions become extremely important to the self-employed. Do you have expenses involved in your small business? Oftentimes there’s travel involved. There’s business-related parties to host—in the case of cosmetics, it’s often common practice to invite people to receive a spa-like facial and to try different types of makeup. And you are probably going to manage your small business from your home; usually, you will operate with a computer and other office supplies. And all of these tools and supplies are likely tax deductible.

The one important thing to remember when you start your small business is to have a reliable and experienced accountant take a look at both your expenses—checking for potential write-offs (you may have a few write-offs that you don’t know about)—and also to help you navigate your income tax. If you have any questions or would like to schedule your first appointment then call Practical Taxes today.

If you don’t understand the significance of the October 15th extension deadline then chances are you have already filed your 2017 income taxes. But did you know that there are over fourteen million American tax payers who have not yet filed their annual return? It’s true. And while some of those people did not file for an extension, the bulk of that group did. And that deadline will soon be here. What happens if you miss the deadline? The IRS will charge you, monthly, a five-percent penalty until you file your income taxes. The penalty will increase monthly by five-percent, and the penalty will cap out at twenty-five percent. But, if you are owed a tax return by the IRS you owe them nothing. But the later you file the later you’ll get your refund. Bummer.

If you filed an extension, you made yourself known the IRS. All jokes aside, the IRS is not sifting through the one-hundred forty million tax payers who filed at the tax deadline. They know who you are and they are going to expect you to file your return. And if you need help filing that return—amazingly, only fifty-eight percent of people use a special tax preparer during the tax season, but over eighty-percent hire out for the professional experience of a tax preparer when they’ve requested an extension (oftentimes an extension means that there is a question or difficulty on the return)—remember that Practical Taxes is ready to help you file that return. Don’t let the IRS charge you more than they already plan to. And if you need help in paying any of the 2017 income tax there are options, and your experienced tax preparer at Practical Taxes can advise you as to the best way for you to pay.

If you have any questions regarding your 2017 tax returns, or if you would like to speak with a tax expert about any other tax question, then make sure to call Practical Taxes today.

Newspaper-300x225Every business needs to get their name out there. Without visibility you don’t have clients. Without clients you don’t have an income. Without an income, well why are you even in business in the first place? The business world is constantly changing. And you need to stay on top of things or else you will be left with nothing but Yellow Pages ads in a world where Google search engine rankings are all that anyone cares about. If you want to maintain a viable player in your field, follow these tips set forth by your accountant in Billings, MT.

 

Becoming More Visible as a Business

There are a number of different ways to spread your name around. They are more than just advertising, and you can’t just pick one. You need to keep at the top of your game across multiple methods. Here are a few that have great success.

Google – There are two ways to get to the top of Google. You can pay for an AdWords campaign to put your website at the top of the list when people search for specific keywords. Most of the time people skip right by these ads. The alternative is to organically build your site to be search engine optimized. This includes a lot of content, and some other SEO techniques.

Pay Per Click – You need exposure. One way to do that is to set up a pay-per-click ad campaign targeting local site. Your local news sites will host your ad, but you only ever pay if someone actually clicks on your ad. This drives traffic to you website, and hopefully results in paying clients. You need a great website to convert those visitors to clients.

Media – Many businesses will benefit immensely from media advertising. This is printed ads in the paper, radio spots, TV commercials, and more. These ads are not for everyone, but they can benefit certain businesses immensely.

Networking – One word that many professionals hate is networking. But if you get into the right networking group, you will be rewarded greatly. For instance, Biz to Biz is a fantastic way to generate leads and pass referrals.

Partnering – Some businesses will benefit greatly by partnering with related businesses. For instance, if you are a graphic designer, you may benefit by partnering with a marketing company. You take your information to that company, and the next time they have overflow work, they push it your way. It’s a win-win for both of you.

Online Reviews –Something under-utilized, especially here in Billings, are Google reviews. Every time you have a satisfied customer, give them a card with your information and ask them to write a review for you on Google. You can offer small bribes such as a free coffee to a local kiosk to get a better response rate.

Outsourcing the Right Parts of your Business

Because you are a busy professional, you likely don’t want to take the time to make sure that your business is getting the right visibility. This is where it is important to outsource certain aspects. For instance, how many hours per month do you spend on payroll services? That is something your accountant in Billings, MT can do so you can focus on running your business. Outsourcing your marketing to the professionals is not only easier, but gets dramatically better results. A highly visible business is a profitable business. Where are you lacking?

Practical Taxes is a full service accounting firm in Billings, MT. If you need help with your bookkeeping, online payroll services, business consultation, or just simple tax preparation, we are here to help. Call us today at 406-894-2050 to learn more about how we can help you.

If you are wondering who the IRS qualifies as a dependent, then hopefully this article will clear up any ambiguity. To claim a dependent when you have one is very important, because you get an exemption for that dependent that will reduce your taxable income. And according to the IRS the two types of dependents are qualifying relatives and qualifying children.

A Qualifying Child

For you to claim a child as a dependent then he or she must be either: your child, stepchild, foster child, or half sibling (or the descendant of one of those). The child should have the same residence as the taxpayer; and he or she should have lived with the qualifying tax payer in his or her residence for six months or more. There are exceptions to these rules however, and the exceptions are for children whose parents have divorced, and also include kidnapped children, children who have taken temporary absences, and children who were born or who had died in that year. The child needs to be under the age of nineteen at the end of the taxable year, or, in the case that the child is a student, under the age of twenty-four.

For a taxpayer to claim a qualifying relative, the relative in question must not also be able to be claimed by another taxpayer (cannot be anyone else’s qualifying child). The relative must be related directly to you, and you must provide fifty percent or more of the financial support for that person in that year.

And if you have any questions whether the children or relatives who live with you, or for whom you provide significant financial support either in your residence or at theirs, qualify as dependents, then make an appointment with your accountant at Practical Taxes today. You don’t want any financial surprises come tax season, which, by the way, is only a few short months away. And having the knowledge and experience of a professional tax expert at Practical taxes guiding you, could make all the difference.

A small business is rewarding—especially on day one—but also it can be extremely challenging. And if you are planning to open soon a small business, then you first might want to know your particular business entity. What does this mean? This means that the Government will assess your taxes based on how your particular business chooses to operate. The most common entities recognized by the government are: Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, Corporation, and S Corporation. To break these down further, you should know that Sole Proprietorship means that you and your business are subject to an income tax that is calculated at the individual level; you alone run the business (Many small businesses are recognized by the Government as Sole Proprietorships) and you are also subject to the self-employment tax. Partnership is viewed by the Government as being similar to the Sole-Proprietorship in that the business owners are subject to the tax rate at the individual level, including the self-employment tax. Tax liability for a corporation is more difficult to calculate in that the business (corporation) is taxed at a corporate level, and also shareholders of the corporation are treated as employees, all of whom are subject to payroll tax, similar to how an employee would be taxed on their wages. The S Corporation entity is a corporation that is allowed to be taxed at an individual level, and the shareholders of that corporation are treated as employees to be subject to payroll-type taxes.

There are obvious drawbacks and liabilities to each entity, and if you are considering the structure for a small business idea, then you may first want to assess how you view your business goals and the potential your business has for potential growth. Your tax professional at Practical Taxes is experienced in small business tax and even payroll options for when your business is ready to launch. And if you have any questions as to how Practical Taxes can help your business succeed, then call today.

run a better businessIf you are a business owner then you are always on the lookout for how to run a better business. You want to have a clean and fluid business that can operate without you. You want to be able to take a vacation and know that when you return, there won’t be a pile of work for you to get done. But you wonder how can that can even happen? You’re scraping by now and can only dream of those days.

It all starts with taking small steps. Let your accountant in Billings, MT explain the three steps it takes to run a better business.

Invest in Your Presence

There are two different types of marketing out there: branding and marketing. Branding is letting people know who you are; marketing is letting people know what you sell. Many businesses skip the first step, and jump right into the second step.

Before you can sell a product to your customer, your customer needs to be familiar with your face. Let’s look at it this way. You need life insurance and the only two companies that you can find are MET Life and XYZ Financial. You have seen the Snoopy commercials, you know “Get MET, it Pays”, and you’re familiar with the brand. XYZ Financial says they offer a premium product for 20% less than MET Life offers. Who do you choose? Most people will go with MET because they trust the brand (although they know nothing about the brand other than they have heard the name often).

As a business owner, you want your name to become a household name (Coca-Cola, Kleenex, Apple, Toyota, etc.). When people already know your name, then they will be more likely to buy your product.

Sell to Your Customer; Not to You

A good sales person knows this rule of sales: make it all about the customer. Don’t tell them what you have to offer, tell them how you can solve their problem.

accountant and payroll services expert in Billingsaccountant and payroll services expert in Billings

Often we hear sales pitches that go like this: “We have the best product on the market. Through years of research and development, we have developed a product that blows away the competition. Our product is ranked better than 98% of all others out there, and our sales show that we are the best!”

Nobody cares. The customer wants to hear a pitch like this: “Are you tired of [xyz]? 98% of our customers report that [product name] has helped them. Don’t suffer any more, try us today. If it doesn’t work out, we have a money back guarantee.”

See the difference? The first pitch is all about how great the product is. The second is all about how the product helps the customer.

Meet the customer’s needs, and the sale will make itself.

Get Organized

One of the biggest business killers is lack of organization. If you want to run a better business, you have to invest time (every single day) into staying organized. Doing so will help ensure that you will remember to reply to all of those emails, return phone calls, and get everything done.

Look at it like this. Suppose you remain unorganized. Every morning, before you get any work done, you have to spend an hour remembering where you left off the day before, figuring out what project you are working on, and de-cluttering your desk. Now let’s suppose you spend 15 minutes at the end of every day organizing for the following day. Now you have that entire hour at the beginning of the day (when you are fresh and thinking clearly), to get as much accomplished as possible. You can run a better business with ease because you gave yourself a boost.

Let Practical Taxes help you Run a Better Business

As a business owner, you have a lot on your plate. You have work to do, prospects to follow up with, and phone calls to return. The last thing that you want to do is worry about your taxes and payroll. Don’t muddle through doing your own taxes, leave them to us!

We offer affordable tax preparation services here in Billings, MT. We spend our time on your taxes, so you can spend your time learning how to run a better business.

castle-780982_1920-300x225Estate taxes are often referred to as death taxes. It seems that no matter what is going on, the government wants to get a piece of the pie. So when you pass away, if you have a large enough estate, there may be taxes that are owed. On top of that, there are inheritance taxes to be worried about. So how do you know the difference, how much you will owe, and what to plan for? Keep reading as Practical Taxes, your accountant in Billings, explains the difference between estate taxes, inheritance taxes, and who needs to worry about them.

 

Federal Estate Taxes

A few years ago, understanding estate taxes was a pain. There was a set amount that would be excluded, and that number stayed the same for a decade. After 10 years it needed to be adjusted for inflation, but congress was trying to decide what to do. There was a fear that it would reset, and anyone that died during the reset period would be subject to massive taxes.

Fortunately that has been figured out, and the estate tax exclusion now adjusts annually. For tax year 2015, your assets can total $5.43 million before you owe taxes. That means if your assets total $5.45 million, you only owe federal estate taxes on $20,000. Current estate tax rates are between 35% and 45% depending on your situation.

If you are fortunate to have an estate larger than the exclusion, and thus you will have to worry about the taxes, pay attention to the name of the tax. Estate taxes are paid by the estate before money is distributed to the heirs. The government doesn’t care if those assets are tied up in real estate either. The estate will have to raise the money any way possible to pay the tax.

State Inheritance Taxes

Fortunately there are only 15 states (and D.C.) that have an inheritance tax. Montana is not one of them. But in case you have two residences, pay attention.

State inheritance tax varies by state. There are different exclusions, different tax rates, and different provisions. Since Montana isn’t included, we won’t go into any details; but we can discuss it with you if your situation calls for it.

Just as estate taxes are paid by the estate, inheritance taxes are paid by the heir.

How to Avoid Estate Taxes

There are a couple of ways to avoid estate taxes. One involves reducing the size of your estate, the other actually involves increasing the size.

Reducing the size of your estate – The only true way to completely avoid estate taxes is to have an estate smaller than the exclusion of $5.43 million. However, rapidly reducing your estate is tough since you can only give away a certain amount every year. You can give $14,000 each year to anyone and avoid gift taxes. So if you have 10 grandkids, you can move $140,000 out to UGMA or UTMA accounts. You can move money out by donating to charity, or setting up an ILIT.

Increasing the size of your estate – Moving money into an ILIT will actually increase the size of your estate. Let’s suppose your estate is worth $6 million. You start an ILIT (the trust owns the insurance, the estate is the beneficiary) and give the trust $14,000 per year to pay the premiums. Suppose the death benefit is $4 million, your estate (at the time of your death) will be worth $10 million. The benefit here is that even though you owe taxes on the additional value; it is all paid with liquid money that comes from the life insurance.

Let Practical Taxes Help with Your Estate Planning

If you have estate planning needs, Practical Taxes can help. We can work closely with your attorney, your financial advisor, and you to draw up these plans. We will help you plan for your estate taxes, or help you avoid them if we can legally make it happen.

If you don’t have estate tax issues, we offer affordable tax preparation services in Billings. Give us a call at 406-894-2050 to learn more and to schedule your appointment.

 

It’s becoming a popular thing to do: start up a small business, even a “micro” small business (consider the tiny online stores on the Etsy and Ebay websites). And the talk in Government is all about the encouragement of more small business; encourage the working man or woman to set out on their own, get a tax break in the process… And it’s true that owning a small business has considerable benefit to those willing to take on the responsibility: there can be great pride in building a business, pride in ownership, in being your own boss. But there are many overlooked costs and responsibilities that people may not consider when starting out on their own. Here’s a few.

Wait time and Cost of Licensure, Insurance, Registration…

Most folks consider the process of licensure when they start up the business, but not everyone considers the cost and scope of insurance; the cost and scope of insuring employees, or the liability of using contractors, operating on their own specialized license, in relation to the liability of the business.

Paperwork

Sometimes people get into business without any real foundation of the required paperwork—everywhere in business there seems to be paperwork—and to be bogged down and unprepared for the banal methods of paperwork can be costly for your business. You may want to consider hiring an accountant to help with payroll and other accounting jobs; Practical Taxes will ensure your annual tax liability gets handled smoothly. Did you know, for instance, that when you work for yourself there is a self-employment tax? Have you ever considered how much of your precious time will be taken away by employee background checks and payroll?

Unfortunately, even businesses built with the best of intentions don’t last long without proper financial planning. If you are planning to go into business on your own soon, or if you are still on the fence, considering it, remember that a quality accountant can help your business run smarter and more efficient. If you have any other questions as to how Practical Taxes can help your business, call today.