Saturday, June 20, 2015

A Guide To Little Known Legal Loopholes For Small Businesses

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).

Knowing which bracket the business falls into will then clarify the amount of taxes the owner will have to pay. If a business is a corporation, then listing it as an 'S' Corporation as opposed to a 'C' Corporation will mean that much less taxes need to be paid because of the structure of the arrangement with the IRS. Furthermore, it is strongly recommended that Sole Proprietorship or Partnership businesses be formed into Corporations for this very purpose.

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.

The remaining profit after FMV is then labelled as a dividend that is paid out. This dividend does not actually become subject to payroll tax. This, however, can only happen in an 'S' Corporation, as other business models would be subject to fifteen percent or more taxes on profits in the business, whether FMV is in place or not.

'S' Corporation businesses are also able to deduct any losses on personal income tax returns. 'C' Corporation businesses, however, may not be as lucky, and may need to carry forward any such losses to the first year when the business experiences a profit. Considering that many small businesses may have to wait quite some time before experiencing any real profit, this could be quite detrimental and may very well be the deciding factor between a successful venture and a 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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