Member of Russell Bedford International, a global network of independent professional service firms.
Member of Russell Bedford International, a global network of independent professional service firms.
One of the greatest perks of owning a small business is flexibility. You can set your own hours and salary. You can plot the firm’s trajectory without consulting your boss, upper management, or even corporate policy. But that same flexibility may become a curse if handled unwisely. A small business owner without discipline and a well-thought-out strategy may fall into serious financial trouble. Employees in larger firms often rely on the human resources department to establish pay scales, retirement plans, and health insurance policies. In a small company, all those choices – and many more – fall to the owner, including decisions about personal compensation.
While there’s not a one-size-fits-all formula for determining how much to pay yourself as a business owner, here are three factors to consider:
Personal expenses. Tracking your business and personal expenses separately makes it easier to track the firm’s cash flow, and lets you know how much salary you can realistically draw without hurting profitability.
Start with your household budget, then determine how much you’re willing to draw from personal savings to keep your household afloat as the company grows. For a start-up company, owner compensation may be minimal. Beware, however, of going too long without paying yourself a reasonable salary. Be sure to document that you’re in business to make a profit; otherwise the IRS may view your perpetually unprofitable business as a hobby – a sham enterprise aimed at avoiding taxes.
The market. If you were working for someone else, what would they pay for your skills and knowledge? Start by answering that question; then discuss salary levels with small business groups and colleagues in your geographic area and industry. Check out the Department of Labor and Small Business Administration websites. In the early stages of your business, you probably won’t draw a salary that’s commensurate with the higher range of salaries, but at least you’ll learn what’s reasonable.
Affordability. Review and continually update your firm’s cash flow projections to determine the salary level you can reasonably sustain while keeping the business profitable. As the company grows, that level can be adjusted upward.
If you’re not sure how to set your salary, please contact Cray Kaiser today. We’re here to help!
The tax law provides a valuable tax-saving opportunity to business owners and real estate investors who want to sell property and acquire similar property at about the same time. This tax break is known as a like-kind or tax-deferred exchange. By following certain rules, you can postpone some or all of the tax that would otherwise be due when you sell property at a gain.
A like-kind exchange simply involves swapping assets that are similar in nature. For example, you can trade an old business vehicle for a new one, or you can swap land for a strip mall. However, you can’t swap your vehicle for an apartment building because the properties are not similar. Certain types of assets don’t qualify for a tax-deferred exchange, including inventory, accounts receivable, stocks and bonds, and your personal residence.
Typically, an equal swap is rare; some amount of cash or debt must change hands between two parties to complete an exchange. Cash or other dissimilar property received in an exchange may be taxable.
It is not necessary for the exchange of properties to be simultaneous. However, in the case of such a “deferred” exchange, the replacement property must be specifically identified in writing within 45 days and must be received within 180 days (or by your tax return due date, if earlier), after transfer of the exchange property.
With a real estate exchange, it is unusual to find two parties whose properties are suitable to each other. This isn’t a problem because the rules allow for three-party exchanges. Three-party exchanges require the use of an intermediary. The intermediary coordinates the paperwork and holds your sale proceeds until you find a replacement property. Then he forwards the money to your closing agent to complete the exchange.
When done properly, exchanges let you trade up in value without owing tax on a sale. There’s no limit on the number of times you can exchange property. If you would like to learn more about tax-deferred exchanges, contact us.
*This newsletter is issued quarterly to provide you with an informative summary of current business, financial, and tax planning news and opportunities. Do not apply this general information to your specific situation without additional details and/or professional assistance.
Wedding bells bring rejoicing – and financial changes. If you’re marrying for the second time, the changes might seem overwhelming. On the surface, tax and financial planning for a second marriage is similar to that of a first marriage, but there’s more to taxes and marriage the second time around.
For example, no matter what month you hold the ceremony, the IRS will consider you married for the full year. That means employer-provided fringe benefits and taxes withheld from your paychecks could require adjustment. Depending on how much each of you earns and your past financial history, you’ll have to decide what filing status will be most beneficial, and how best to take advantage of tax breaks that may become available.
With a second marriage, you have even more decisions to make, including how you’ll merge your assets. Will you purchase a new home? If both of you already own separate homes, you may each qualify for a $250,000 federal income tax exemption on the profit from the sale, as long as you have lived in the home for at least two of the last five years. If only one of you meets the requirements for the exemption, consider selling the qualifying home and living in the other for a while.
You or your spouse might also have substantial debt or financial obligations. Discuss your financial histories, including alimony or child support still owed and past bankruptcies. Decide who will provide for the college expenses of the children in your now-combined household. Depending on your age, you may want to investigate the effect of the marriage on your social security benefits.
Consider estate issues too, such as updating retirement plans with new beneficiary designations and retitling bank and brokerage accounts. Be sure to discuss how heirs from previous marriages will be provided for, and remember to update your wills.
A second wedding is a joyful event for you, your new spouse, and your extended families. To give your marriage an added advantage, call us before you say, “I do.” We’ll offer our congratulations – followed by useful financial and tax planning advice.
Don’t wait too long after the wedding to spend a little time on tax matters. Here’s a checklist of things to consider:
If you have questions about taxes and marriage, please contact Cray Kaiser today.
There’s nothing good about being selected for an IRS audit. At best it’s a time consuming nuisance, and at worst you’ll be poorer in the end. But you can reduce your likelihood of being audited, or if you are selected, of being billed.
There are three types of IRS audits. The simplest and most common is a correspondence audit, where the IRS mails you a request for further information about one or more items on your return. In most cases the issues can be resolved by responding with the appropriate documentation.
If you’re selected for an office audit, the IRS will schedule an appointment for you to meet with an auditor at their local facility. They’ll tell you in advance which specific areas of your return(s) will be addressed and what types of documentation you should bring in.
A field audit is more comprehensive. An IRS agent will travel to your home, business, or representative’s office, review the returns at issue, request documentation for questioned items, and ultimately issue a report either recommending a tax change or accepting the returns as filed.
Correspondence audits are often triggered by information matching. The IRS receives W-2s, 1099s, and similar reports from businesses and financial institutions and matches the numbers to the tax returns filed by the individuals involved. If the returns don’t agree with reported figures, the individual will be asked for an explanation and/or simply mailed a bill.
The IRS also uses a computer scoring system to select audits. Based on past experience, the system assigns a score to each tax return indicating the likelihood that the tax was understated or certain income was not reported. Common red flags include the following:
In 2015, above-average audit activity may be expected for upper income individuals, sole business proprietors, partnerships, and S corporations. Cash-intensive enterprises (bars, restaurants, taxis, hair salons, etc.) are particularly apt to receive a higher rate of scrutiny, as are industry categories that tend to have high rates of deductions not independently reported to the IRS (such as construction and real estate rental businesses).
If you do happen to be selected for an audit, call us. We’re prepared to assist you with whatever is needed.
*This newsletter is issued quarterly to provide you with an informative summary of current business, financial, and tax planning news and opportunities. Do not apply this general information to your specific situation without additional details and/or professional assistance.
