Uncommon Business Deductions You Could Be Missing

Accountants and tax preparation professionals are an important asset to your financial team. They ensure that your returns are completed accurately and filed on-time. However, during the busy tax season, they are limited in how much time they can spend exploring less common tax deductions and credits. This is where your Certified Tax Coach comes in. With the help of these specialists, you can identify uncommon methods of decreasing your tax liability.

Deductible Business Expenses That Are Often Overlooked

Your accountant is sure to recommend that you take deductions for basic expenses like utilities and equipment purchases. However, there are other opportunities to secure tax savings on some of the costs of doing business. These are just a few of the deductions that many business owners fail to claim:

• Home Office – Even if your business has separate premises, you may qualify for deductions on expenses related to your home office. After all, as every entrepreneur knows, plenty of work is done outside of standard business hours. If you maintain a formal space within your home for managing your company, a portion of your mortgage and utilities could potentially be allocated to your business.
• Start-Up Costs – Getting a new company off the ground can put a lot of pressure on your personal finances. In fact, this is one of the biggest reasons that many people won’t risk pursuing their brilliant business ideas. In an effort to encourage more entrepreneurs to take chances, tax regulations now permit certain exemptions and credits for start-up costs.
• Training and Development – No matter how much experience you have in your industry, there is always something new to learn. Changes in technology and new methods of management are just the beginning when it comes to opportunities for expanding your skills. If you incur expenses related to training and development, you may be able to claim a deduction.

The Benefits of Building a Family Business

Working with relatives can present its own set of challenges, but there is no question that employing family members leads to significant tax savings. By hiring your dependents, you may be able to cut costs on Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment taxes, and hiring your spouse increases opportunities to save through retirement programs.

The primary point to keep in mind when bringing parents, children, or spouses on-board is that there is no room for fudging the numbers or exaggerating job responsibilities. You can expect the IRS to validate that children are in age-appropriate positions with suitable duties based on their level of education and experience. Keep careful records when you employ relatives, so you can easily demonstrate that they are legitimate employees.

Employee Engagement Expenses

When your staff members love coming to work, their productivity increases, and there is a proven connection between employee engagement and profitability. Many small business owners encourage a positive culture through special recognition events and activities. Sometimes, they even use personal funds to present workers with a gift or reward for birthdays, service anniversaries, and similar.

Tax regulations make it possible to deduct some of the expenses related to reward and recognition. Learn more about the deductions and credits your business may be entitled to when you visit us at work with a Certified Tax Coach.