Home / Insights / Is Your Business Ready for Tax Season?

Is Your Business Ready for Tax Season?

April 7, 2023

Tax season can be challenging for small business owners who must find time to gather information for tax returns while managing their companies. It’s important to have good recordkeeping practices throughout the year but even if you do, there still will be tasks to get done. To help you adequately prepare for tax season, take these steps: 

Organize Your Paperwork for the Prior Year

Before you can start working on your tax return, you have to finalize your company’s books for the fiscal year. You should also close out any shareholder/owner loans so they can be reported on the tax return. This should be done as soon as possible to give you ample time to confirm that all financial information is accurate and entered properly. If you do this every month, it will be easier to prepare your year-end close. 

Issue W-9s and 1099s

W-9s and 1099s are necessary when working with independent contractors. Businesses must be careful about correctly classifying workers as independent contractors. Such workers are not full-time employees of the business but are paid more than $600 for work provided to the business. Employers who hire independent contractors must provide them with an IRS W-9 form before the contractor starts work and retain the completed form for their records. If you are an independent contractor, you must return the W-9 to the employer. 

By January 31st, employers must send independent contractors a completed 1099 form showing how much they were paid during the past year. This is also sent to the IRS.

Understand Your Deductions, Credits, and Accruals

Businesses can take advantage of various tax laws to save money. For example, federal and state governments provide numerous tax deductions and credits

In addition, you should keep in mind how you accrue expenses because this impacts your tax return. For instance, certain expenses must be accrued for tax purposes, such as 401(k) profit-sharing contributions, owner-paid business expenses that need to be reimbursed, etc. This is true even for cash-basis taxpayers.

Review the Latest Tax Laws

Tax laws are changing constantly each tax season. To help ensure you are in compliance and that you aren’t missing opportunities to reduce your taxes, you must stay abreast of changes or hire someone to monitor them for you.

Itemize Business Expenses

Excellent record keeping is essential to making sure you detail and deduct all business expenses you are entitled to and that you can justify them in the event of an audit.

Calculate Payroll Taxes

Your payroll taxes should be up to date and calculated throughout the year as part of your process for submitting quarterly estimated tax payments. 

Consider an Extension to File Your Tax Return

Businesses can request an extension from the IRS. Extensions are automatically provided the appropriate form is filed on time. The appropriate extension forms are as follows: Form 4868 is for sole proprietors and owners of certain single-member LLCs and Form 7004 is for corporations, LLCs, and partnerships. Importantly, the extension only gives you additional time to file. Typically, you must pay any taxes you owe by the initial deadline to avoid penalties. 

Filing deadlines for federal returns are as follows:

  • Initial deadline:
    • Sole proprietorships: Schedule C and personal tax return (IRS Form 1040) due April 17, 2023.
    • Partnerships: IRS Form 1065 due March 15, 2023.
    • Multimember LLCs: IRS Form 1065 due March 15, 2023.
    • S-corporations: IRS Form 1120S due March 15, 2023.
    • C-corporations: IRS Form 1120 due April 17, 2023.
  • Extension deadlines:
    • Sole proprietorships: October 16, 2023.
    • Partnerships: September 15, 2023.
    • Multimember LLCs: September 15, 2023.
    • S-corporations: September 15, 2023.
    • C-corporations: October 16, 2023.

Pay Estimated Taxes

Generally, you must pay estimated taxes after the end of each quarter based on what you made or estimated you would make during that quarter. You can calculate your quarterly estimated tax payments in one of two ways:

  • If you receive income evenly throughout the year, calculate your annual income and deductions, determine the taxes you’ll owe, and divide that into four even payments.
  • If you do not receive income evenly throughout the year, calculate what you owe each quarter based on your actual earnings and expenses during the quarter.

Importantly, you must pay accurately and on time to avoid an underpayment penalty in addition to the taxes that you owe. The amount of the penalty will depend on how much you owe and how long you have owed it to the IRS.

Think About Succession Planning

While succession planning doesn’t directly relate to tax season, the beginning of the year is a good time to think about what would happen to your business if you died or became incapacitated. It is important to have a plan in place so there are people to step into your shoes. That also includes organizing all of your files and tax records so that someone would be able to manage these issues in your absence.

Having advisors you can trust can make a big difference in the success of your business. We work with clients throughout the year to discuss how they can save money, make improvements in their business, and avoid potential problems. Our attorneys have experience in a wide range of legal, business, and tax matters. Contact us for a consultation to learn how we can assist you.

FEATURED VIDEO

Smith Legacy Law:
Your Lawyers For Life

Recent Posts

Should You and Can You Terminate an Irrevocable Trust?

Irrevocable trusts are created with the intent that they cannot be altered, amended, or revoked. The benefit is that such trusts can be used to minimize estate taxes or protect assets for numerous purposes such as Medicaid planning or to provide creditor protection....

S Corporations and Estate Planning

Owning shares in an S Corporation can present some unique issues when it comes to your estate planning. An S-Corp is a corporation that elects special tax status under the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Subchapter S. Often a business owner chooses S-Corp status because...

How Can You Get Information About a Trust If You Are a Beneficiary?

If you are the beneficiary of a trust but lack critical details about the trust, most states have streamlined procedures in place that allow you to obtain information without the need for a full court proceeding. As a trust beneficiary, you are entitled by law to...

Mediation in Litigation

Litigation is usually thought of in very adversarial terms. The parties fight in court arguing for their position and there is an identifiable winner and loser. The traditional court setting does not necessarily lend itself to compromise or creative resolutions....