Guys, it's tax season. This can be a really intimidating time of year for small business owners and those who are self employed. Taxes can be confusing, not to mention expensive. As our company has grown over the years I've learned a lot about keeping track of our books. We also receive lots of help and advice from our accountant (and friend), Jason, who helped compile information for this post with me. If you're getting ready to do your taxes here are 10 tax deductions you ought to consider.
1. Vehicle Use. Do you use your car for work purposes? Did you know you can deduct the business use of your vehicle? There are two methods for calculating the use of your vehicle, you can learn more about it here. In our opinion the simplest solution is to keep a log of your work related mileage (either with excel or an app). Also save any receipts from tolls or parking fees, but file them as an expense (business travel expenses can be deducted as well).
2. Office Use. Do you rent a space that you use as an office or studio? If you have a designated home office space you may be able to write off a portion of your mortgage or rent. There are a few rules about deducting the use of a home office, namely that you must use it regularly. You can read more about this option here.
3. Business/Office Supplies. Chances are you bought all sort of things last year that you needed in order to conduct business. This might include the following: a computer, a camera, a printer, printer supplies, pens and pencils, software, postage, apps, online fees for web hosting or blog platform fees. It is best to keep a record of these expenses throughout the year, saving receipts in an organized fashion in case you ever get audited. This may seem like a pain at first but it's worth it, trust me. Also, more expensive items that you will use over the course of several years (like a computer or digital camera) will need to be depreciated over several years. A tax pro can help you with this step, just save those receipts!4. Education. It costs money to get an education, and the IRS allows some tax deductions in this area. You'll need a record of your tuition, fees or student loans. Read more about educational tax deductions here.
5. Insurance. If you are self employed chances are you pay your own health care premiums. These are tax deductible. If you own a small business and have any kind of business insurance, these premiums may be deductible as well as renter's insurance for a rented office space or car insurance on a company car.
6. Advertising and Promotions. Do you have costs associated with advertising your business or product? Do you send out mailers? Do you utilize an email marketing service? These costs can be tax deductible so long as it does promote your business, and you have some documentation of the transactions.
7. Banking fees. This one's often easily overlooked. If you pay lots of fees associated with your bank or Paypal. Keep track of them, as they can be deducted.
8. Retirement Plans. If you are an employer most of the time you can deduct employer contributions on behalf of an employee. If you are self employed (the recipient/employee) then this can become more complicated as there are more rules regarding if you can deduct funds to a retirement account. Check with your tax pro for more information.
9. Tax Preparation. Ok, full disclosure, I'm peppering this one with my personal opinion. If you are a small business owner or self employed I HIGHLY recommend getting your taxes done by a tax professional you use over the course of many years. Yes, you can deduct the fees associated with this service the following year (for personal taxes there is a limit to the amount you can deduct). But even more important than this I've found that having a second person with more knowledge and experience take a look at your receipts/books is the number one thing you can do to save money during tax season.
10. Moving Costs. This won't apply to everyone, only those who move for work related reasons. And there are limitations. Be sure you know what address is your tax home. You must move at least 50 miles. You must be there (the new, moved-to area) for at least 39 weeks during the first year of employment (or 78 weeks during the first two years if self employed).
If you've got your own venture that's spending and making money, it's never too early to start thinking about taxes. Create habits. Save receipts. Always try to learn more about the system. It will be so beneficial in the longrun. And don't be discouraged if you didn't do everything absolutely perfect last year. Being a good small business owner is a learning process. We are always learning new and better ways to do business every single year. You can do it! xo. Emma
Credits // Author: Emma Chapman, Photography: Elsie Larson. This post was written with considerable assistance from our accountant Jason Jordan. Resources linked throughout.
HI
Thanks for another good post ! now I am currently working on my taxes for my small boozy business Toronto Tax return, and I could not thought about adding my health insurance to the mix. Love, love, love, your blog.
Although it may seem like an additional expense, but hiring an accountant will help you save in the long run.
What a pitty that you don’t live in Spain. What I see is that there are more facilities for opening a business in USA than here. Here there are a lot of “burocrazy” that make harder everything
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It is a great time of year to give to a local charity in your community. Not
only help with Tax deductions it also can help improve your companies brand
and of course the needy people in our areas. Thanks!
Ooo thank you for this post! I was just in a bit of a tizz about doing my taxes and this helped me calm down and see it in a slightly more positive light 🙂
Those were some really great tips. But I would like to add to the post by saying that filing taxes by yourself may not always be a good idea. Whether your business is small or large, hiring an tax accountant is always a good idea. Although it may seem like an additional expense, but hiring an accountant will help you save in the long run.
Brilliant post. I have resources on my website for UK readers 🙂
I’m really hoping that my future will include have a small biz (health/wellness/life coaching to be exact), so this could be so extremely helpful! =)
Really great tips here. I use a program called Wave (www.waveapps.com) which syncs to your business checking and paypal accounts. You can then go in and tag debits and credits into the correct categories. Makes it super easy to track your income and expenses as you go throughout the year too. Don’t leave it to the end of the year to find out whether you’re turning a profit or not!
So smart 🙂
Great tips! I actually just did my taxes last week thankfully with all these tips before reading them!
Hugely helpful! My first year of doing own accounts and the quarterly taxes idea is brilliant, rather than rushing around in a panic in January (like I;ve just been doing!).
Only just discovered your website this month and already really enjoying it.
Thanks!
Thanks for this!
Do you think you could do a post on tax deductions for specifically bloggers?
I can’t seem to find too much information on what can be claimed as a deduction and what can’t. Obviously all the big ticket items like office/home office, phone, website etc but what about materials, travel, coffee with clients etc. that all go towards running your blog?
Mademoiselle C. xx
www.creamstop.com
Thank you so so much for writing this!
I totally agree about using a professional to do your taxes. They will find additional write-offs that you never thought of. I do all the grunt work and provide a summary of all income and expenses and provide that to my CPA. This allows him to create the tax return without spending time rummaging thru a box of receipts. This makes it less costly for me, and easier for him.
Thank you for sharing this information! So useful!
I don’t do business at all, maybe a handful times a year, but it’s so good to know a great accountant personally so help you out! 😉
Thank you for this post! I am currently working on my taxes for my small boozy jam business, and I never thought about adding my health insurance to the mix. Love, love, love, your blog.
This is very helpful! Thank you for sharing 🙂
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Best post ever!!
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