Small Business Tips – DougFreemanCPA.com

Health care self-insurance and stop-loss coverage: What business owners need to know

For businesses, cost-effectively sponsoring a health insurance plan for employees is an ongoing battle. In the broadest sense, you have two options: fully insured or self-funded. A fully insured plan is simply one you buy from an insurer. Doing so limits your financial risk while offering the most predictable costs. The other option is what’s […]

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Coordinating Sec. 179 tax deductions with bonus depreciation

Business Deductions, Depreciation, Depreciation Deduction (Section 179), Federal Tax Deductions, Small Business, Small Business Owners, Small Business Tips / Douglas Freeman

Your business should generally maximize current-year depreciation write-offs for newly acquired assets. Two federal tax breaks can be a big help in achieving this goal: first-year Section 179 depreciation deductions and first-year bonus depreciation deductions. These two deductions can potentially allow businesses to write off some or all of their qualifying asset expenses in Year

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Should your business change its health care plan for next year?

Company Health Care Plans, Health Care Insurance, Health Savings Account, Small Business, Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP), Small Business Owners, Small Business Tips / Douglas Freeman

Open enrollment for most healthcare plans is many months away. That makes now a good time for businesses to consider changing their employer-sponsored coverage for next year, or perhaps to think about launching a plan for the very first time. If you’re going to do either, you’ll have many details to sort through. To simplify

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B2B businesses: Assess customer credit carefully

Customer Credit, Customers, Small Business, Small Business Owners, Small Business Tips / Douglas Freeman

Does your company operate in the business-to-business (B2B) marketplace? If so, you’re no doubt aware of the double-edged sword that is customer credit. On the one hand, it’s common practice. Most customers likely expect to be offered a credit option when engaging in B2B transactions. On the other, credit arrangements inevitably come with risk of

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Applying for a commercial loan with confidence

Commercial Loans, Small Business, Small Business Tips / Douglas Freeman

Few and far between are businesses that can either launch or grow without an infusion of outside capital. In some cases, that capital comes in the form of a commercial loan from a bank or some other type of lender. If you and your company’s leadership team believe a loan will soon be necessary, it’s

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Tax-wise ways to take cash from your corporation while avoiding dividend treatment

Closely Held Corporations, Corporations, Dividend Distribution, Small Business, Small Business Owners, Small Business Tips / Douglas Freeman

If you want to withdraw cash from your closely held corporation at a low tax cost, the easiest way is to distribute cash as a dividend. However, a dividend distribution isn’t tax efficient since it’s taxable to you to the extent of your corporation’s “earnings and profits,” but it’s not deductible by the corporation. 5

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Taking your spouse on a business trip? Can you write off the costs?

Business Travel Deductions, Business Travel Expense, Small Business, Small Business Owners, Small Business Tips / Douglas Freeman

A recent report shows that post-pandemic global business travel is going strong. The market reached $665.3 billion in 2022 and is estimated to hit $928.4 billion by 2030, according to a report from Research and Markets. If you own your own company and travel for business, you may wonder whether you can deduct the costs

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Is it time to upgrade your business’s accounting software?

Accounting, Accounting Software, Small Business, Small Business Owners, Small Business Tips / Douglas Freeman

By now, just about every company uses some kind of accounting software to track, manage, and report its financial transactions. Many businesses end up using several different types of software to handle different accounting-related functions. Others either immediately or eventually opt for a comprehensive solution that addresses all their needs. Although there’s some truth to

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How businesses can reinvigorate strategic planning

Small Business, Small Business Owners, Small Business Tips, Strategic Business Planning / Douglas Freeman

For businesses, and people for that matter, the beginning of the calendar year can be a bit of a grind. The holidays have passed, summer vacations are relatively far off and everyone is trying to build momentum for a strong, healthy year. Amongst all the nose-to-the-grindstone stick-to-itiveness, however, you and your leadership team shouldn’t lose

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9 tax considerations if you’re starting a business as a sole proprietor

Entrepreneurs, Medical Deductions, Quarterly Estimated Tax Payments, Self Employment Tax, Small Business, Small Business Owners, Small Business Tips, Sole Proprietors / Douglas Freeman

When launching a small business, many entrepreneurs start out as sole proprietors. If you’re launching a venture as a sole proprietorship, you need to understand the tax issues involved. Here are nine considerations: 1. You may qualify for the pass-through deduction. To the extent your business generates qualified business income, you’re currently eligible to claim

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