Are you an employer who owns a business where tipping is customary for providing food and beverages? You may qualify for a tax credit involving the Social Security and Medicare (FICA) taxes that you pay on your employees’ tip income. How the credit works. The FICA credit applies with respect to tips that your employees […]
Do your employees receive tips? You may be eligible for a tax credit Read More »
Many people who launch small businesses start out as sole proprietors. Here are nine tax rules and considerations involved in operating as that entity. 1. You may qualify for the pass-through deduction. To the extent your business generates qualified business income, you are eligible to claim the 20% pass-through deduction, subject to limitations. The deduction
Do you want to go into business for yourself? Read More »
To guard against natural disasters and other calamities, many companies buy business interruption insurance. These policies provide cash flow to cover revenues lost and expenses incurred while normal operations are limited or suspended. But buying coverage is one thing — making a claim and receiving the funds is quite another. Depending on the scope of
Getting help with a business interruption insurance claim Read More »
Most business owners would probably agree that, when it comes to sales, there’s always room for improvement. To this end, every company should strive for organic sales growth — that is, increases from existing operations unrelated to a merger or acquisition. That’s not to say a merger or acquisition is necessarily a bad idea, but
3 best practices for achieving organic sales growth Read More »
An array of tax-related limits that affect businesses are annually indexed for inflation, and many have increased for 2020. Here are some that may be important to you and your business. Social Security tax. The amount of employees’ earnings that are subject to Social Security tax is capped for 2020 at $137,700 (up from $132,900
Numerous tax limits affecting businesses have increased for 2020 Read More »
This year, the optional standard mileage rate used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business decreased by one-half cent, to 57.5 cents per mile. As a result, you might claim a lower deduction for vehicle-related expense for 2020 than you can for 2019. Calculating your deduction. Businesses can generally deduct the
Cents-per-mile rate for business miles decreases slightly for 2020 Read More »
With the empty bottles of bubbly placed safely in the recycling bin and the confetti swept off the floor, it’s time to get back to the grind. The beginning of the year can be a busy time for business owners and executives because you no doubt want to get off to a strong start in
How business owners and execs can stay connected with staff Read More »
You’ve no doubt read articles or heard stories about how artificial intelligence (AI) is bringing sweeping change to a wide variety of industries. But it’s one thing to learn about how this remarkable technology is changing someone else’s company and quite another to apply it to your own. Here’s a primer on what AI might
What can AI do for my business? Read More »
If your company comes up over budget year after year, you may want to consider cost management. This is a formalized, systematic review of operations and resources with the stated goal of reducing costs at every level and controlling them going forward. As part of this effort, you’ll answer questions such as: Are we operating
Cost management: A budget’s best friend Read More »
A significant law was recently passed that adds tax breaks and makes changes to employer-provided retirement plans. If your small business has a current plan for employees or if you’re thinking about adding one, you should familiarize yourself with the new rules. The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (SECURE Act) was signed
New law helps businesses make their employees’ retirement secure Read More »