Even though the curve hasn't flattened as much as we'd like, and we've spent a lot of time focusing on staying safe at the moment, it's time to start thinking about the future. Your company is going to overcome all of this, and we are going to talk about how!
April was gone in a flash wasn't it, Summerville? Time has a very strange and unique way of passing. It's been hard keeping the days in order. Thankfully, working from home or with a small staff in our offices has helped us keep track. Can you believe that tax day came and went with so little attention this year? That's right! Tax day has officially been moved to July 15th! If you haven't paid and filed your taxes yet, that's ok! You still have time to do so. But, we do recommend filing your taxes sooner rather than later. This will help with refunds, getting your stimulus checks, and possibly speeding your small business loan applications up. Do what you can for your small business now to help your company in the coming months. Although things are still unknown in the current market and our personal lives, it's time to start thinking ahead. We've spent our last few blogs sharing tips and suggestions on how to keep your employees safe, how the pandemic might affect your small business, the realities of your stimulus checks, but now it's time to start preparing for the beyond. It's a heavy truth that life as we've known it could be very different after all of this settles. But, we still want your company and the future of your company to be strong and prosperous. So, let's be hopeful and work towards that, together. As the best tax accountant in Summerville, we hope these tips and suggestions help you as we move forward in this very strange and uncharted time. All of the financial help and small business loans that have been created and promises may or may not come through for your company. Some companies have received these benefits, while some might never see a cent of help. It's constantly changing, and we aren't sure what these new changes could or couldn't mean. We are following the news just as closely for these updates. Hang in there. This pandemic has affected every industry, and the best way to get through this is to stand strong and to support one another. We are here for you, Summerville. Take these tips to heart, they could help you in the long run.
We understand your concerns and worries. We hope this list inspires you to keep working and to keep your hopes up. We will get through this and will continue to work hard together. Also don't forget, if you're looking for the best tax accountant in Summerville, the best tax services in Summerville, the best Quickbooks services in Summerville, the best IT services in Summerville, and the best payroll services in Summerville, we are still here for you. Tax season may be over for some and just starting for others, and we will be here for you no matter what!
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The coronavirus has changed the way we live our lives. It has changed our daily schedules, where and how we work, and has changed the face of education for our children. For parents working from home for the very first time while their children in school are also working from home, the landscape of living and working together has been altered. What does this mean for parents and their children and how can they be the most successful in these times of change? So much has changed within the last few weeks since our last blog post about how small businesses and corporations need to operate during this time of crisis. It continues to change the work world so much, that we wanted to follow that blog up by discussing just how much COVID-19 is changing and affecting the lives of everyone in the working world down to the youngest of your family. One of the biggest reliefs and changes during this time is the 90-day deferment on taxes for everyone, allowing both individuals and corporations to pay and file their taxes on July 15th instead of April 15th. But, with that relief, comes a bit of a struggle. Many of us are working from home for the very first time and with children our children that are school-aged or younger. Going from the office to our home offices, kitchen tables, or couches has been a huge shift, especially if you're working alongside your son or daughter as they are virtually taking classes and sending in assignments in brand new ways themselves. Thankfully, you don't have to worry about your small business or corporation meeting tax deadlines for a few more months while you're getting adjusted. The biggest adjustment is working from home, being productive, and trying not to drive one another crazy! As COVID-19 changes the guidelines on how to work, we wanted to break it down to the individuals affected by these huge changes and to share some tips and suggestions on how to successfully make this transition productive both to your company and to your well being. Without the latter, your work and productivity could suffer. So, let's get to work! Every family, personal work space, and your job at hand is unique and different. Through this unknown time, you'll have to find what works best for you. These suggestions might be the perfect solution to your learning curve, or they might be the complete opposite. Take these as stepping stones, and continue to see what works for you and your family. In the end, whatever works for your family is the right way. There is no right or wrong way, there will just need to be a lot of trial and error until you reach a comfortable level of living. Hopefully, by then, life will be back to normal, or as close to it as possible! TRACKING TIME One of the most consistent things we have seen to be successful for working parents and their children is to stay on schedule. The key is to create a schedule for this new way of living and to stick to it. This applies to both parent and child. All of this will depend on how old your child is and what their needs are, but living as consistently to your life before moving home is very important. Begin by waking up at the same time, get ready and dressed for the day, and eat breakfast at the same time. The temptation to sleep in, stay in the same PJs for days and eat whatever whenever is going to be a huge temptation. Don't fall into that trap! We aren't saying you need to get dressed to the nines or dress your children for picture day. The key is to change out of your PJs every morning and into another outfit that makes both you and your kids feel productive and normal as possible. Then, we recommend creating a schedule for your students for the whole day, not just during school hours. This will help them stay adjusted to their normal school day, stay on top of their expectations of getting homework done and studying completed, and allocate their free time. This way their grades don't drop while they are spending all of their time watching TV, playing video games, or on their phones. Keep them on a schedule that will create your workday too, one that allows you to stay close to your schedule too. For our parents with young children, keep them on a schedule as much as possible and one that is as close to what they have been living with. Take advantage of nap time, quiet playtime, and lunchtime as your work hours. You might need to get a little creative, and that's ok! NEW RULES It will be very important to sit your family down and talk about what's happening in the world and what these changes mean for everyone. The situation will change expectations, free time, and it will also mean spending all of your time together during work and play hours. You will also need to communicate with your boss, employees, and colleagues that they might need to be more flexible because of your new work situation with your children. Express that your children could walk into a work call or video meeting at any time, and you might need to get up and leave to answer an emergency or a baby crying at any time. If anything, mention this often so it is never a surprise and not something that is forgotten by anyone. This is also the time to set boundaries with your kids. This might mean allowing them more TV, video game, and screen time to give you more space and time to get work done. If that is the case, explain to them that this extra free time is a treat and that everything will return to normal once work and school go back to their normal schedule. Set boundaries, especially for your school-aged children, and let them know when they can come into your work space, and when they can only come in when it is an absolute emergency. SAVING TIME During this crazy time, create a system that allows you to work and allows you to still be a family. Take breaks together from work and school to exercise together, take a car ride, or walk the dog together while still practicing social distancing. When work and school are over for the day, make sure they are over for the day. Separate work from play with the whole family, unless you have to finish a job or a project. Keeping regular dinner hours, family game or movie nights, and beyond are very important. Spending time together as a family is very needed. But, allotting yourself adult time is very important as well. It is also important to parent as a team and juggle these new schedule changes and learning curves together. Share the normal household tasks like you never have before. Switch places creating the daily schedule, serving as a teacher for the day, and even switch giving your partner the night off. Allow your partner to not have to worry about household chores or the necessary grocery trip if they're slammed with work, and let them repay the favor to you when you're swamped with work. You can even switch shifts throughout the day, whatever works for you! This is an unknown time full of uncharted territory. Maintaining a sense of balance, normality, and regularity is the key to staying productive as a business owner and the head of a successful family. It may seem impossible at first, but keep working. You will figure out what works best for you. Remember to stay smart, keep following the WHO guidelines, and to wash your hands! The tax season is getting closer and closer as we reach the holiday season. With the ending of the most wonderful time of the year, that also means the end of the last fiscal period of 2019. Are you ready or do you think you might need a little more time? Happy November everyone! We hope you enjoyed our most recent blog about safe shopping tips for Black Friday and Cyber Monday! As we are still heading towards all of these wonderful holidays, there is still so much to think about. Taxes need to start making their way to the top of your priorities list. With the end of 2019 looming so close, tax season will be here before you know it. Are you ready for this next tax season or do you think you might need a little more time? There is no problem with needing that extra time - that's why tax extensions can be such a relief. Do you know the pros and cons of filing a tax extension? If you're new to the process, you've come to the right place. In this blog, we will be discussing the pros and cons, which will hopefully help you decide the best route for you before April 15 is here! To begin with, you file an extension request using the IRS form 4868. You fill it out and mail it right to the IRS. THE PROS!
THE CONS!
There you have it! The pros and cons of filing a tax extension. If you have any more questions or need to talk with us, please don't hesitate to pick up the phone. We are here to answer all of your questions and get you ready for the next step in your taxes. Quickbooks is the amazing software that we recommend to all of our clients and what we use ourselves to do taxes and keep all of our finances in line. But for those who are still new to the program, here are five of the most commonly asked questions answered for you to get started!
We can't say enough how amazing Quickbooks is, and the reviews alone and it's personal success speaks very highly for the product. The installation of the software does take a little time but it is worth it. The software is proven to very stable and reliable. It is also a huge time saver for you and your business. It saves time on bookkeeping and paperwork because a lot of this work will now be done automatically thanks to this incredible software and all that it can do for you and your company! It should also be a relief to you that you can constantly find out where your company stands if you are making or losing money and if you are in a healthy place or not with this software. Also, when it comes to all the financial software that's available for you to use for your small business, it is incredibly affordable. You can run your company on this amazing software for only a few hundred dollars. It is also totally customizable for what you want and how you want to use it for your business. It is very flexible and adapts to small businesses of all kinds. We could go on and on about why we support Quickbooks so much. But don't just take our word for it. Here are five of the most commonly asked questions answered for you, so you can really see how incredible this software can be for you! 1. Is the Cost of Quickbooks Tax Deductible? Yes it is! It is tax-deductible according to IRS publication 946 which says "off the shelf computer software is qualifying property for the purposes of the section 179 deduction." So don't be afraid to buy this for you or your small business, you can write it off at the end of the year. And who doesn't love a program that will help your busy grow and it will save you money? 2. Can I add my Accountant, Bookkeeper, or Tax Pro? You sure can! You can invite an accountant or any of your bookkeepers or Taxpros to collaborate with you for free with Quickbooks online. Once they accept your invitation to collaborate, they can work in their accounts on their own time. If you part ways with any of these persons, you can also deactivate their access at any time as well. 3. Is Phone Support Included? Phone Support is offered to you during the free 30-day trial Quickbooks offers you when you first sign up and is included with your paid subscription to Quickbooks online. For you to have Phone Support for Quickbooks online, your account must be current. If you are more interested in the Quickbooks Desktop Pro version, phone support is offered for an additional $89 for 90 days after you purchase the software. 4. There is no contract, correct? This should be a sigh of relief for you. No, there is no commitment or contract. You can switch between plans whenever you would like to and you can also cancel any of your subscriptions at any time. The online version of Quickbooks even offers a free 30-day trial for you to try out the program and see if its a fit for you. If you end up buying the desktop version, there is a 60-day money-back guarantee. 5. Is it easy to get started? If you have five minutes, then you have enough time to get started. Five minutes is all it takes to get up and running with Quickbooks once you sync all of your bank or credit card transactions to Quickbooks online. It will take a little longer to download the desktop version, but as mentioned above it is worth the time it takes to do so. We hope that if you have been considering using Quickbooks, that this will finally convince you of its potential. If you have any questions or would like more tutelage for this software, please feel free to contact us! There are so many ways to cut corners and save a little extra for your company this year, but if you think a little more on the creative side - you might end up saving more money than you expected!
Saving money for your company is something that I am sure is always on the back of your mind or is your main focus every time you hit a new fiscal quarter. There are so many options out there that can help you save a few dollars every month and sometimes a little bit every day. But here are five unique and interesting tips that could seriously help you save money consistently for the rest of 2019 and into 2020!
2. Spring Cleaning Comes All Year Round Have you noticed the huge trend in personal sellers on eBay and a huge slew of apps and websites that have been created specifically for the need of a personal seller? Well, there is a huge reason for that! A little extra cash goes a long way, especially when it comes to your bottom line at the end of the fiscal year. Has your office become cluttered with unused equipment, office supplies, and even gifted items that are just not being used? Take the time to do a big office clean and get rid of everything you don't need! Sell these items on eBay, the Facebook Marketplace, or any number of personal seller apps. You will end up putting a few extra dollars back into your company's pocket and giving your office a much needed deep clean. You can also save time and productivity and give this task to your interns instead of one of your full-time employees. You aren't taking away from your employee's workload, your interns are gaining experience, and you are getting money back from inexpensive labor! 3. Change Up That Work Week Have you been dreaming of working a three or four day week? Do you think this option might make your employees excited too? Without cutting down the productivity or work that needs to get done at your company, use this idea as inspiration. Giving yourself and your staff a few extra days off during the month or giving them more opportunities to work from home is not only a great perk, but it's also a huge cost saver. You're cutting back on daily business operation costs by closing down the office, and this creates a natural productivity increase. The promise of getting a few extra days off by working a little harder during the early part of the week will help get tasks done and keep employees very happy with the promise of a three or four day weekend. 4. Make a Difference When Printing Printing and toner cartridges can easily cost $50 a piece if not more every single time you buy one. If you're choosing to print all business materials in your office and allow your employees to have full use of your printing services, constantly buying new cartridges can get very costly very quickly. So, using recycled materials can become an excellent cost-saving option. Shop around for retailers that sell recycled cartridges and make the switch. These used cartridges aren't just cheaper, but a lot of companies that sell recycled cartridges also offer additional rewards for using them. This could turn into another money-saving opportunity for you in more ways than you could expect! Also, not only are you saving money you are also helping save the earth with this excellent green option. 5. Use Those Powerstrips Did you know that most of the electricity that is powering your office equipment, almost 75% of it, is used when all of your electronics are turned off? That gets pretty costly at the end of the month when that bill is due. Invest in some high-quality power strips to plug in all of your appliances and electronics into. When you and your employees leave at the end of the day just switch them all off as you walk out the door. Just leaving a computer on overnight, depending on how many computers you have in your office, can add an addition $200 a year in unnecessary energy consumption. Saving money can be easy if you just take the time to think about it. And sometimes you can earn rewards AND help save the planet while saving money too. As you start to think about the end of the year budget and what your 2020 budget is going to look like - keep these unique and interesting options in mind. Our latest blog focused on the importance of knowing what things you can look forward to writing off on your taxes this year. But just as important, you need to know all the things your business cannot write off as tax day draws closer. Battle this grey area, and be prepared before tax day.
There is plenty of time between now and April 15th to get prepared for paying Uncle Sam, but there is nothing wrong with being prepared. The last blog we posted was about knowing what items, some often unknown, that you can write off your taxes. We all love that extra break at the end of the year and it can be a huge burden lifted off your companies' bank account. But are you just as familiar with all the items you cannot write off your taxes? If not, you could be in for a lot of frustration when you start preparing your taxes and getting prepared to pay for them. Don't get caught in that trap, be prepared before you even begin your fiscal year. Know what receipts you need to save and where you can help your business save money - and know what to avoid spending money on before you get ready to sign the dotted line on April 15th. Let's start with some of the basic nondeductible recommended by Quickbooks. After Quckbooks help you track your project probability, manage your bills, track your business mileage, track your income and expenses, helps you prepare invoices and payments, manage your contractors, and pay your employees, it also offers this fantastic reminder of what you cannot write off and deduct from your upcoming taxes.
How does this sound so far? Are any of these nondeductibles surprising or frustrating? Or were you already aware of these items? Well - the list continues. This one is a little more detailed and focused towards small business owners.
For new business owners and sole proprietors, it's so easy to forget or not even known about all of the best deductibles and write-offs for your future tax season. So here are some of the best tips and hints and what you can look forward to writing off come April 15th!
April 15th. It's a day that goes down in infamy once you're proudly bringing home your first paycheck or have opened your own business or have become a sole proprietor. Even though it's still 9 months away from when we all have to open our wallets for Uncle Sam, taxes don't have to be as painful or as costly to you or your business as you think. We get it - taxes aren't your favorite thing. So to ease the pain between now and April 15 let's talk about something a little less painful - your tax write-offs and deductibles! Those glorious write-offs can cut your taxable income and cut down on what you end up paying for your taxes come tax season. But are you writing off everything that you can? Do you know just how much you can track and write off every year to make sure you're getting the financial break you and your company deserves? Let's break down what exactly you can write off - and how you should be keeping track. Federal tax laws can be a bother and can get in the way of what you think you can write off and what you actually can. Tax code and Tax law does change a little every year, so there are loopholes and certain things that will affect how, how much, and when you can write off certain things. When tax season does come around, make sure you, your tax advisor, or your Quickbooks extraordinaire takes the time to research the new tax code for the year. This list covers the big write-offs - and a handful of others that you might not know about. A lot of the time the more unknown or forgotten write-offs can be some of the most lifesaving and profitable at the end of the day. Make sure you're keeping track - and reading the small print. Our first recommendation is to keep track of everything for your company. Quickbooks is a simple and easy tool that can help you track all of your project probability, manage bills, track your mileage, keep track of your income and expenses, help you manage your invoicing and payments, manage your contractors, and of course - pay your workers. It's simple, efficient, and can take the headache out of tax time. You will also be a star employer if you get your taxes finished sooner than the cut off date. The faster you do, the faster that tax return can get back into your pockets and the pockets of your employees. The first general idea to keep in mind when you're just beginning and making plans of what you're going to be writing off this year, your write-offs HAVE to be something that is always used in your business industry. Once this is established, don't forget to keep and track your records. There are TONS of amazing apps and programs that can help you stay organized. Did I mention how amazing Quickbooks is and how they can do all of that for you? TOP WRITE OFFS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES!
Next up: Things you think you can write off, but actually, you cant! New Year, New Tax Season!2019 is almost here, and that means so is tax season. While we usually take a moment to discuss taxes and your business, we want to change it up and say just how thankful we are of each and every one of you. As a local business, we are appreciative of every person who walks through our doors in need of tax preparation or understanding. We enjoy working with local business professionals who seek our services.
In the new year, we hope that you continue to look to Pathways as a company you can trust and call on. You can keep up to date on our company, local events, and other fun topics through our social media, so be sure to give us a follow! Facebook: Pathways Consulting, LLC Twitter: @PathwaysConsul LinkedIn: Nanette Slappey West Thank you, and Happy New Year from all of us at Pathways! Why Use A Professional Tax Service For Your Business?When it comes to filing taxes for your business, you don’t want to end up with mistakes and money lost. To ensure a proper filing process, using a professional tax service is recommended. At Pathways, instead of just filing your taxes for you, we try our best to help you understand your taxes thoroughly. So, how do you file taxes for a small business, and why is it important to use a professional?
Keep All Records Record keeping is the most important step in the tax filing process for businesses. If there is no record, it never happened, and therefore makes it much more difficult to get correct information. In the process of keeping data, we suggest using a bookkeeping service like Quickbooks to store information used within the filing process. Use The Correct Form It is important to know the differences between the tax forms and which is appropriate for a business. The form most used for small businesses is a Schedule C or Form 1120. Schedule C is a simple form that is easier to calculate and input information. Deadlines are Real To make the filing process the easiest, be aware of the filing deadline for taxes on small businesses. We are very serious when it comes to this because of the repercussions that may occur due to late filing. Pathways is here to help your business breeze through tax season, so why not make your appointment today? Tax season is quickly approaching, and Pathways wants to ensure that your business has their taxes under wraps! Here are a few tax tips for your business!
Use Quickbooks Payroll When it comes to payroll, it can be difficult to manage by hand and keep up with all the employees of your business. In order to combat that, and provide relief come tax time, we recommend using Quickbooks payroll! File your Taxes on Time Many have been there, in crunch time, and end up missing the deadline for their taxes. Don't let that be you with your business. Ensure you get your taxes done on time, if not early, by using Pathways! Call and schedule your appointment today! Take Deductions Seriously When it comes to taxes and running a business, it helps to know what deductions you can file for and have. It is best to communicate with a Pathways team member to discuss the deductions that you and your business qualify for. We hope to see you soon for your tax appointment, make sure to get everything you need to get done early so you do not have to pay any late fees come 2019! |
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