James-Allen Corporate Services, Inc.
Smooth operation of your S-corporation begins here!™
◊ Home
◊Services
◊Guidebook
◊Documents
◊Newsletter
◊Governance
◊Links
◊Company Store
Corporate Talk
Board of Directors
Characteristics
Marketing
Operations
S-Corps & Taxes
Shareholders
Treasurer
Uncategorized
This web site operates from the prospective that the user already
has a business entity and the entity of choice is the S-corporation.
While good business practices may apply to every business, the user
must decide whether to use and how to apply the content found here.
The authors cannot. As always, read all closely and think before you act.
Random Audacity
Here's lookin' at you...
The only approach for business taxes is to report all income and to declare only those deductions which actually apply. While all income must be reported, there is no penalty for under-reporting deductions. However, unlike losses, deductions do not carryover to the next tax year (topic for another day).
The IRS believes taxes due are grossly under reported. In that vein, the service has been randomly auditing S-corporations (tax year 2008) for non-compliance in a few general areas (compliance apparently bores them). One area of ongoing concern is owners withdrawing profits as dividends to avoid payroll taxes. DO NOT engage in this slight of hand; you will get stung. Penalties can be harsh.
Other areas of IRS interest for random audits in 2008 include: the manner in which tools and supplies are expensed, motor vehicle expenses, travel expenses, S-corporation status and “meals and entertainment”.
The latter deduction is a perennial favorite on the IRS hit list. It seems that it is routinely abused. The rules in this area are well established with little, if any, “wiggle room”. Learn the rules and follow them.
On the one hand, all of these costs can be legitimate business expenses; on the other, each is tempting to abuse. Understanding and applying the rules is not rocket science. Business expenses are legit deductions; personal expenses generally are not. Fore-thought, intention and documentation (more than just a receipt) may be required to justify what appears to be a personal expense (the CEO’s birthday party, for example) as an acceptable business deduction.
If confusion reigns, ask questions and get organized. Help is available: call JACS. When you need an outside professional, you can be pointed in the right direction.
Written by James Allen, July 28th, 2009
Filed under: S-Corps & Taxes
« Bank Interruptcy…
Drafting Business Descriptions for Internet Marketing »
No comments yet. Be the first.
Leave a reply
name (required)
email (
will not be shown )
(required)
website
Site Search
Search for:
From the desktop
The S-Corporation Sparklers
What is an Accountable Plan?
What Corporate Actions Need Board Approval?
The Chart of Accounts
Drafting Business Descriptions for Internet Marketing
Archives
August 2009
July 2009
My site is worth$2,530.4Your website value?
©Copyright 2007-2009 James-Allen Corporate Services, Inc. All World-Wide Rights Reserved.
No portion of this site may be copied, re-transmitted, re-posted, rewritten, duplicated or otherwise used without express written permission.
Marquee Content Powered By eTDS TechnoSys. Visit our Forums.