Financially Adjusted
The Financially Adjusted podcast is for all the current and aspiring small business entrepreneurs out there. I'm Leslie Roth - a virtual bookkeeping business owner- and I'm excited to share my knowledge and expertise with you when it comes to handling the money in your business and life. We'll get into all kinds of money topics: financial systems, budgeting, bookkeeping, setting and working toward financial goals, and the overall management of your finances. My goal is to leave you feeling enlightened, inspired, empowered, and confident as an entrepreneur. Settle in and hit follow! You are not on this journey alone!
For more entrepreneurial financial help, go to www.financiallyadjusted.com.
Financially Adjusted
#35: 6 TIPS FOR GETTING TAX SEASON READY
Feeling overwhelmed by tax season? You're not alone! Whether you're super prepared or prone to avoiding finances until the last minute, I created this episode to make it easier and less stressful. I break down six actionable tips to help you stay organized, maximize deductions, and tackle tax season like a pro. From gathering essential documents to tracking estimated taxes, this episode is packed with practical advice to make tax time a breeze!
The 6 Tips I’ll break down for you in this episode:
- How to gather and organize essential documents.
- The importance of knowing your tax deadlines.
- Tips for reviewing and preparing your bookkeeping.
- Tracking and saving for estimated taxes.
- How to foster effective communication with your financial team.
- Why tax planning throughout the year is crucial for saving money.
Resources Mentioned:
- Episode 15: How to Stay on Track with Estimated Tax
- Free Estimated Tax Guide
- Get my Estimated Tax Tracker
Email me with any questions you’d like answered in future Q&A episodes!
Recommended payroll software (affiliate links):
ADP
GUSTO
Recommended bank and the one I use in my business (affiliate link):
RELAY BANK
QuickBooks Online is my go-to accounting software. Get an amazing discount (30% off for 6 months) when you buy with my affiliate link below.
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My favorite budgeting app w/ an amazing free version:
EVERY DOLLAR BUDGETING APP
My preferred business credit card with cash rewards (affiliate link):
If you have healthy behaviors around spending with a credit card, this is a great one to use and earn cash back. It also links up well with QuickBooks Online. If you have unhealthy spending habits with credit cards, please avoid using one! You need to be able to pay it off monthly and not carry a balance. I use this one for my business and it makes paying bills simple.
CAPITAL ONE BUSINESS CREDIT CARD
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Disclaimer: This content is for educational and informational purposes only. Please consult with an accounting professional for direct advice based on your specific business situation.
What's up my friend I hope you are doing fantastic, and your new year is going smooth so far.
I have a question for you: Are you one of those business owners who's super prepared and has everything ready to go when it comes to tax season. Or are you one of those people who avoid their financial stuff like the plague all year long and then gets tremendous overwhelm and anxiety as tax time approaches. Maybe you're someone who falls somewhere in the middle. No matter where you fall on that scale today's episode is going to be very valuable for you and helpful…in the way that it will act as a guide for you for what you need to be doing to prepare for the upcoming tax season…
Today I'm going over six tips for getting organized and getting ready for tax season so let's get down to business and jump right in.
The first tip is to gather and organize all of your essential documents, and you probably guessed that was going to be the first one or at least one of them. But this is the obvious no brainer thing that you need to do when you're preparing for tax is. The first thing I suggest doing is actually communicating and reaching out with your tax professional if you haven't heard from them yet about scheduling in appointment and having a checklist of all the things that they want and need from you. Now I will give you a rundown of a list that I have of the general items that are typically needed at tax time However your specific situation might warrant some particular things that your tax professional wants from you So always be sure to communicate with them. Many tax professionals will actually send out, like a seasonal a tax season packet that will include the things that they want you to bring, how to do that whether they have you upload that or bring it in. And our tax professional actually sends a tax packet out and they have like a preset appointment that they make for you And you can reschedule it if you need to but they automatically schedule an appointment for you, and they let you know what you need to bring in things you need to think about and information you need to be prepared with So that can be really helpful…when you're prepping… so if you are working with a tax professional virtually, you're not near them and you're not going into their tax office. This means you will be uploading your documents digitally to a secure folder that they likely provide for you. So, one thing you want to be sure of is you're going to do that and making sure you know how that works ahead of time and being able to ask any questions before it gets to the point where it's the last minute. So one thing you want to do to prep for this is Something you should be doing anyways but you want to make sure you have all of your paper documents put into digital format. And this can be really easy to use I know there's a lot of scanners that exist for your phone and there's apps on your phone.
There's a lot of printers that have that feature, and there's…also stuff you know you can get put on your computer that you can use So there's a lot of options out there I use, um I think it's called DocScan It's an app on my phone So I will do that I'll just take a picture of whatever the paper document is and then it actually lets you kind of crop it and shape it so that it's like a perfect rectangle and then you can actually export it via a PDF and just send it to yourself or save it. So, it's pretty easy and you can just you can easily find one that will be user friendly for you. But I will go through a list of common things that your tax professional will likely need. And…You can definitely use this as a guide for you but always always communicate with your tax professional and see if there's specific things that they want you to bring outside of this list. So the first thing is going to be any end of the year statement like bank statements credit card statements, loan documents…Many times if your tax professional if they're if their office is doing your bookkeeping, they will already…Have this stuff in possession because you'll likely have already been in a flow with them where you're sending them all of your statements on a monthly basis.
And They probably won't have to ask for that stuff unless you haven't given them the year end stuff yet but Most times your tax professional will just need the end of the year statements. And one thing I will say that is that makes things very very easy is if you have cloud based accounting software like QuickBooks online They offer the opportunity to upload your statements to The reconciliations you do there's a spot you can attach a file You can attach PDF and then you can also do this in other areas of software they'll have like an actual section where you can upload documents so There's some options here for actually just taking your statements and uploading them already. And the other great thing about having cloud-based accounting software like books online is you can add accountant users So you can add your bookkeeper. And you can add your tax professional, and I highly highly recommend doing this for both of those professionals in your life because then Everybody's on the same page. They can see your books from their accountant dashboard.
And…they don't ask to have to ask you for a million things Like if you were using a just a spreadsheet you sent them you were using like a desktop and they really, couldn't see the file in real time There's just a lot of benefits to having that cloud based accounting software and having everybody collaborate and be on the same page So definitely upload your documents to that because it makes things really streamlined. Another thing that they will want to see is any ten ninety nines that another business…or person has given you So if you did independent contracting work, for another company, they would be giving you 1099 to show if it was more than six hundred dollars. So, if you are an S Corp or C Corp this doesn't apply to you because 1099’s are only given to businesses who are operating as a sole proprietor or an LLC. So, if that you and you have 1099 that somebody gave you they are to get those to you by, um the end of January…is when they issue them So you should have them to send them in time for getting your tax is done So your tax professional is definitely going to want to see those.
Also, you might want to have handy any receipts that…are for any bigger purchases you made in your business. So if you bought let's say a piece of equipment or you had a construction company, renovate your office or something like that that was over twenty five hundred dollars and is considered a fixed asset in your business your tax professional might want to see the documentation of that and the receipt for that just to prove that you did purchase that bigger piece of equipment or whatever it is. And any other receipts that they might want to see might include um travel or meals or anything they might have questions about for what the business purpose was, what they're trying to do by asking you questions like that is to…help you be prepared for an audit so they're trying to protect you and make sure you have all the documentation that would be asked of you in that case So they might ask you, for certain other receipts but typically your tax professionals not going to go through all of your receipts. They might ask for certain ones, but not all tax professionals will even do that Because it's really up to you as a business owner to have all the receipts and all the documentation. And…
you can have your bookkeeper enter some details into your software so that they know what the business purpose was for meals or travel or things like that But um just be aware that you might want to have all of your receipts just ready to go which you should anyways have them organized into different folders for the year and the month but know that they may ask you for certain receipts. Okay Another thing that your tax professional might want to see is home office deduction information so if you qualify for a home office deduction, they'll help you determine that And in that case they're likely going to want the square footage of your home office. And if you are deducting home office…That is going to be when you're using one room that's exclusively for…business stuff Like you it's not doubling as like your living room you're not using the dining room table and deducting that It's an actual specific…room in your house that isn't doubling as anything else It's specifically for your home office, and that is the square footage that they'll use to take that deduction. Sometimes they'll want to know what your utility information was too or how much you spent on utilities at your home because a portion of that can be deducted as well. Also, if you did any big renovations on your home and your home office was in in that.
That's something you might want to mention to them and document and pass that along. Because it could affect your home office deduction and give you more of a deduction just depending on your situation so Keep all of that in mind and have that information handy in case they do need it. And another thing that is very common that I see people missing as a deduction as something that they have ready for their tax professional…
is mileage…logs. So…One thing that…you want to have handy every single year is your mileage. And you want to have all the details that go along with that so that they're they don't have to ask you for all of that information and that you have to dock documented at the last minute You don't want to be scrambling like that because it's so much harder to go back and figure out, you know the trips that you made why you made them and then a lot of times if there's no time and you get frustrated you're just like okay Well whatever I won't get that deduction or there's no time to get that So You don't want to miss out on that You want to be prepared so that you can get all the deductions possible. So, I would recommend…um if you have cloud-based accounting software which I do highly recommend using that as your mileage log. QuickBooks online has a great app for your phone. You can actually plug in the information for your car.
You can plug in different addresses that maybe you commonly go to So if you know use your home office. If you work primarily from home, to do your admin stuff and you can deduct your home office you can have possibly mileage from there to your physical location or if you're just an online business and know maybe you have to go out once in a while and visit with clients, you know and it's the same clients you could plug in those addresses that are common. So, there's a lot of different scenarios you might fall into for mileage but Either way you want to make sure that you're documenting from point a to point, what car you used, and what the business purpose was on that mileage log. And QuickBooks online and similar software’s, if you use those, it'll guide you through all the things that you need and then that is sitting there in your software ready to go for your tax professional tax time. So that is definitely one You want to stay on top of, so you don't miss those deductions. And another thing will be um meal and travel details like I mentioned before. Those are going to be ones that um they potentially ask about you know was it a travel meal Was it a regular meal Like what was the business purpose What was The business purpose of any travel you made for your business or any travel you did…
And then another thing that they may want to see are payroll reports So they will likely want to know If you pay people, how much total did you pay them? And look at those payroll tax reports to make sure you did the filings, look at the wage reports So at the end of the year if you have a payroll processing system, they are going to have these forms readily available for you most likely. And that's something you want to go in and pull out of your payroll processing platform so you would want the w2 form for the business that would show all the totals of wages paid out and then taxes paid out on the company side. You want to get all of your 941 filings.
Your 940 which is your federal unemployment if you have any state tax filings pretty much any of your payroll tax filings and your annual reports that they provide in your software, pull all of those because they may want to see those.
And if you are working with a new tax professional, you might want to provide them your prior tax return. So, in fact you will need to provide them with your prior tax returns because they likely will not have a copy of this. So, if you started working with somebody new this year, that is going to be helpful information for them. Is all of your prior tax returns. They might not want to see like seven years back but they'll probably want to see a couple years back so if you have electronic copies or digital copies those are likely going to be the best…way to get those and send those especially if you're working with somebody virtually. You're not going to want to have to scan every single page So now most tax professionals do give digital copies along with paper copies So just look for all of that stuff in your folders get it organized in your digital folder so it's ready to go and you have it.
Another thing to think about is quarterly estimated tax payments. Did you make them over the year and if so you want all of that information all in one location and you want to be able to send it easily. Because your tax professional will want that information…Also health care expenses.. Did you pay for a lot of health care expenses? If you have an s corporation did you put your health care premium onto your w two If so it's already on there but any other health care expenses that you paid for, If you have a lot of them you may have some deductions that are available to you It just depends on your situation but no matter what your situation is it always good to have an idea of what these costs are maybe have a spreadsheet with all of your costs for that year for health care expenses for utility expenses…for retirement contributions just so you're not always scrambling and you just have all of that in one concentrated place. They are likely going to want to know what your retirement contributions were as well. And will likely want to see statements for those also.
Our list is winding down here. I just have couple more, but any information for tax credits that you know you will likely be qualifying for and got documentation for you want to make sure you have those included. For instance, if you opened up a four zero one k in the last year or two years there's likely some tax credits available to you. There's certain restrictions on those credits but a lot of small businesses do qualify to get tax credits for the admin fees that you paid to open up those 401k’s so look into that if you know there's something you did within the year that you have a tax credit for. Maybe it was like an HVAC system that got put into your home. Or the 401k. Either way make sure you have all that information ready to go for the tax credits because otherwise that might not be on the radar for your tax professional, they may not know about that and they might not ask about that So you have to be proactive for yourself…
And also, if you contributed to any charitable funds, you want to have those receipts handy.
The last thing that I'll mention are Any legal documents if you changed the entity or structure of your business. That is something your tax professional is definitely going to want to know about. If you have the same tax professional you've had for years, They might be the ones who actually helped you change your entity So They would likely know about it but if you have a new tax professional and maybe you just elected to be, taxed as an s corporation in the last year well they might not know that. They might assume that you're an LLC not taxed as an s corporation so just think about all of these things that they might want to know and have that documentation ready because…A lot of times like they can't just take your word for it. They really need to see that documentation so that they know for sure okay yes, this person isn't lying they are the entity they say they are or they have that legal documentation for the changes you made.
Okay, moving on to tip number two. Knowing your tax deadlines. This is a very important one. And a lot of people don't realize that April fifteenth is not the only due date for taxes. If you are a business and you're set up as a partnership or an s corporation, your due date is a month prior to that.
So, you have to understand what your business entity structure is first to know when your tax deadline is and when you need to have everything prepared and ready to go. So, if you're an S corporation or a partnership. Actually, March seventeenth is going to be your due date for 2025.
Now, typically it would be March fifteenth. And then it would be April fifteenth for LLCs, but it’s whatever day follows the fifteenth if the fifteenth is a weekend so for March fifteenth 2025 I believe it's like a Saturday so…March seventeenth would be the date that it's due.
So, the reason the IRS actually requires you to…have that earlier due date is because you need the information from your partnership document and your S Corp tax return document to use for your personal tax returns when they're due in April. So that's why they have you do that ahead of time.
For S corporations, you are filing an 1120S return and for partnerships you're filing a 1065 return. And that generates a K-1 for each individual partner. So, these tax return forms are what you need to have when you go to file your 1040 personal return in April.
So, you do those a month ahead of time and you'll need to have everything prepped and ready to go for if you're trying to file your taxes on time by March seventeenth if you're an s corporation or a partnership. Now there are extensions that are allowed so it is Okay if you and your tax professional can't…get together to do this by the tax date that it's due that it's due in March So don't worry about that Like if you are really behind, it's not going to serve you to beat yourself up about that If you need to get your bookkeeping in order, if you need to have more time to gather things up to find a tax professional, Don't worry You do still have time so this episode is not to worry you It's just to…
educate you and help you be prepared for how you should be thinking about prepping for taxes and some things you can do throughout the year as well in the future so that you can be better prepped next year. But don't beat yourself up if you're not there this year. That’s why you're listening to this podcast So know your deadlines that's tip number two and that's really really important. Um so if you are an s-corporation or partnership. March seventeenth would be your twenty twenty five due date and it's typically March fifteenth every year depending on if that falls on a weekend, If you are a sole proprietor or a single member LLC, You are doing that with your personal ten forty form in April So that would just be a schedule that is attached to your…ten forty form in April So April fifteenth would be the due date for that. Okay moving on to tip number three.
Reviewing and preparing your bookkeeping and your financial statements so Like I said before do not beat yourself up if you are in a place where you've got some messy books you don't have books or You are really just behind. You know if you're doing them yourself or whatever your reason is. If you are DIY your bookkeeping. Make sure that everything is categorized and reconciled for each month of the year. And all loans are documented properly as well as payroll and so those are the things that I see being the biggest mistakes if you're a DIY bookkeeper.
If you have loans, those payments need to be broken out between principal and interest. And the whole payment does not just go as an expense so if you have a loan that is a liability that sits on your balance sheet and then those payments are broken up. So the principal decreases the loan amount that's sitting on your balance sheet and the interest shows up as an expense on your P and L.
So, make sure you have those squared away, and then also your payroll entries. A lot of times people get these screwed up where your payroll liabilities or the tax is that are due are done wrong in your bookkeeping.
What you want to do is make sure that any taxes that are withheld from your employees checks are in a tax liability account which just sits on the balance sheet and then when that's paid out it decreases that liability. The only thing that should show up as a payroll tax expense on your P and L are the company taxes that you're paying for your payroll.
So, your company has taxes payroll taxes that you pay and then the employees have taxes that they pay that you are just simply withholding and then you're submitting for them.
So, they should not be listed as an expense… only the ones that your company pays. A lot of times if you have payroll processing software, you can actually map your different taxes and all the different entries and you can match that with your software like QuickBooks online, I know would match up with a lot of different accounts payroll processing accounts like Gusto, ADP so you can actually map it so that every time a payroll goes through, it's connected with your software and will actually create an entry that's appropriate and correct in your software.
So, if you need help with that I know customer service can be really great for a lot of these companies… not all of them.. but there's a lot of tutorials that can really help you on their sites So definitely look into those and make sure you have that correct on your bookkeeping.
And another thing you can do is just talk to your professional ahead of time and let them know hey I'm DIYing my bookkeeping. And I just want to make sure that I didn't miss categorizing things properly so could you just look things over and make sure I documented the loans, the payroll and all of that correctly. If you do have an outsourced bookkeeper, speak with your bookkeeper and just make sure they have everything they need to complete your bookkeeping for the past tax year, and get them anything that they need to button that for you.
Also, you want to always make sure you're working with people who communicate well. So, if they're handing you end of the year reports, see if they'll meet with you and go over your number so that you understand what's going on in your books and can speak intelligently to your tax professional and know your numbers for your own sake.
And you want to ask yourself have you informed them of all of your loans, credit cards, bank accounts… are they aware of them? So, a lot of times maybe you got a new credit card and you completely forgot to let them and to connect that with your software so make sure you just have let them know about anything that you didn't inform them about throughout the year so that they can get that recorded on your books. Also, have you told them about business expenses you may be paid for with your personal funds. That's a big one because if you only have business accounts linked to your accounting software, they're not going to have any idea that you had a business expense go through a personal account unless you tell them and then you need to let them know all the details of that - the date, the vendor, what it was - and make sure they're able to record that in your accounting software before the end of the year.
Also, they will need to enter your mileage so have that ready. They will also need all of this information in a timely manner.
So, you can't expect to hand this stuff to your bookkeeper one day and then have them toss you back reports the next day. They're likely really overloaded with other clients' stuff as well so make you're trying to do this in advance and give them everything that they need. And if you have a situation where you need a bookkeeping clean up and you're just reaching out to people now or you're having a bookkeeper work on that right now, that is going to take some time so be sure that you're communicating this with your tax professional. Let them know ‘hey my books need cleaning up so it's going to be taking a while’. Keep them updated with how long that's projected to take and just know that you'll likely need to file extension, if that's the case for you.
Part of this tip, this step, of reviewing and preparing your bookkeeping is making sure that you've recorded everything for getting all the deductions and expenses that you can in your business. So, the personal cards that you used to pay for business expenses - if there's any - make sure you go through those. Make sure you're not missing anything. Make sure you log all of your mileage, look back for the year make you're not missing any of those deductions. And like I mentioned with that list I gave you for what to give to your tax professional, go through all of that, make sure that you have everything documented that you possibly can and you're not missing anything.
Also, if you have any bigger checks that you wrote in December, you may want to get those deductions so you can if you wrote the check enter that check into your books even though it didn't clear your bank account. So, it's maybe not such a big deal for like those smaller expenses…that are going to clear in the following year? If you do want to get the deduction for that tax year make sure you enter those checks into your books for that tax year. So maybe it's not such a big deal for you but if you did have a bigger check that's going through you might want to consider that it's beneficial to get the deduction sooner rather than later
Another thing to consider is if you have inventory and you typically do an inventory count at the end of the year. You want to make sure to get that done and let your bookkeeper know um what that inventory account is if you already you know do that and document that in your book if you don't then there's no need to worry about that. Alright Moving on to tip number four. Preparing for and tracking estimated taxes. This is a huge huge huge one.
So not being prepared financially for tax bills at tax time is something I see tripping up a lot of business owners and setting them back financially. This is why I speak about this a lot. In fact, I have an episode that I did all about how to plan track save for your estimated taxes. It is episode fifteen. So, I will link that in the show notes you have at its episode fifteen how to stay on track with estimated tax. In order to be prepared at tax time with the funds that you need to cover your taxes it really takes some intentional planning and saving.’
What you are taxed on in your business is net profit. So, the first thing you need to do is know your net profit. I suggest knowing this every single month. And saving at least twenty five percent of that net profit so that you have everything you would need financially to cover your taxes. Also, a lot of times like you might be saying well my tax professional tells me what taxes you know what estimated taxes send in, so I do that and I'm fine. But you know maybe you're doing that, but you also have a tax bill that's coming every year. Many times, being compliant is a great thing but many times business owners…end up owing a lot more than what they paid in in estimated tax especially if you're a growing business, because likely, When your tax professional gave you the suggestions of what you should pay in for estimated taxes. They're doing that based on compliance with what you've made in the past.
But if you're growing significantly, you need to base your estimate base estimated saving on…what you're making currently what your current net profit is for that year So, in episode fifteen I break that down in a lot more detail and I actually have a free guide that you can get. And I'll link that in the show notes as well, but it'll walk you through what estimated taxes are why you have to pay them, how to track and save for those. I also have an estimated done-for-you tax tracker that you can purchase if you do not want to do that on your own, but it can be really really beneficial to plan for this all year long. Take that net profit Make sure you're saving 25 percent. And then you have that there on top of you know what you've sent in an estimated taxes So you know you want to be compliant and send those estimated taxes in but then you want that excess there for you to cover the taxes that you might owe in addition when it comes to tax time. Alright Tip number five is communication…So all of your financial people should be collaborating…and communicating.
And this is such a two-way street so I always suggest if you have a bookkeeper, an outsourced bookkeeper, that you introduce them to your tax professional because this will benefit everyone. It'll benefit you because everyone in your life that's handling your money is collaborating and can easily get the information that they need from one another and be on this same page. And that enables everything to just flow really smoothly at tax time.
So if your bookkeeper can reach out to your tax professional and be like hey you know let me know how you want to see things Entered or let me know what statements or documents you need This can really save you time So…when you're gathering up you know all of the things that you need for tax time. This doesn't necessarily fall on you if you have an outsourced bookkeeper, and they're getting all of your statements for you throughout the year and all of your payroll reports and documents, that's something that they can handle for you, so you don't need to be the one that is sending in all that documentation. You know if your tax professional can ask them directly for things that they need, or they ask you and then you ask your bookkeeper. However you do that, it’s taking it off your plate and they're collaborating which is wonderful. So that can really save you time by introducing everyone, having everyone collaborate.
If you have a cloud-based accounting software like I mentioned earlier with QuickBooks online for instance, you can add accountant users So you can add Your tax professional and your bookkeeper, and they can both see what's going on in your book and collaborate in real time.
Alright The last tip for today is tip number six planning for taxes prior to tax season. And this may sound like a no brainer. But this is something that it's really…you have to be intentional about this. It does not come naturally for everyone and not very many business owners do this. If you're just very very small sole proprietor, this may be a different situation for you than if you are a like a bigger business that is like an s corporation and…or a C corporation and needs more advanced tax strategies either way no matter who you are or what type of business you are running, You need to tax plan in addition to being tax compliant. You might wonder what does that mean What is the difference?
It means that you should touch base with your tax professional at least once a year to talk about tax strategies…that you can…
apply before for the end of the tax year versus…Waiting until after the tax year is over and then a lot of tax strategies…might be gone
Many tax strategies need to be implemented for December thirty first. So, if you only meet once a year at tax time…
To be compliant, you might be missing out on tax saving strategies…that were available to you prior to December thirty first. It's very important to remember that even if you have an outsource professional helping you with your business finances and your taxes you know maybe you have a bookkeeper maybe you have an accountant or a tax professional, Nothing and no one will replace you being dialed in. To your business as the owner. You have to care more about your business than other people. It is absolutely your responsibility to make sure everything is in order for your business and that you're making money decisions and moves that benefit you. No one is going to grab you by the hand…and be like hey let's do tax planning and tax strategies…No They're going to help you with compliance and that's pretty much it So you're going to have to be the one…that is proactive about this and seeks this out.
You don't just want someone who's filing your taxes You want to have a professional that is giving you tax strategies and tax advice throughout the year whether that's just once a year, five times a year you have to decide what you need for your business.
But the bottom line is…You are working with a financial team. You're not just handing it over to them you're working with them You're collaborating with them. And you owe it to yourself and your family to manage your business and your assets well and no one can make these important decisions for you.
can certainly get the right team in place to support you but ultimately, they don't know what your dream and what your why it is You do So you have to communicate that with them Let them know…What's going on in your life and your business and where you're at and let them know you want guidance to support that. If all things tax and small business finances stress you out, that is usually because you have a fear of the unknown and you feel lost you don't have the right systems in place. Be sure to listen to my podcast so that you have the education and guidance that you need when it comes to running your business. And your finances. You are not alone in this and you're capable of learning to manage your business finance as well
Okay. So, I went over a lot and I just want to summarize all of these different tips that I gave you today.
Number one - gather and organize essential documents.
Number two - know your tax deadlines.
Number three - review and prepare your bookkeeping and financial statements. And remember don't freak out You still have time to find somebody. You still have time to get everything put together If you're behind on all of this there's always an extension.
Number four - prepare for and track estimated taxes and this is a very important one because you do not want to be of those people who's not planned for taxes you don't have the savings and then you get some huge tax bill.
Number five - communication. Communication is so…Huge when it comes to managing your business and your finances because if you have people helping you which you likely do have at least tax professional, but you might have a bookkeeper you might even have an office manager helping you a spouse Communication is huge
You need to know what your tax professional needs from you you need to have your team collaborating…and being on the same page So communication is the key to all of that.
And finally the last tip - Tip number six - is tax planning prior to tax season.
So, meet at least once throughout the year with your tax professional so that you can talk tax strategies…and make sure you're not missing any that you could implement throughout the year because if you're meeting with them just at tax time it could be too late for a lot of tax strategies
If you're feeling particularly overwhelmed about getting ready for tax and you're someone who's behind on their bookkeeping, don't let yourself be too stressed. You still have time to find someone to help you with your bookkeeping, and clean things up and there's always the option of filing an extension. This can give you plenty of time to get things in order and get ready. It's not going to serve you to beat yourself up over these past mistakes or over what your situation is right now but use it as catalyst to change your ways in the future and to be more of a proactive…
business owner when it comes to your finances. As always remember that action brings clarity, and imperfect action is better than none at.
Have a great day!