7 Tax Tips For New Small Businesses

The sun will come out tomorrow -- but in reference to when the unemployment rate is expected to peak north of 10 percent, just which "tomorrow" we're talking about depends on who you ask.

Tomorrow could very well be this time next year, according to about half of 49 leading economists surveyed by USA Today. Another 16% push that peak Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernake, however, expects that peak will occur much sooner, and begin to recede before the year is up.


Tired of the guessing game? As my small-business colleagues from around the blogosphere and I have been reporting for months on end -- even before the R-bomb was officially dropped late last year -- more and more people are taking their careers into their own hands and starting their own small businesses. Some call them "accidental entrepreneurs" -- Accidental? Really? -- but no matter what circumstances place you in a new small-business state of mind, the federal tax responsibilities that come along with them won't take care of themselves.

So hot off the press (that's an idiom), the IRS has served up the following checklist of basic tax considerations for anyone who has started or is about to start a business.

1. First, you must decide what type of business entity you are going to establish. The type your business takes will determine which tax form you have to file. The most common types of business are the sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation and S corporation.
2. The type of business you operate determines what taxes you must pay and how you pay them. The four general types of business taxes are income tax, self-employment tax, employment tax and excise tax.
3. An Employer Identification Number is used to identify a business entity. Generally, businesses need an EIN. Visit IRS.gov for more information about whether you will need an EIN. You can also apply online.
4. Good records will help you ensure successful operation of your new business. You may choose any record-keeping system suited to your business that clearly shows your income and expenses. Except in a few cases, the law does not require any special kind of records. However, the business you are in affects the type of records you need to keep for federal tax purposes.
5. Every business taxpayer must figure taxable income on an annual accounting period called a tax year. The calendar year and the fiscal year are the most common tax years used.
6. Each taxpayer must also use a consistent accounting method, which is a set of rules for determining when to report income and expenses. The most commonly used accounting methods are the cash method and an accrual method. Under the cash method, you generally report income in the tax year you receive it and deduct expenses in the tax year you pay them. Under an accrual method, you generally report income in the tax year you earn it and deduct expenses in the tax year you incur them.
7. Visit the Business section of IRS.gov for resources to assist entrepreneurs with starting and operating a new business.

If you're still on the fence about what kind of business to start, check out Research & Markets' compilation of 50 industries that have best weathered previous economic downturns, with a specific focus on small business industries.

by Gayle Kesten | businessknowhow