Accounting tips for New Small Business

Keep it simple starting out. The simplest form of entity for running your first business is called a sole proprietorship. This form of ownership requires NO special communication or filings to the Internal Revenue Service until you start paying employees.

As a sole proprietor you are the owner/entity which might require only to acquire an occupational license if your county or municipality mandates one. As the owner, you are also liable to remit all state or city tax collections on retail or wholesale sales your business collects. Service businesses and most cross state sales are exempt from state tax collections.

If you are concerned about personal liability as a sole proprietorship then do the cheapest and simplest thing which is to buy a personal liability umbrella policy. The best way to avoid liability is to learn your trade well and keep accurate records.

Over 90% of small businesses fail or change ownership within the first five years. Plan your business to thrive but if it fails under a sole proprietor you simply stop doing business. No communication or special forms with the IRS, no additional taxes to get your investment returned and no high accounting fees to close out your entity.

Concentrate on building your business not communicating with the IRS. As a sole proprietor, the IRS will not even know you exist until after you file your first personal income tax return. This return will include a Schedule C which communicates all of the sales and expenses you recorded.

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For more information contact Neikirk, Mahoney and Smith at 502-896-2999

Accounting tips for Small Business

When running a small business, you have to make sure you stay focused on accounting. If you don’t manage debt, receivables, and marketing expenses accurately, your company will sink before it grows.

You can save your company by implementing simple bookkeeping strategies.

Weigh the options of bookkeeper vs. DIY accounting.
Though entrepreneurs might feel ready to act as head of accounting, sales, and marketing at the same time to cut costs, it may help to hire a bookkeeper. It can help you to know someone with experience and deeper understanding is working on your books.

Keep accounts receivable payments separate from borrowed funds.
Small business owners need financial backing and/or loans for startup capital, marketing campaigns, and other initial things in the early days. To make sure the loans don’t appear in the receivables, use software that separates income from borrowed funds. Don’t lose sight of what is yours and what needs paying back.

Don’t allow clients to get away with not paying balances.
Seeing a large amount in the receivables column is a good thing, but the money doesn’t really count until it is in your bank account. Don’t let clients avoid regular payments.

Detail daily expenses so you can budget for the coming weeks.
It’s a good idea for business owners to keep records of everyday expenses they incur in the company. Instead of calculating expenses every two weeks for payroll purposes, focus on every day or every week.

Calculate a minimum monthly profit.
When planning how much it takes to keep a small business running, the numbers can get complicated. Devise an accurate system of expenses and regular obligations so you know exactly the minimum income you need every month.

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For more information contact Neikirk, Mahoney and Smith at 502-896-299

Accounting 101 for your New Business

Business ownership is a constant flood of satisfying milestones coupled with expanding to-do lists. With your launch, you’ll need to get on top of the accounting tasks that come along with owning a store.
1. Open a Bank Account
After you’ve legally registered your business, you’ll need somewhere to stash your business income. Having a separate bank account keeps records distinct and will make life easier come tax time. Note that LLCs, partnerships, and corporations are legally required to have a separate bank account for business. Sole proprietors don’t legally need a separate account, but it’s definitely recommended.
2. Track Your Expenses
The foundation of solid business record keeping is learning to track your expenses effectively. It’s a crucial step that allows you to monitor the growth of your business, build financial statements, keep track of deductible expenses, prepare tax returns, and support what you report on your tax return.
3. Develop a Bookkeeping System
Bookkeeping is the day-to-day process of recording transactions, categorizing them, and reconciling bank statements.
4. Set up a Payroll System
As a new online store owner, you’ll likely be a one-person show. However, maybe you’ll hire a part-time employee to help you out, or a freelancer to design your logo. Right away, you need to establish whether that individual is an employee or an independent contractor. For employees, you’ll need to decide on a payroll schedule and ensure that you’re withholding the correct taxes; there are lots of services that can help with this. For independent contractors, be sure to track how much you’re paying each person.
5. Investigate Import Tax
Depending on your business model, you may be planning to purchase and import goods from other countries to sell in your store. When importing products, you’ll likely be subject to taxes and duties. These are fees that your country imposes on incoming goods.
6. Determine How You’ll Get Paid
If you want to accept credit card payments without using Shopify Payments, you’ll either need a merchant account or you can use a third party payment processor like PayPal. A merchant account is a type of bank account that allows your business to accept credit card payments from customers.
7. Establish Sales Tax Procedures
The world of eCommerce has shaken up sales tax regulations and they are admittedly a bit confusing due to location issues. When a customer walks into a brick and mortar retail shop, they pay the sales tax of whatever state or province they make the purchase in, no matter if they live in that city, or they’re visiting from across the world. However, when you sell online, you’re often selling to customers who live in different states/provinces, and even countries.
8. Determine Your Tax Obligations
Tax obligations vary depending on the legal structure of the business. If you’re self-employed (sole proprietorship, LLC, partnership), you’ll claim business income on your personal tax return. Corporations, on the other hand, are separate tax entities and are taxed independently from owners. Your income from the corporation is taxed as an employee.
9. Calculate Gross Margins
Improving your store’s gross margin is the first step towards earning more income overall. In order to calculate gross margin, you need to know the costs incurred to produce your product.
10. Constantly Re-evaluate Your Methods
As you keep growing, it’s good to continually reassess the amount of time you’re spending on your books, and how much that time is costing your business. The right bookkeeping solution means you can invest more time in the business with bookkeeping no longer on your plate, and potentially save the business money.

Courtesy of Shopify For more information contact Neikrik, Mahoney and Smith at 502-896-2999