By Bill Taber
Holiday parties are being planned, gatherings with loved ones are in the works, and the financial year end is rapidly approaching. Make the time to wrap up 2022 so you can start 2023 off with a clear plan. Here are some items to check off your list—before you check out for the rest of the year.
1. Review IRS Elections
If you had a net operating loss (NOL) this year, double-check your IRS elections to ensure you made the correct ones. This is one of the biggest issues our CPAs see when they help small business owners file their taxes.
All these decisions play a role in how much money your business may owe in taxes. Talk with a CPA or financial professional about which elections may be right for you.
Additionally, how you structure your small business can make all the difference in the world when it comes to taxes. A tax professional can help you decide which entity type is the best for your business and help you apply before the deadline hits.
2. Review Deductions
The CARES Act brought about major tax incentives to people who donate to charity in 2020 and 2021, but the provisions of this Act have not been extended to 2022. This means you can no longer write off up to $300 in cash donations from your tax return if you take the standard deduction. And itemized charitable deductions are once again capped at 60% of your adjusted gross income for cash donations made. If you were planning to take charitable deductions in 2022, be sure to review them carefully to make sure they meet new requirements.
There are still deductions available for basic business expenses and these can help reduce your taxable income significantly. Some common examples of business expenses include:
Advertising
Legal and professional fees
Office expenses, including costs related to the business use of your home
Business use of your vehicle
Continuing professional education
Memberships to professional organizations
Tax-deductible business expenses need to be ordinary and necessary to operate your business. Consult your tax professional for more details on qualified business expenses.
3. Review Depreciation
New depreciation rules have come into effect in recent years due to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). These changes allow you to write off most depreciable assets “in the year they’re placed into service,” according to the IRS.
Common items you can write off for depreciation include computers, equipment, machinery, cell phones, buildings, office furniture, and vehicles, as well as intangible items like copyrights.
Make sure you keep a list of everything that counts as a depreciable expense. Doing so will help you lower your business’s taxable income.
4. Check Eligibility for Company Retirement Plans
There are several different tax-advantaged retirement plans available to small business owners, including the solo 401(k), the SEP IRA, and the SIMPLE IRA. A solo 401(k) is designed for business forms with only one employee, the business owner, whereas SEPs and SIMPLEs can be used for businesses with more employees, though SIMPLE IRAs are capped at 100 employees.
According to the IRS, an employee can participate in a SEP IRA if they:
Are at least 21
Have worked for the employer in at least 3 of the last 5 years
Received at least $650 in 2022
Business owners can choose to be less restrictive than this and allow other employees to participate in a SEP, but you can’t be more restrictive than these IRS rules allow. Review your SEP IRA eligibility requirements to ensure employees can participate in the program if you want them to.
5. Review Due Dates & Filing Methods for 1099s
Starting in 2020, any freelancers or contract workers who earned more than $600 from your company will receive Form 1099-NEC instead of 1099-MISC. NEC stands for “non-employment compensation”—and it’s only used for reporting independent contractor income.
1099-NEC forms are due on January 31. If this day falls on a weekend, they’re due the following business day.
We Can Help
Life gets busy and complicated, especially at the end of the year. At TABER Asset Management, we identify and integrate asset management and proactive thoughtful planning ahead of tax events. If you’d like to learn more about our process, get started today by scheduling a 15-minute intro phone call online or reaching out to us at 515-557-1860 or invest@taberasset.com.
About Bill
Bill Taber is President and Founder of TABER Asset Management, an independent, fiduciary wealth management firm that strives to do one thing well: manage their clients’ money by creating wealth, building wealth, growing income, and preserving capital so they can experience financial freedom. With more than four decades of experience, Bill is dedicated to building relationships with his clients and their families and walking alongside them as they navigate financial decisions. His favorite days are the ones when he gets to witness the joy and relief on his clients’ faces when they realize they can pursue their dreams and live their ideal lifestyles. Bill is known for going the extra mile, getting things done with integrity, and working with a stewardship mentality.
Bill graduated from the University of Iowa with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and fell in love with the profession when he got to help one of his first clients—his father—turn his lifetime of hard work into a dream retirement. He got his start in the industry as a corporate services representative for Bankers Trust Company and spent decades working as Assistant Vice President of E.F. Hutton & Co. and First Vice President of Principal Financial Securities. He is also a graduate of the E-Myth Worldwide Mastery Business Development Program and is Series 65 registered.
In his spare time, Bill enjoys giving back to his community and served 11 years as a member of the Board of Trustees of Broadlawns Medical Center and 14 years as a Community Representative to their Board Finance Committee. He is also one of the founding members of the Greater Des Moines Connections Mentoring Program. When he’s not working, you can often find Bill spending time with his family and participating in one of his many hobbies, which include traveling to national parks, presidential libraries, and foreign countries; gardening; reading non-fiction; and practicing yoga, Pilates, and meditation. He also loves the simple joys of listening to music, going for walks or bike rides, and watching James Bond 007 films and any movie starring his favorite actress, Meryl Streep. To learn more about Bill, connect with him on LinkedIn.