When do You Need Payroll Services?

If you’re a small business owner, you may attempt to maintain your payroll with software that can be obtained anywhere software is sold. You may think you’re saving money, but you may find yourself spending more time attending to accounting and payroll tasks than operating your enterprise. Even if you only have a single employee, you can benefit from the services of a payroll processing service.

It’s important that you understand the IRS ultimately holds you responsible for all payroll requirements, even if you hire a payroll service. Do your research and choose a payroll company that meets your individual needs and has experience. Ask friends, family and other business owners which service they use and if they’re satisfied with the company.

Accuracy

A payroll service will know exactly how much in taxes to keep out for each employee and ensure their pay check arrives on time, whether pay periods are weekly or bi-monthly. The service will calculate federal, state and FICA for employees, along with creating W-2s and 1099s. It will enable you to stay compliant with all applicable state and federal laws.

Filing Requirements

Businesses are held to different filing times and requirements than private individuals. A payroll service will help ensure you meet filing deadlines and pay the appropriate tax amounts to avoid penalties and fines.

Paying Yourself

Depending upon the type of business you have, you may be required to pay yourself. A payroll service can do this and it’s especially important if you’re considered self-employed. The service will calculate your own taxes, along with personal state unemployment taxes and federal unemployment taxes.

Saves Time

Payroll is a complicated process and the average business owner spends more than 6 hours per month handling payroll. A payroll service will streamline the process, take care of all the details, and give you more time to spend on operating your business.

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Accounting
posted by Mark Battalini
January 8, 2022

The Difference Between LLC and INC

Many people are confused about how to list their business. Many think that one type provides more protection from lawsuits, when in fact, both offer protection against liability for business obligations.

LLC stands for limited liability company and Inc. is an indication that a business is a corporation. The difference between LLC and Inc. is the way in which each is owned, managed and taxed, along with reporting requirements and record-keeping methods.

Ownership

Owners of an LLC are called members instead of shareholders. Each member holds a specific percentage of the company called a membership interest. If an LLC wants to transfer shares/percentages, it’s more difficult. In some states, unless otherwise specified, if an LLC member leaves the organization, the LLC must be dissolved.

In contrast, a corporation issues shares of its stock to owners that are called shareholders. Transferring stock is a relatively simple process. If a stockholder leaves or sells their stock, it typically has little impact on the corporation’s future operations.

Taxation

The taxation structure in an LLC is flexible. If a single person owns the LLC, they’re taxed as a sole proprietorship. LLCs owned by multiple members are taxed as a partnership. An LLC can be taxed as a C or S corporation. The difference is that a C represents a business entity and the S is a tax classification used to protect assets from double taxation. Profits can be claimed on the owner’s individual tax return.

Corporations are taxed as C corporations by default, pay income taxes on corporate profits, and shareholders pay tax on dividends they receive. If the corporation chooses to be classified as a C corporation, stockholders avoid being double taxed and the corporation doesn’t pay corporate income taxes – providing it meets specific requirements.

Management

LLCs can be managed by its members or a managerial group. A corporation has a board of directors that makes rules, policies, and oversees the way its run. Officers manage day-to-day affairs and shareholders typically aren’t involved in the day-to-day operations.

Records and Reporting

An LLC has less formal record keeping requirements than corporations. They may be required to adhere to a standard of minimal record keeping and the entity doesn’t have to file annal reports. Corporations are required to hold an annual shareholder’s meeting and provide notice of the meeting. Minutes of the meeting must be kept and corporations may be required to file annal reports.

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Accounting
posted by Mark Battalini
October 7, 2021

Common Bookkeeping Mistakes of Small Business Owners

Tax time can be especially stressful for small business owners. They invest a lot of time, money and effort to create a successful enterprise and they want to save as much money in taxes as possible. When it comes to bookkeeping, there are a number of common mistakes that business owners make that can cost them money or land them in trouble with the IRS.

Business owners must maintain communication with their accountants for effective services. If they outsource work or pay a bonus, for example, they need to inform their accountant and provide a receipt. Even the use of petty cash must be handled appropriately, along with categorization of accounts. Paper trails are critical.

Receipts

Business owners know the importance of saving receipts for high ticket expenses, but they often overlook receipts of $75 or less that can provide documentation in the event of an audit. It pays to embrace modern technology for this. Apps are available that enable people to snap a photo with their phone for filing purposes. There are also scanners that will scan receipts and automatically categorize them for retrieval when needed.

Reimbursable Expenses

These are expenses that a business owner may incur on behalf of their clients. That can include phone calls, travel, office expenses, delivery fees, conversion fees, or even lunch with a potential client. The expenses need to be tracked and documented. There are convenient apps for that.

Employees

Classifying employees can be confusing. There are regular employees, independent contractors and consultants, and freelancers in the gig economy. Misclassifying employees and contractors will result in expensive tax penalties and lawsuits.

Reconciliation

The books a business maintains must be reconciled with bank statements. It provides individuals with information about their business health and enables them to plan for things like equipment purchases or expansions. Reconciliation will identify bank errors, if more employees can be added, and how much money is available at any given time. It can be time-consuming and complicated without the assistance of an experienced bookkeeper.

Sales Tax

Failure to collect sales tax, or deduct sales tax, can turn into a nightmare due to the many ways in which business is conducted today – especially e-commerce. A tax professional should be experienced in the rules governing multiple types of commerce.

Benefits of a Payroll Service Provider

A payroll service provider helps small business owners streamline the process of collecting payroll taxes and filing federal and state reports. Payroll services experts provide support to help make sure compliance with federal and state regulations and requirements governing payroll and paychecks in any state. Get the systems and resources you need to properly hire and manage employees, as well as pay employees when you grow.

Make the most of your employee base. Most small business owners don’t expect to encounter payroll headaches right away. If you plan to provide employees with paper reports, such as your paychecks and federal tax reports, you will probably be surprised at the number of errors that can pop up over time. The time savings gained from payroll services can more than outweigh the cost of providing paper reports for each individual employee. With electronic reports, there is no need to print out paper copies of documents that have been downloaded.

Your payroll services company can provide reports that include both payables. In general, the reports will contain summary information, which includes gross pay, deductions, and net income, as well as specific details about each employee’s pay, assets, and deductions. The information provided should be consistent with the types that are listed in your employee manual. To make sure the information is correct, it’s a good idea to have a payroll services company verify the information.

Prepare your financial reports properly. Payroll reports are not filed with federal tax forms; instead, they must be filed with W-2 form documentation. For some, this may mean an entirely new filing procedure. For others, simply making sure their payroll numbers match what they filed in the last year can make the difference between success and failure.

You can also take care of a lot of your tax-related worries by making direct deposit. Many companies today offer automatic direct deposit, meaning they deposit the employee’s paycheck directly into their bank account every payday. This saves them time and eliminates the need to write out checks, which saves money. It also makes it easier to track all of the employees’ expenses. If you do not currently have an automatic direct deposit program, talk to your payroll services provider. They may be able to recommend an option that you have not considered.

Business Accounting For Small Businesses

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Accountant
posted by Mark Battalini
December 29, 2020

What are Independent Auditors?

Independent CPA auditors are like referees in the financial reporting arena. The CPA comes in, does an audit of the business’s accounting system and methods and gives a report that is attached to the company’s financial statements. Publicly owned businesses are required to have their annual financial reports audited by independent CPA firms and any privately owned businesses have audits done as well because they know that an audit report will add credibility to their financial reports.

An auditor judges whether the business’s accounting methods are in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Generally, everything is in place and the financial report is a reliable document. But at times an auditor will wave a yellow or red flag. Some indicators of potential trouble include when the business’s capability to continue normal operations is in doubt because of what are known as financial exigencies, which could mean a low cash balance, unpaid overdue liabilities, or major lawsuits that the business doesn’t have the cash to cover.

An auditor must exercise professional skepticism, meaning the auditor should challenge the accounting methods and reporting practices of the client in order to make sure that its financial statement conforms with accounting standards and are not misleading – in short, that the financial statement are fairly presented. Indeed, the words “fairly presented” are the exact words used in the auditor’s report.

A good auditor needs technical know-how, but also needs to know how to be tough on the accounting methods of the client. His job is to be the agent of the shareholders and other users of the business’s financial report. It’s incumbent on an auditor to strictly uphold GAAP, and not let any irregularities slide.

There are a number of well-known companies that engaged in accounting fraud recently and that fraud was not discovered by the CPA auditors. Enron is one of these companies. In this case, the auditing firm, Arthur Anderson was found guilty of obstruction of justice because it destroyed audit evidence.

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Accountant
posted by Mark Battalini
November 28, 2020

How To Find A Good Accountant

Finding a good accountant does not always end up being a simple task. There are so many accountants that seem to appear every year, it is hard to know who to choose to put in charge of your finances. Finding an accountant is a very serious task that is never taken lightly, especially since it involves your business. Here are two simple steps of how to choose an accountant that you can trust with your business’s finances.

The first thing you do to find a good accountant is to build a list of referrals from credible sources. To find resources for these referrals may seem like a daunting task at first, however, it is simpler to accomplish this goal than what you think. You can go to such resources such as your local bank, any type of financial planners that you may have, and you can even talk to your current insurance agent about people they know about to be your accountant. If you have any contacts or affiliations with other businesses, then you can ask them for accountant referrals as well. These are all trusted resources that can provide you with some good leads on who you can trust to be your accountant. Finding accountant candidates through trusted resources such as your business’s bank is one of the best ways to find an accountant. Most professional referrals like this mean that the accountant has a good reputation.

Once you have your accountant referrals, you then want to contact them and exchange information. Feel free to tell the accountant about your business as well as your accounting needs and expectations. While you give the accountant your information, also ask for theirs. Some key things you want to find out is if the accountant can handle a business in your industry and your size, as well as finding out all of the services they offer. Do not be afraid to look at their portfolio and get estimates for their services. Be sure you know what services the fees cover. You never want to select an accountant whose fees are too high for what you can afford. Make sure that you can maintain a good line of communication and determine if they are helpful and informative. The accountant who offers the most detail and takes the most time to not only tell you about the services they can offer you, but also listens to your concerns, is usually the type of accountant that you are looking for.

After gathering all of the information about the accountants, then make the decision of who is the right accountant for you. Remember that you will be having a long business relationship with your accountant, so you want to select an accountant that you feel you can build a good rapport with as well as someone who will have you and your business’s best interest in mind.

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Accounting
posted by Mark Battalini
October 31, 2020

7 Great Accounting Jobs Right out of College

Anyone going into the accounting field should know that there are abundant opportunities for employment straight out of college, with jobs available in the private and public sectors. Those that want to work with multiple clients can find satisfaction in public accounting. For those that prefer to work for a single company, private accounting may be a better choice.

Accounts Payable

A wide range of businesses, particularly in the healthcare field, employ accountants to perform collection calls on overdue accounts, send invoices, and resolve problems with clients in regard to their bills. It’s a rapidly expanding field with multiple opportunities.

Auditing

Auditing is more than just ensuring that the numbers add up. A wide array of companies employ accountants to look for sources of lost revenue. That can encompass identifying areas of duplicated effort or deficiencies in control mechanisms. Individuals may also be responsible for investigating consumer or vendor claims.

Bookkeeping

Accounts are essential personnel for any business endeavor. In addition to tracking and monitoring income, costs, and financial transactions, individuals will be responsible for providing clients with regular reports and updates about their financial status. They are often called upon to handle a company’s payroll. Don’t overlook the opportunities for accountants at schools, universities, and government entities.

Forensics

The job of a forensic accountant is to examine data, discover where money has gone missing, and how to recover it. As individuals advance in the field, they may also be called upon to testify in court cases as an expert witness and work with law enforcement personnel.

Information & Technology

This is ideal for individuals that are as enthusiastic about technology as they are numbers. There’s a myriad of accounting software from which individuals and companies can choose and accountants in this field will be responsible for helping clients select the best financial software for their needs.

Loans and Analysis

Believe it or not, many banks employ accountants as tellers, credit analysis specialists, and loan officers. Individuals often perform credit checks and financial pre-approvals for loans on homes, vehicles, and business equipment.

Tax Preparation

Preparing taxes is an essential service and many newly fledged accountants begin illustrious careers performing tax preparation. It’s also possible for accountants to acquire regular business clients through the contacts they make doing taxes.

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Accounting Firms
posted by Mark Battalini
September 30, 2020

Top Qualities of a Good Accounting Firm

An accounting firm is a great way to relieve the stress of tax time and it’s a real time saver for individuals already pressed for time. Hiring the right firm may not be so easy, though. In today’s world, being “good with numbers” or the least expensive option isn’t enough. One little mistake in this field can have serious and expensive repercussions.

A good accounting firm does more than simply keep the books and file your taxes. It will be able to effectively communicate a wide range of business information and opportunities. The following are the top qualities that an accounting firm should exhibit.

Personalized Service

Each business is different and a superior accounting firm understands that. A full service tax firm will be able to help you develop tax strategies, create plans to meet financial goals, and help you manage your assets. Your accounting firm should meet with you several times a year, not just at tax time.

Experience and Education

The accounting firm should have experience in your particular industry. That means they’ll know your business and any applicable deadlines. Tax laws change frequently and without notice. An accounting firm will be cognizant of current tax laws and how they impact your business. The firm’s accountants will have extensive education and should have met the licensing requirements of a certified public accountant (CPA).

Accuracy and Detail

You’ll obviously want a firm that’s accurate, which means it will be detail oriented. The firm will prepare reports to keep you informed of your financial status, identify potential issues and suggest solutions, and provide guidance to reduce costs, enhance revenues, and maximize profitability.

Technology Literate

The days of accountants laboring with paper and pencil are long gone. An accounting firm should be utilizing state-of-the-art technology, advanced accounting software, and other technology-based tools.

Business Strategies

An accounting firm will be able to provide effective advice and strategies whether the business is a start-up or an established company of long standing. The firm will be able to provide you with the information you need to make sound and informed business decisions that helps your enterprise grow and evolve.

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IRS Information, Tax
posted by Mark Battalini
August 29, 2020

Keeping your Business up to Date with Tax Laws

Tax laws change quickly and often with very little warning. It can seem like an impossibility to keep track of all the changes and utilize them to your business advantage. You have three choices when preparing your taxes – do them yourself, use tax preparation software, or have a professional do them.

No matter which option you choose, changes in tax laws will ultimately affect your business in some way. It’s much better to engage the services of a professional accountant than be surprised at tax time. It’s an accountant’s business to know about changes, inform clients, and help them develop a strategy to minimize tax liability.

Your business will need to remain legally compliant with all state laws – which will depend on where you live – along with federal tax laws. There will be different requirements, depending upon your business structure and you’ll need to ensure all certificates, licenses, and permits are current.

As a small business owner, you’ll be subject to a variety of different taxes unless you’re in a partnership – in which case you’ll be required to file an information return. You’ll be required to pay self-employment taxes and employment taxes on employees. Sole proprietors, S corporation shareholders, and partners will pay estimated taxes and you’ll need to have withheld a sufficient amount to meet tax liabilities.

There are also excise taxes, which can often seem very vague but cut across multiple industries. You’ll be liable for these if you operate certain types of businesses, sell specific products, offer certain types of services, or use specific types of equipment, facilities or products. Some classic examples are alcohol, fuel and tobacco, but the list is extensive.

Of special interest for business owners are changes for net operating losses, first-year depreciation, pass-throughs that include sole proprietorships, S corporations, and LLCs, and those that have significant operations overseas. Many individuals outsource their marketing and other functions when applicable through the gig economy and accounting for that can be a headache for you and the person that provided the services.

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