Category Archives: Tax Issues

Personal Property Tax: The forgotten tax for many small businesses?

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by Joe Heinrich, Volunteer Business Mentor, Seattle SCORE

Most small business owners are perfectly aware of the Federal, Washington and city taxes they are obliged to pay. However, the one that tends to fall through the cracks is the local Personal Property Tax on businesses by the county in which the business is located. This article explains what personal property is, how to self-report a business’s personal property, how the tax is assessed and how much a business may have to pay in Personal Property Tax.

What is “personal property” of a business?

Taxable Personal Property typically includes items used by a company to conduct business. Examples of personal property which may be assessed include furniture, fixtures, electronic equipment, telephones and machinery. Leasehold improvements and leased equipment are also included as personal property. However, personal property does not include property which is attached to a building or to the land which a business owns as that is considered “real property”.

Exempt personal property includes inventory (i.e., items owned to be resold or used as raw materials to products to be manufactured and sold) and vehicles used on the roadways.  Continue reading →

What are the qualified business deductions under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act?

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tax deductionsThe Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) created a new 20% deduction for pass-through entities. Though the IRS has not fully interpreted the new rules—which won’t go into effect until the 2019 tax season—many of the implications are clear. This article’s companion piece examined what qualifies as a Pass-Through Entity (PTE).

This blog hopefully sheds some light on how PTEs will be impacted by the new law.

Why a Deduction for Pass-Through Entities?

Since their inception, pass-through entities have been a popular choice for entrepreneurs, especially after the 1986 Tax Reform Act (TRA). Better known as President Reagan’s second tax cut, the TRA was passed by Congress to simplify the tax code and adjust the federal tax brackets.  Continue reading →

Ask SCORE: How are pass-through entities affected by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act?

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2018 tax lawsThe passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) brought renewed focus upon pass-through entities (PTEs). In spite of their widespread popularity, PTEs are commonly misunderstood. While thought of primarily as small businesses with few employees that generate a fraction of overall business profits, the truth about PTEs tells a very different story.

As it turns out, pass-through entities are the most popular structure in the US, employing millions of workers and churning out billions of dollars in annual revenues.

This article will demystify many of the misconceptions about PTEs and explain how the TCJA will affect these companies—and the US economy—in the future.  Continue reading →

Services subject to sales tax in Washington.

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From the Washington Department of Revenue website… 

There is a misconception that services are not subject to sales tax. This article clarifies that some services are indeed subject to retail sales tax. Following is a listing of services that are subject to sales tax when provided to consumers.

Construction services (WAC 458-20-170)

  • Constructing and improving new or existing buildings and structures. Installing, repairing, cleaning, improving, constructing and decorating real or personal property for others
  • Cleaning, fumigating, razing or moving structures, including painting and papering, cleaning and repairing furnaces and septic tanks, and snow removal
  • Clearing land and moving earth  Continue reading →

Ask SCORE: Is a worker an employee or an independent contractor?

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by Joe Heinrich and Guy Towle, SCORE Volunteers

As mentors to SCORE clients, we are often asked by our clients, “Should I hire this person as an employee or engage them as an independent contractor to do the work I have for them?” Often, our immediate response is to suggest the least costly alternative, which is to engage the person as an independent contractor as then the client can avoid all the payroll taxes associated with an employee.

However, this advice does not take into consideration the very restrictive State of Washington statutes as they pertain to the determination of an employee vs. an independent contractor. So, let’s take a look at the applicable law.  Continue reading →

Zero cost federal tax deduction — business use of your home.

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by Joe Heinrich, Certified SCORE Mentor

Nirvana would be that a small business owner could generate a deduction from her/his business’s taxable income at no cost. Well, that situation is available for many small business owners: the business use of the home deduction. However, not all of small business owners are taking advantage of this deduction due to not knowing about it or fearing that taking the deduction will trigger an IRS audit.

First, the facts. IRS regulations allow a business owner to take a deduction for the business use of the home, provided that the space is used “exclusively and regularly” for business purposes. The space can either be a room, a part of a room, a closet, the basement or garage, or a separate building on the home’s lot.  Continue reading →

The 3 things keeping small business owners up at night.

Small business owners heading into 2018 have a lot to be happy about — but they’ve also got some major concerns about the continued success of their businesses.

Capital One polled small business owners about their hopes and fears, and here’s what the latest Small Business Growth Index has to say about their responses.

Positive Outlook

All told, small business owners feel good about their finances. Nearly half (47 percent) say their businesses’ sales rose in the past six months—the highest percentage recorded by the survey since the second quarter of 2013. Some 37 percent say their financial position has improved from one year ago, too.

But it’s not all sunshine. While small business owners are happy with their finances, they’re also wondering how long the good times will last. In fact, two of the top three concerns cited by entrepreneurs in the survey are financial in nature.  Continue reading →