Greek Government Legislative Initiative: Offers Self-Employed Reduction In Income Tax Rates For The Next 7 Years

It is widely known that brain drain is the worst threat to a country’s prosperity. The Greek government announced legislative initiative to reverse this phenomenon, to attract foreign investment and to invite foreign nationals to settle and work in Greece. The legislative initiatives also provide for a 50% reduction in income tax for the next 7 years, either if the job is transferred to Greece or if the interested individuals settle as self-employed or even as employees in another professional employment in Greece.

It is well known that financial motivation alone is never enough to decide upon one’s return to a country or even to move to another employer.  The excellent lifestyle, the mild climate along with the working conditions (since white collar personnel can work remotely) play a vital role in such decision making. Moreover, with the crisis now behind Greece and the long-term prospects in front of the country accompanied with political stability, will eventually result in an effective state and an economy that can offer more employment opportunities. Greece is one of the safest countries in the world for the expatriate and his family.

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Chuck Woodson, daycare, self-employed, tax benefits, tax help,tax deductions

A taxpayer who is in the business of providing family day care in their home may deduct the ordinary and necessary expenses of their business. The two primary deductions include the business use of their home and the cost of providing meals and snacks to children in their care. The following is a rundown on deductible business expenses for home day care providers.  Read More

If you’re self-employed, paying estimated taxes is old hat by now. But, what if this is your first time doing it? Here’s how to calculate and pay estimated taxes for the first time.

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MileIQ

We often talk about tracking your mileage and expenses for tax purposes. But, what are you supposed to do with it? Let’s go over the basics on reporting business mileage on your tax return.

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MileIQ

We often talk about tracking your mileage and expenses for tax purposes. But, what are you supposed to do with it? Let’s go over the basics on reporting business mileage on your tax return.

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The House Small Business Committee held a hearing today (May 24) (part 1 of 2) on “The Sharing Economy: A Taxing Experience or New Entrepreneurs.” Part 2 is scheduled for May 26 with National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson speaking. A focal point of the hearing per the posted testimony was difficulties freelancers face in the sharing economy because they don’t fully understand their tax obligations.
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Manasa Nadig, EA
Manasa Nadig, EA

You did it! You quit your job and started that small business that had always been your dream! Exciting times, thrilling ups & downs, you are your own boss–but wait, you do miss the paychecks that arrived regularly every other week. You also miss the medical benefits that the company paid for & that retirement plan you contributed to. What’s more, you also miss that extra oomph on your paycheck-the employer contribution to the company 401(k).

In this post on Employer Retirement Plans for Small Businesses, let’s closely examine the Individual 401(k). This is also known as the Solo 401(k). Unlike other retirement plans, a solo 401(k) is only for sole proprietors or S Corps who have no employees. A spouse can contribute if he or she earns income from the business.
It comes in both the Traditional & Roth version. Just like IRA’s, Traditional is money put away pretax & is taxable when withdrawn. The Roth 401(k) is funded with after-tax dollars & is tax free when withdrawn. One can also split the contributions between the two. Loans can also be taken against savings in 401(k)’s.

Why I like these plans?

•They are ideal to sock away large amounts of money in the good years.

•It helps you save both as an employer & an employee. Here’s how for 2013 – you can contribute a maximum of $33500 (Up from $33000 in 2012) as an employer AND $17500 (Up from $17000 in 2012) as an employee- not to exceed a maximum of $51000 (Up from $50000 in 2012) or 100% of the employee’s compensation, whichever is lesser. Read More

We meet again, you tax-paying rascals! Penny here, and I’m back atcha with another installment of Penny Taxwise. As you loyal readers out there know, your ol’ pal Penny is rocking the whole work-at-home mom gig like crazy this year. At the end of 2012, my little freelance writing biz exploded and I’ve been struggling to catch up with the success.

To compound things further, I’ve branched out from the freelance writing to a variety of other endeavors – a blog, websites, and an upcoming info product line to be exact. I expect to earn a significant amount of income from these things over the next couple of years, and it dawned on me that I should think about taking the plunge and becoming an actual business.

Naturally, I’ve been researching the heck out of the idea this week. I was spurred by a question that was posted recently right here on TaxConnections:

Oh man. That’s my biggest fear realized. I try to do everything by the book, but I fear the wrath of Uncle Sam when it comes to incorrect self-employment tax records – I think all freelancers feel the same way. Patrick O’Hara, Tax Pro and Owner/Enrolled Agent of CHR Associates in New York, jumped at the chance to respond:

 

Well, wow. His reply was the final push over the edge I needed to finally make a real effort with my business structure search. Off I went to learn about business entities, and boy… did I learn a lot!

Why I’m Thinking LLC

Since Mr. Taxwise and I have our own property to protect, I want to form a legal structure for my business that will shelter us from any potential lawsuits against our personal assets down the road. If you’re wondering why I’m so worried about that with nothing but a teensy Internet biz to show for myself, allow me to enlighten you.

My ultimate goal is to eventually purchase rental properties. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for the better part of ten years, and my online adventures may just allow me to build up enough savings to break into the game. However, if I choose to file as a sole proprietor, my personal assets won’t be protected.

That’s why I decided to go for incorporation. I learned that there are three basic types of legal entities freelancers could form if they choose to incorporate: an S Corporation, a C Corporation, or an LLC (Limited Liability Company). Each comes with its own benefits and drawbacks for freelancers, so picking the right one is vital for protecting your bottom line.

According to an awesome SBA writeup I found, S Corporations, if owned by one single shareholder (the freelancer), allow only the earnings to be subject to employment tax. If the S Corp freelancer makes quite a bit one year, he or she can take a fraction of that year’s earnings as a paycheck and the rest as “profit through distribution to shareholders.”

The S Corp does have a major downside, of course. It demands yearly legal hoop-jumping, including accomplishing compelling tasks throughout the year – requirements such as holding regular shareholder meetings, filing minutes from them, extensive record-keeping, and reporting bylaw updates. Sounds like a blast, right?

On the other hand, a C Corporation is great for people who have small startups that may seek future venture capital to finance expansion. Although there’s flexibility to spread profits around to plan for taxes. However, at the end of the day, a freelancer who chooses this corporate structure will almost always end up with a hefty tax bill due to the whole double taxation thing. Not very fun, either.

That brings us to the newest corporation type around – the Limited Liability Company (LLC). Owners of LLC companies deal with taxes like sole proprietors. They’re taxed on the LLC’s net income, and those taxes are reported on the owner’s personal tax return. The LLC simply acts as a “pass-though entity.”

That was all fine with me since the biggest selling point was the part about an LLC protecting me from legal attacks once I begin dealing with real estate. Plus, if my company doesn’t make much or operates on a loss at first, I can report that on my income taxes. Bonus!

Yup, I’ve definitely made my choice.

Evaluating Your Own Biz

Enough about me… let’s talk about you! If you’re the proud owner of a small biz or a freelancer yourself, it’s important to evaluate your own business needs before choosing a structure. Moreover, you should talk to a tax professional before making any big decisions.

In addition, don’t forget to check with your state for laws concerning your new filing status. Many require different kinds of things from you depending upon the entity you choose.

That’s it for me this week, my taxalicious buddies!

Until next time.

Making Cents Count,

Penny

Hola, my tax-conscious compadres! Penny Taxwise here, back again with another installment of tax-tacular advice for your reading pleasure. This week, I chose an answered question from another Tax Connections member – the query was one I’ve pondered myself quite a bit lately. I want you to take a look at the original question before we get into the discussion portion of the program:

What is Self-Employment Tax and is this in addition to other taxes I pay as a small business owner at the end of the year?

This question is extremely relevant to my own situation – I’ve been doing the freelance writing thing for some time now, but this past year will be the first tax cycle I’ll have officially done it full-time (pause for applause). I myself have wondered how the whole tax thing should go down for the work-at-home crowd. I guess some part of me understood that my income taxes would be separate from the self-employment taxes I’d need to pay, but I was a bit fuzzy on the specifics.

Tax Pros to the Rescue

One of the dynamite Tax Connections gurus, Gary Carter, rushed right to the rescue with a fantastic (and not confusing – whew!) answer to the question. He’s the President of GW Carter, Ltd, Certified Public Accountants in Minnesota.

According to Carter:

Self-Employment tax is Social Security and Medicare tax for self-employed individuals. The rate is 13.3% of your self-employment net income for 2012 (10.4% for Social Security tax and 2.9% for Medicare tax).

Essentially, Carter’s saying that self-employment tax is the money that would be taken out of your paycheck automatically if you worked for an outside employer. When you work for yourself, your tax liability is the same as those who are externally employed, you’re simply responsible for paying into the system on your own.

Carter continued his answer by enlightening the asker about some upcoming changes to the tax code. “Beginning in 2013,” he says, “the rate for Social Security tax will increase by 2%, so the combined rate will be 15.3%.”

He also warns that self-employed individuals should be aware that their self-employment net income is the net income shown on Schedule C of Form 1040 – and not their taxable income. That’s why a self-employed person could have no taxable income yet still owe self-employment tax.

Make sense?

Yeah, it kind of confused me too. Luckily, Carter provided an example in his answer for those of us who need a little help wrapping our brains around this info. Gotta love those TC Tax Pros! Here’s what he said: “[L]et’s say your net income on Schedule C is $27,000 in 2012, and you are married filing jointly with two dependent children. Your taxable income is zero after your 4 exemptions and the standard deduction ($27,000 – ($3,800 x 4) – $11,900), but you will owe $3,591 in Self-Employment tax.”

That illustration really hit home for me because – jackpot – he described my exact tax situation. No joke. So now I understand – even though my income taxes will be zilch, I’ll still need to pony up a few thousand to cover my Medicare and Social Security. Makes sense… I’d better start padding the ol’ savings account before the tax man comes calling.

Bracing for the Blow of a Big Tax Bill

Now that we’re clear on the semantics of self-employment taxes, let’s shift the focus to footing the bill. Many self-employed people (cough, cough… myself included) fail to save adequately for the taxes that will inevitably find them each and every year they work for themselves. That’s why implementing some sort of system to set aside money for Uncle Sam is vital to protecting your bottom line – and your biz.

Once you pay self-employment taxes for the first time, you’ll be able to figure out roughly how much you’ll owe for the upcoming year. That is, unless you expect your income to sharply rise or fall. If you’re confident that everything will indeed stay consistent, however, then you have a solid figure with which to work.

Here’s my plan. I’m opening a dedicated savings account strictly for my tax savings. I won’t allow myself easy access to the funds – in fact, I’m planning to request that my bank limit my ability to transfer money from the account to my checking, if at all possible. I’ll dump a portion of everything I earn into the account – before I deposit the remaining money into my checking. If I overestimate my tax bill a bit one year, no problem. The leftover dough will be a great cushion for the following year’s bill.

Self-employment taxes are no joke, and neither is self-employment. I’m learning that the hard way. Without a boss hanging over your shoulder barking orders or a payroll department to neatly deduct taxes from your paycheck before you see it, it’s tough to regulate yourself. That’s why it’s so important to set up systems to regulate your business behavior. No one’s gonna catch you if you fall, so you might as well build yourself a net.

Until next time, my taxpaying friends!

Making Cents Count,

Penny