Accounting for the rest of us

SOHO Tax Tips regarding online resources

Tax tips are now available online using your iPhone or Droid. Thanks to an article entitled “Using Social Media To Get Tax Information” on Boston.com, here is a list of online resources available from both the Internal Revenue Service website and social media portals that can be useful not just during tax season but throughout the calendar year. The article at Boston.com lists resources that are accessible from either your desktop computer or mobile phone.  In fact, IRS2Go is a mobile app for both Apple and Android users. It provides personal tax refund information and other tax tips and tax-related information.

IRS Videos – A YouTube resource that provides IRS information in English and other languages.

American Sign Language Videos – A similar online resource that provides information in American Sign Language.

Multilingual Videos – Another similar online resource that provides information in a variety of foreign languages.

@IRSnews – information for the public, press, and practitioners

@IRStaxpros – information for professional tax preparers

@IRSenEspanol – news and information in Spanish

@Recruitment IRS – IRS Human Capital Office

@YourVoiceatIRS – a taxpayer advocate service

The IRS also provides tax tips in audio files for podcasts. Information regarding this special resource is available from the IRS Newsroom.

This information was originally provided on July 29, 2011 from the Article Collections at Boston.com.

2011 Standard Mileage Rate

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has increased the optional standard mileage rates for 2011. These optional rates can be used to calculate deductible costs of operating an automobile for either business or other uses instead of reporting actual travel-related costs. Charitable mileage rates remain at the current 14 cents a mile in 2011.  The table below summarizes the increases for this year.

From the IRS Newsroom IR-2011-69, June 23, 2011

1040 Schedule C-EZ calculates your net profit.

In order to understand what the Schedule C-EZ is, you need to understand the format of the related IRS Form 1040 Schedule C. Are you self-employed or a sole proprietor of a small business?  When you file your income tax return, you use the longer Schedule C to report your business income or loss on your personal (rather than corporate) income tax return.  Your net business profits, calculated on either schedule, are summarized on the top page of your IRS 1040, US Individual Income Tax Return.  You can also use either Schedule C to report wages or expenses you accumulate during a tax year if you are a statutory employee, are involved in qualified joint ventures, or have income that is reported on an IRS Form 1099-MISC, Miscellaneous Income.  You need to complete either Schedule C in order to calculate self-employment tax.

Just like the 1040EZ “short form” for personal income tax, Schedule C-EZ is based on VERY simple business information. You provide information in Part I, such as name and principal business activity,  your gross and net profit in Part II, and information about any vehicle expenses you want to claim, in Part III.  There are eight separate questions in total; Schedule C has 48 separate questions.  Both schedules are fundamentally the same. They are financial statements of profit and loss (P&L) that provide current information about operating revenue and offsetting expenses.

In order to use the Schedule C-EZ, your business or profession must:

• have a net profit running a business as a sole proprietor
• use the cash method of bookkeeping
• have no employees
• have neither inventory nor fixed assets
• have neither a home office deduction (IRS Form 8829) nor report depreciation (Form 4562)
• have business expenses less than $5,000

Since both schedules help you calculate the net profit (or loss) for your business, there is no fundamental difference in the forms. However, part of successfully running your own business is to track all business expenses in order to determine how much it REALLY costs to run your business. The Schedule C might have more questions to answer but, if correct understood, helps you better identify how you spend money in the pursuit of profit. Categorizing and tracking your business-related expenses throughout the year might save you from misreading a business trend or wishful thinking.  Running a successful business in a competitive world requires strategic planning and concentration on more than just business goals; you need to account for every dollar spent in pursuit of profit. Schedule C-EZ might provide the general answer about pursuing profit but it won’t identify where your money goes on the way to achieving your business revenue.

Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR)

Do you have business interest in a foreign bank or have any foreign financial accounts? We have provided information especially for US taxpayers living abroad or resident aliens regarding filing a personal income tax return. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has updated their Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) regarding Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (commonly referred to as FBAR) including specifically updated FBAR filing requirements and updated FBAR financial accounts.

Any taxpayer who has a financial interest that exceeds $10,000 at any time during the calendar year including signature authority (or any other authority of the account) in a foreign country should review this information carefully. A “financial account” is defined as any banking institution, foreign financial securities or derivatives, or other financially related instruments.

The IRS considers a country as “foreign” if the location geographically resides outside the United States, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, or any territories or possessions of the US including Guam, American Samoa, and the US Virgin Islands.

The official IRS website, irs.gov, provides a variety of current and relevant topics and references for taxpayers with international financial dealings. Consult with an experienced tax professional before you file a personal income tax return that involves ANY foreign income or matters that pertain to a foreign bank and financial accounts.