IRS Audit, IRS Audit Help, IRS Audit Process
The Tax Office After April 15th
April 25, 2013 - IRS Audit, IRS Audit Help, IRS Audit Process
I am a solo-preneur. Williams Audit Specialists of Arizona is a single owner corporation. Bullet Proof Your Taxes is one division of Audit Specialists.
Yes, I am a brick and mortar business. Yes, I have employees. There was a time when I had several employees. I still do have one employee. I am my number one employee.
Now that our annual 1040 Marathon has finished, I’ll admit that I am tired. Tax season may have critical dates, but it is never really ever over. Most of us in this business will tell you we love it when tax season begins. And we love it when it ends.
Between April 15th and April 30th employment tax returns for my own firm and for my clients must be prepared, filed, and paid. After-season “Post Mortem” professional meetings are held to share stories of the good, the bad and they ugly of our recent months.
Office hours are adjusted. I may have worked evenings and Saturdays before April 15th. Now that our days are getting longer and warmer, my office hours are getting shorter.
I do taxes all year long. And now I am also adding more services. Now I can attend the seminars I want and need to maintain my various certifications. It is important to me to stay up-to-date in the tax laws, policies and procedures for YOU.
Certain activities that were put on the “back-burner” during income tax season are moved to the forefront. Soon I will begin mid-year tax planning for those of you who want to or who need to adjust your tax withholding. And now I can resume my coaching services.
Did you see vacation on that list? I didn’t. When I was an employee it was mandatory that we take our annual leave every year. I remember “use it or lose it.” It is important to take a break to re-charge your energy, to renew your spirit. It is also good business that every company require employees to be away from their job for some time every year. If you have someone refusing to take time off, ask yourself, “What do they NOT want you to know about what goes on at their desk?”
Most years I include an extra personal day at the beginning or at the end of a business trip. There is work involved, but there is also a free day for me and for my husband, Steve, if he comes with me. A hotel room costs the same for one or for two in a room.
I can deduct my travel expense and my meals while away from home on business. And while Steve is very important to me, he is not an integral part of my business so his personal expenses are just that. His expenses are personal and are not tax deductible. I can deduct the cost of my travel and meals. I cannot deduct the cost of Steve’s travel and meals. I am deducting the cost of my hotel room. I just choose to share that room with Steve. There is no extra cost for the second person in the room.
Sometimes I will share the room with another woman attending the same seminar. When we share the room, we share the hotel bill. Of course there are extras that can be added to the room. If you choose to buy from their in-room mini bar that expense is usually not deductible. If you choose to order a movie, it is probably not business-related and would not be deductible. When the hotel adds taxes and a resort fee to your room bill, those are part of your deductible hotel cost.
When I am away from the office my attention is not on the office. My attention is on my seminar or on enjoying my day off. You can still leave me a voice mail message. You can send me an email message. When I return I will give my full attention to you and your needs.
Always to your lowest legal tax,
Nellie T Williams, EA