很少有人会觉得报税是件愉快的事, but there are several ways to make the process less stressful at the end of the year. Keisha Rondeno, certified public accountant and managing principal of Keisha L. Rondeno, CPA in Houston, offers these tips to help you have a better experience.
了解你的截止日期. 如果你是一个独立的承包商, you’re required to pay estimated quarterly taxes on your net income on January 15, 4月15日, 6月15日, 及九月十五日.
在年底, independent contractors must pay any remaining estimated taxes and file their taxes. When you file depends on your business structure: S-corporations and partnerships file on March 15, 而独资经营者, 有限责任公司, 公司将于4月15日提交申请.
记住你的w -9和1099表格. If you paid an independent contractor more than $600 this year, they must give you a signed W-9 form so you can give them a 1099 form before the end of January.
在一个完美的世界, you should record your information and the money going in and out on a weekly or monthly basis.
- Keisha Rondeno
记录你的车辆费用. 记录全年的里程数. Write down starting and ending mileage every time you drive for business. Showings, client meetings, and even potential client meetings count. 记录你的汽油消费, 车辆维修, 新轮胎, 而注册——所有这些都可以部分扣除.
扣除家庭办公费用. “在家办公, there are expenses on the personal side that you can utilize for tax purposes,Rondeno说. Rent, utilities, insurance, and repairs may be partially deducted from your taxes.
你的家庭办公室必须是一个专门的工作空间. 你不能剥夺你孩子的游戏室, but you could if you had a dedicated space in that room where you only worked on real estate.
保存餐馆收据. 到12月31日, 2022, you or your business can deduct 100% of your food and beverage expenses at restaurants as long as you or the business owner is present when the food or beverages are provided, 在这种情况下，这笔费用并不奢侈, 会议是与客户或潜在客户会面. “确保你买的饭有收据. You have to say who you were with and what the purpose of the meeting was. You can simply write on the receipt, ‘Met with Jane Doe about the property she’s purchasing.’”
The pre-existing 50% deduction remains for buying food or beverages at businesses that sell primarily pre-packed food or beverages not for immediate consumption, 比如杂货店, 便利店, 自动售货机.
听专家的，而不是听社交媒体的. There’s a lot of financial misinformation and 误导 business advice on social media. Some influencers don’t explain how to implement the advice they’re describing. Rondeno recommends working with a tax professional or CPA who can correctly report deductions.
跟上你的记账. “The one thing that would help a lot of real estate agents that I always recommend is the earlier you start gathering your items together, 更好的. The longer you wait, the more tedious and difficult it will become. 在一个完美的世界, you should record your information and the money going in and out on a weekly or monthly basis.她说。. Knowing where you stand with your finances helps you make smart business decisions because you know exactly how much money you are working with.
If you do not keep up with your bookkeeping and accounting, you tend to fall behind. “The hardest thing is having expenses from February or March and trying to remember what they were for in October or November.” When you fall behind, you are more likely to miss deductions you could have taken.