Best Business Practices

Cash is critical to the functioning of every business. Maintaining a healthy cash flow not only allows a company to meet its financial obligations but also gives it the flexibility to take advantage of emerging opportunities.

All too often, however, small businesses find themselves in a cash crunch, struggling to pay the bills and stay afloat. The good news is that businesses can take various measures to manage cash flow more effectively.

Controlling Expenses

A good place to start is by reviewing expenses to determine if there are areas where you can shave costs by contracting with another vendor or renegotiating existing contracts. Costs for ongoing goods and services, such as utilities, shipping, and telecommunications, should be reviewed frequently to see if expenses can be reduced. And when paying suppliers, consider whether it makes financial sense to take advantage of any early payment incentives that may be offered.

Keeping Debt in Check

Debt can be a useful tool if used properly, so be sure to keep it at a manageable level. Before your business takes on a new loan, reach out to multiple lenders and compare the terms they offer. When acquiring equipment, consider whether leasing may be a better option than borrowing money to finance its purchase. For short-term financing needs, a line of credit is a helpful tool. The lender will base interest charges only on the amount your business draws from the credit line.

Managing Inventory

Maintaining excessive inventory can tie up cash unnecessarily. If your business carries inventory, avoid overstocking. Your inventory management system should be able to indicate the minimum quantities that you need to keep on hand in order to meet your customers’ needs.

Simplifying Billing and Collections

Employees who handle billing and collections should have specific, clear guidelines. By standardizing the process, you help ensure your business will be paid promptly. You can speed up payments by offering discounts for early payment or by encouraging your customers to pay using electronic funds transfer. To help minimize the problem of unpaid accounts, consider making follow-up calls or sending email or text message reminders within a set period after you have provided goods or services or when a bill’s due date passes. Minimizing Taxes When Possible

Deductions and credits can help your business limit its tax burden and boost its cash flow. A knowledgeable tax professional can keep you informed of any special tax breaks that may be of value to your business, such as the energy credit for the acquisition of various types of alternative energy property.

Make Planning a Priority

Identifying the causes of reduced cash flow and taking steps to rectify a cash flow crunch is critical to the ongoing success of your business. Proper cash flow planning can help you make better use of budgets and employ financing and capital more effectively to increase revenues as well as boost profits. If erratic cash flow is a recurring issue for your business, it can be helpful to gain the insights and the input from an experienced financial professional.

When you start a business, there are endless decisions to make. Among the most important is how to structure your business. Why is it so significant? Because the structure you choose will affect how your business is taxed and the degree to which you (and other owners) can be held personally liable. Here’s an overview of the various structures.

Sole Proprietorship

This is a popular structure for single-owner businesses. No separate business entity is formed, although the business may have a name (often referred to as a DBA, short for “doing business as”). A sole proprietorship does not limit liability, but insurance may be purchased.

You report your business income and expenses on Schedule C, an attachment to your personal income tax return (Form 1040). Net earnings the business generates are subject to both self-employment taxes and income taxes. Sole proprietors may have employees but don’t take paychecks themselves.

Limited Liability Company

If you want protection for your personal assets in the event your business is sued, you might prefer a limited liability company (LLC). An LLC is a separate legal entity that can have one or more owners (called “members”). Usually, income is taxed to the owners individually, and earnings are subject to self-employment taxes.

Note: It’s not unusual for lenders to require a small LLC’s owners to personally guarantee any business loans.

Corporation

A corporation is a separate legal entity that can transact business in its own name and files corporate income tax returns. Like an LLC, a corporation can have one or more owners (shareholders). Shareholders generally are protected from personal liability but can be held responsible for repaying any business debts they’ve personally guaranteed.

If you make a “Subchapter S” election, shareholders will be taxed individually on their share of corporate income. This structure generally avoids federal income taxes at the corporate level.

Partnership

In certain respects, a partnership is similar to an LLC or an S corporation. However, partnerships must have at least one general partner who is personally liable for the partnership’s debts and obligations. Profits and losses are divided among the partners and taxed to them individually.

Payroll is one of the most important aspects of any business, but it’s one that, when running smoothly, business owners don’t tend to think about; however, when there’s a payroll glitch, it jumps to the forefront of an owner’s mind. Here are several payroll mistakes that can cost you a bundle and how to avoid them in your business.

1. Misclassifying Employees

How you classify employees when you hire them impacts how you and your employees are taxed. If you hire an office staffer to answer phones and file paperwork for an hourly wage, that is a non-exempt employee. Alternatively, if you employ an individual as a salaried Head of Operations, they are exempt. The main difference is that non-exempt employees are eligible to receive overtime pay; exempt employees are not.

There is also a distinction between employee, freelancer, and contractor. An employee receives a regular wage, while freelancers and contractors are typically paid per project. Misclassifying employees may not seem like a big deal at first, but in time, the IRS will find out, and your business will end up paying the taxes due, the associated fines, and of course, the interest on the past-due taxes.

To avoid this issue, understand the classifications and the capacity in which you hire your employees. To classify employees, be sure to use IRS definitions. For example, the IRS defines independent contractors this way: “the general rule is that an individual is an independent contractor if the payer has the right to control or direct only the result of the work and not what will be done and how it will be done.”

2. Miscalculating Pay

There are many payroll aspects to consider, such as overtime, commissions, deductions, paid time off (PTO), and more. When it comes to calculating pay, payroll admins should keep in mind that different policies apply to each state, and that must also be considered. For example, the federal overtime law dictates that overtime wages (pay for hours worked over 40 hours in a workweek) are paid at 1.5 times the employee’s regular hourly rate. However, some states have different policies regarding overtime. For example, in Alaska, California, Colorado, and Nevada, overtime is also based on hours worked in a day. As a general rule, a business should comply with the more generous law for the employee.

In addition to overtime pay miscalculations, poor time tracking capabilities also contribute to miscalculated pay. To avoid an issue miscalculating pay, be sure to know your state’s guidelines on overtime pay. Further, be sure that your company has a reliable tracking system for keeping up with employee hours so that pay, overtime, and other payroll aspects like PTO are correctly recorded and calculated. This process will significantly reduce the chance of payroll overpayment or underpayment mistakes that could become costly payroll corrections.

3. Missing Deadlines

One of the most damaging payroll mistakes for a business is missing payroll tax deadlines. Missed deadlines can cost thousands of dollars in penalties, and in extreme cases, a company’s business license can be suspended.

To avoid this critical error, use the IRS Calendar Connector to help you remember your tax deadlines. However, if you miss a tax deadline, contact the tax agency immediately because late payment penalties pile up quickly. The quicker you get in touch with the IRS, the lesser penalty you will have to pay.

4. Messy Recordkeeping

What is the word a small business owner least likes to hear? There are likely a few, but “audit” has to be right at the top of the list. The anxiety that term induces should be reason enough to keep accurate, complete payroll records that are well-organized. The price you pay for not doing that could be fines, penalties, and a plethora of costly payroll-related tax issues. For example, if you accidentally file W-2 forms late, you will pay between $50 and $260 in fines depending upon how late the W-2s are filed.

The same goes for late-filed 1099 forms or any other tax-related documentation. The fines vary. For example, if you do not provide a contract employee with a 1099 form, that’s a $250 fine.

To avoid this issue, keep accurate, complete, up-to-date payroll records for all employees. Mind your paperwork like W-2 forms, timesheets, 1099 forms, and pay records. Also, be sure to retain employee records for the four-year minimum that the IRS requires after an employee leaves your company. FYI: The SBA recommends retaining payroll records for six years.

5. Missed Tax Forms

An extension of point four above targets the end-of-year task that some payroll admins dread – preparing and sending all the necessary tax forms to all employees, whether they are full-time (W-2), part-time (W-2), or independent contractors (1099). Remember, form 1099 is required to be sent to an independent contractor who earned $600 or more during a tax year.

To avoid this issue, make sure tax rates are in order, payroll is correctly calculated, and all forms are correctly filled out and sent to employees promptly.

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Payroll-related tax issues are avoidable. Take time to speak to your trusted tax preparer or CPA today so that you avoid these mistakes and keep your business running as it should.

Discover how our insights and experience can translate into a better bottom line for your business. Call us today at 479-242-1236 to learn more or request a consultation through our website and we’ll reach out to you to set up an appointment.

Your accountant or CPA is a business asset that you should put to good use year-round, not just at tax time. There are several topics beyond taxes that business owners should discuss with their trusted financial professionals. In this article, we cover five of them for you. While the new year is traditionally when business owners think of making financial, strategic, and other business-related plans, any time is the right time to speak to your accountant to discuss the following aspects of your business. You can’t begin the conversation too early, but it could be too late in some cases, so don’t put aside these five essential talking points.

1. Financial Planning

Budget is front of mind for business owners, but other financial issues impact your business, too. Consider a full portfolio review with your accountant to plan your financial future. Some critical topics to cover include strategies to improve cash flow, existing business loans, capital investment, charitable contributions, employee-related expenses like bonuses and health care, retirement planning, and asset management.

2. Company Growth

The goal of all businesses is growth. With growth comes change. As your business objectives shift, your valuation and tax liability often shift, too. Any changes you experience in your business should be conveyed to your accountant or CPA so that they can apprise you of liabilities or status changes. For example, suppose you plan to expand, add additional locations, make significant staffing changes, merge companies, acquire new businesses, or plan to sell your business. In that case, you should set up an appointment with your accountant to develop a logical strategy to address the change.

3. Inventory

If your business sells or resells tangible goods, inventory is vital. Sales tax laws and regulations can be challenging. Many states have rules about nexus (i.e., how much presence a business has in a city or state) related to where businesses warehouse inventory and fulfill orders. Your accountant can assess your order process to verify your restocking and ordering processes to maximize cash flow, ensure unsold inventory is accounted for, and ensure that sales tax is collected everywhere your company has nexus.

4. Risk Management

Do you have a plan in place to protect your business from disruption? Many do not. If that applies to your business, contact your accountant to discuss continuity planning to protect your business. They can provide professional insight regarding how to mitigate risks should a disruption occur. Some topics to address are whether your insurance policies are up to date, if all compliance, security, and privacy standards are met, whether your business has fraud protection in place, and if the existing internal controls protect your business. Given the time and capital small business owners invest in their passion, they must take time to manage any potential risk that could destroy what they worked so hard to create and build.

5. Tax Compliance

Lastly, as a business owner, you always want to be tax compliant. And this doesn’t apply only to federal taxes. It is just as essential to make sure state-imposed taxes are addressed on time. Regulations and tax laws change frequently, so it is vital to have a firm grasp on these. The best way to ensure you do this is to have your accountant guide you. They can inform you of any changes that affect your business and advise you on addressing them. Discuss collecting and filing W2s and 1099s for any contract employees; ensure exemption and resale certifications are collected and stored correctly; comply with online sales and nexus rules; and have an internal review to find any issues that might trigger a sale tax audit.

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It helps to think of your business accountant as an extension of your team, an impartial adviser who will assess the risks and rewards associated with your business. They will answer your questions and illuminate unclear topics for you. They may bring up important points you’ve yet to consider, so make that call today and get a meeting on the calendar to discuss these critical points with your accountant. And remember, you can do your part by making sure you keep business and personal finances separate and maintaining complete, organized records.

ValueMetrik CFO offers economical accounting solutions and has a strong reputation for accuracy and dependability. Find out how you can save time and stop worrying about the numbers and leave the accounting to us! Call our Fort Smith, AR accounting firm* today at 479-242-1236 or request a consultation.

While you may think it’s better to take care of your small business accounting tasks in-house, you may be surprised to know that your business can benefit from having a professional accountant or CPA handle the job for you. Here are the top three reasons to outsource your accounting.

1. Peace of Mind

The number one reason for outsourcing your accounting is the peace of mind you will get regarding managing your accounting records. A qualified accountant or CPA on your team allows you to gain access to their professional knowledge and experience. Further, you can even choose an accountant that specializes in your unique business needs. A professional can help you keep your business records accurate and up-to-date. For example, payroll and tax documents will be maintained appropriately and submitted promptly. Timely and accurate accounting reduces your risk of penalties resulting from inaccurate record-keeping or lack of knowledge regarding aspects of accounting like tax laws and deadlines.

2. Focus on Business Development

When you enlist the services of a qualified accountant or CPA to manage your small business accounting needs, you minimize the time that you or your senior staff must spend performing or micromanaging those tasks. Freeing up your time in those areas enhances your ability to maintain a keen focus on the day-to-day tasks your business faces and any additional business needs that arise. Being able to focus your time on managing and growing your business, you improve operational efficiency. As you develop strategic goals, you can convey those to your outsourced accountant to garner their professional guidance and support when executing and realizing those goals.

3. Save Money

Many small business owners feel that handling accounting tasks in-house is more cost-effective because they can utilize existing staff. However, consider the total cost involved in hiring or training a staff member to manage your business’s accounting needs. There is also the associated time expenditure related to supervising an employee who manages the accounting. For a dedicated in-house staff member to handle the task, you must consider the additional costs of payroll, payroll taxes, and employee benefits. There is also employee turnover to consider, which, if high, could lead to additional training and expenses. By not electing to have a full-time dedicated employee handle accounting in-house, you also save on space and technology required to accommodate that individual.

For these reasons – and more such as getting timely financial advice, understanding cash flow, and maximizing your tax savings opportunities – it’s time to outsource your business’s accounting needs. What you gain far outweighs the cost.

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Contact our firm to find out how we can create a package of accounting services for your small business.

ValueMetrik CFO offers economical accounting solutions and has a strong reputation for accuracy and dependability. Find out how you can save time and stop worrying about the numbers and leave the accounting to us! Call our Fort Smith, AR accounting firm* today at 479-242-1236 or request a consultation.

Incorporating your small business the right way can bring tax benefits and protect your personal assets. Read on to learn more about what incorporation is, why you might want to incorporate, and how an accountant can help you navigate the questions that come with selecting the right business structure.

What is Incorporation?

When discussing “incorporation” in terms of a business, the term denotes how the business is organized or structured.

Regardless of the structure you choose for your business, incorporation is a legal process that brings your business into existence. The following are business structures commonly used in a small business.

Sole proprietorship

If you conduct business as an individual and do not register as any other type of business, you are a sole proprietor. With this business structure, your personal and business assets and liabilities are not separate. Sole proprietorships are relatively simple structures and a good choice for low-risk businesses or entrepreneurs testing a business idea. However, this business structure does not offer liability protection, so the owner is personally responsible for business debts and obligations. Another drawback is that it can be more challenging to get bank financing and business credit with this structure.

Partnership

When two or more individuals own a business together, the simplest structure is the partnership. There are limited partnerships (LP) and limited liability partnerships (LLP). LPs consist of a general partner with unlimited liability; the remaining partners have limited liability and limited control in the business. The partner without limited liability pays self-employment taxes. In LLPs, every owner has limited liability, protecting them from business debts and the actions of the other partners.

Partnerships can be a good choice for multiple-owned businesses and professional groups like physicians, attorneys, and veterinarians.

C-corp

Sometimes called a C-corp, a corporation is a separate legal entity from the business owner(s). The benefit of a corporation is that they offer the most robust protection for owners from personal liability; however, it costs more to form a corporation than it does to establish other business structures, and business profits are taxed at the personal and corporate level. Further, the record-keeping, operations, and reporting are more involved for a corporation. This structure is usually best for higher-risk businesses or those that raise money or plan to become publicly traded in the stock market.

S-corp

An S-corporation, or S-corp, is designed to avoid the double-taxation of a C-corp. This avoidance is possible because, in an S-corp, profits and some losses go through the owner’s personal income to avoid corporate taxes. S-corps are taxed differently in different states, so it is essential to have your accountant help you understand the guidelines and laws in your state.

LLC

A limited liability company (LLC) has the benefits of a corporation and a partnership. The owner is protected from personal liability in situations like bankruptcy or lawsuits and can avoid corporate taxes because profits and losses can pass through their personal income. However, there are self-employment taxes and Medicare and Social Security contributions since LLC members are considered self-employed.

An LLC is an option for owners with significant assets that need protection and who want the benefit of a lower tax rate than a corporation pays.

How to Incorporate

When you’re ready to incorporate your business, consult your trusted CPA or accountant so that you have a full view of what incorporating will mean for you and your business initially and for years to come.

Discover how our insights and experience can translate into a better bottom line for your business. Call us today at 479-242-1236 to learn more or request a consultation through our website and we’ll reach out to you to set up an appointment.