The Upcoming Tax Planning Season and SALY

The tax planning season is just around the corner. Most small businesses are more focused on the end of summer and gearing up for the fall season. What they should focus on is getting their ducks in a row for the year end and beyond. Here's a reason why small business owners should avoid the SALY (Same As Last Year) and start planning now.

listen to ‘Why Accountants Hate "SALY"’ on Audioboo

More Bean Spilling - Importing Bank Data

So I have had a little time to play around with BeansBooks, a new cloud accounting product by System 76, that makes small business accounting a bit more manageable. In this video we look at the banking import function and how it can save time during account reconcilations.

Spilling the Beans on BeansBooks

In an already crowded cloud small business accounting market, enter another competitor. BeansBooks developed by System 76 is a new cloud accounting service that is designed for small to medium sized businesses looking to take their accounting to the clouds.

Competitively priced BeansBooks attempts to keep accounting simple and offers a clean user interface and is open source that will allow programmers to customize the product to their liking. The ultimate goal of the product is less data entry, easier reconciliations, and current information at the fingertips of the small business owner.

Let's spill the beans on BeansBooks in this short video.

CNBC Town Hall

I had the pleasure of sitting in on the taping of the CNBC Town Hall on small business yesterday and needless to say, it was a great experience. There were entrepreneurs from all kinds of backgrounds and we all shared knowledge with each other.

We had a great panel of speakers (as you can see from the photos) and covered a lot of topics affecting the small business sector. I guess the major takeaways I got from the town hall were to mentor or be a mentor, differentiate, network, learn from trials & blessings, and pursue freedom.



To watch the CNBC Town Hall be sure to tune in to CNBC on Wednesday June 20th 9PM EST.

The Tech Accountant

Mobile App Woes and Social Media

I love to use social media and mobile apps as much as the next guy, but recently I have been having some issues with many of the app updates on some of my mobile devices. One recent update that has me rather concerned is the Google+ (or Google Plus is you say it that way) for iOS devices. Google's apps typically work very well on iOS devices, but for me (and many people leaving review on iTunes) the new Google+ is causing a headache.

Check out my Google+ woes here: The Tech Accountant

Travel Receipts Got You Sour as a Lemon??? Make Lemonade

I hope everyone had a great holiday this past week. If you were one of the many people traveling this past week, I am sure you have quite a few receipts from your trip that you may want to organize to see how much you spent over the holiday.

Or maybe you are a constant business traveler that is tired of trying to keep up with all of your receipts when you travel for business.

If this describes you, I am sure that the time it takes to organize and tally up what you spent, and where has you as sour as a lemon.

Here's a quick video on a new web-based product with a corresponding smart phone app that can make lemonade out of those receipts. Let me know what you think.



The Tech Accountant

Update: Lifelock has acquired Lemon to expand in the the mobile arena. A new app to play with on Andriod and iOS.

A Bonus for Small Biz

Thanks to the IRS, small businesses can deduct the cost of bonuses they pay to employees even if they don't know which employees will receive a year-end bonus. Listen here for details:



The Tech Accountant

Kids Say the Wildest Things

Here's a cool video that explains what it is like to be a tax accountant....well maybe in the "old" world of accounting. Personally I could only relate my past experiences to what the kids describe in the video. The "new" world of accounting is so much more exciting.

So check out the video, send it to your accountant and see if they can relate.



The Tech Accountant

Summer is Over - Time for Reports Cards and Football

The summer is almost over, and school is back in session. If you have kids, you’ve probably already met the teachers. You may have even enjoyed college football and NFL starting recently.

It’s probably been a long time since you’ve sat in a classroom yourself. But school is never out if you’re looking to make the most of your money in today’s challenging economy.

Here are some classes I'm considering teaching this fall to keep more of your hard earned money in your pocket. Let me know what you think:

• Math 1040: Where are tax rates headed?

• History 2010: Lessons from last year’s mistakes?

• Social Studies 463: Write off meals and entertainment

• Chemistry 162: Is there a “secret formula” for paying less?

• Anatomy 213: What’s the best strategy for healthcare benefits?

If you want to keep the most of what you make, you can’t wait ‘til finals or game day for answers. You need to study now and have a playbook ready just like the football players and coaches. Putting tax-wise ideas and strategies in place today could help avoid an ugly surprise when “Report Cards” and the "Tax Playoffs" come due April 15!

The Tech Accountant

Know the Rules For Employees and IC's

There is a difference when terminating and employee versus and independent contractor (IC). Better know the rules.

The Tech Accountant

Travelers RMplusonline

Protect Your Auto Deduction in an Audit

Small business owners (SBO) will be under more scrunity now that the IRS has increased their enforcement efforts in an attempt to close the tax gap. What this means is that audits for SBO's are on the rise. One way to ensure that you are not caught in an audit. is to take a proactive approach to your tax situation and not a reactive one.

Here is a taxpayer that took a reactive approach to her tax situation and the outcome of their dealing with the IRS (this may hit home for the real estate professionals out there). You can read the entire court case here or get the quick recap below. Enjoy.



The Tech Accountant

Washington Changes Challenge the IRS

Challenges are currently occurring at the IRS. No I am not referring to the time it takes for taxpayers to get assistance from the IRS or even the TAS (Taxpayer Advocate Service). I am talking about the problems the IRS is having with implementing many of the new tax law changes that have been enacted in recent legislation.

I had a chance to review a report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and there are currently about 100 new tax provisions that the IRS will have to implement.

Did you know that the IRS is currently dealing with one of the largest tax law changes in the past 20 years? With all the changes on the horizon, the IRS has increased their collection and enforcement personnel (one would think that IRS would increase their efforts to implement the tax changes) and not in enforcement.

What does this mean? Basically that IRS is increasing their collection and enforcement efforts on taxpayers and small businesses (the number of tax returns examined increased for individual, corporate and S-Corps over the past 5 years). Bottom line, the IRS is getting tough on the taxpayer.

The best thing for taxpayers to do is to take a proactive approach to their tax planning and know what to expect in the future. Many of the tax changes can swing in favor of taxpayers and small business owners so now is the time to start thinking about tax savings and not getting caught in any IRS traps.

The Tech Accountant

Airline Tax Turnover

I am sure many can remember the good old Charlie Brown episodes where Charlie Brown is attempting to kick the football and Lucy is the holder. Well we all know what happens, poor Charlie Brown thinks that he is going to finally kick that pigskin but right when he gets up to the ball, Lucy yanks it away and Charlie Brown falls on his face.

Well that scenario just played out in Congress recently in regards to the airline excise tax and potential refunds to small businesses and consumers and we already know who the characters were played by:

Lucy – Congress/IRS/FAA
Football – Excise Tax Refunds
And of course…
Charlie Brown – The Taxpayers

Yes folks all those potential refunds that many were expecting will never be sent. According to the IRS,

“passengers who purchased tickets prior to July 23 and traveled between July 23 and the date of enactment of today’s legislation are not entitled to a refund of the airline ticket excise tax.”

I guess there had to be a review from the booth on this one. Let me know your thoughts.

The Tech Accountant

IR-2011-69: IRS Increases Mileage Rate to 55.5 Cents per Mile

IR-2011-69: IRS Increases Mileage Rate to 55.5 Cents per Mile

The IRS has increased the standard mileage rate for the rest of the year starting on July 1st to %55.5 cents a mile. The standard rate is used to deduct the costs of operating a vehicle for business or other purposes. The IRS attributes the increase to the rise in gas prices and their effort is to offset taxpayers costs.

The IRS also increased the rate for deducting medical and moving expenses to $23.5 cents per mile. The rate for charitable mileage remains the same.

Taxpayers who use their automobiles for business purposes may also want to track actual mileage to ensure that they are reaping the most tax benefit. There are special rules regarding actual versus standard mileage rates so be sure to speak with your tax professional for additional guidance.

The Tech Accountant

DOL Timesheet App for iPhone

Travelers RMplusonline

Good ole Uncle Sam is at it again.

There's a new app for the iPhone that many small biz owners may not be to thrilled about. The DOL has recently released an iPhone app that will allow hourly employees to track their own hours to ensure that they are paid the correct amount. This may open up a can of worms for many small biz owners who may not have accurate employment records and may also increase the amount of fraudulent wage compliants filed with the DOL.

Take a look at the article and let me know your thoughts about this new app. Also if you have an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad be sure to download the app and try it out for yourself and let us know what you think of it.

The Tech Accountant

SBA Offers iPhone App for Small Businesses

SBA Offers iPhone App for Small Businesses

Here's a cool way to stay interacted with the SBA and help get your small biz up and running. I just downloaded it and will play around with it today. Should be a great app since Palo Alto is know for there great business plan software.

The Tech Accountant

IRS Marks Small Business Week by Showcasing Tools, Resources; Spotlights Tax Benefits Available in 2011

IR-2011-54: IRS Marks Small Business Week by Showcasing Tools, Resources; Spotlights Tax Benefits Available in 2011

Get the assistance you need from the IRS. Also sign up for the webinar today at 2pm ET titled "Small Business Advantage"

The Tech Accountant

3 Steps to a Smoother Tax Season

Now that tax season is over, many small biz owners are getting back into the groove of running their operations and focusing on the rest of the year. As tax season was winding down, I had a great deal of small biz owners approach me and ask what they can do to make tax season move a bit more smoothly next year. The majority of the problems that small biz owners are facing are closing their books on time, organizing their important documents for tax season, and getting those documents to their tax professional for tax preparation.


Usually the answer is better organization and proactive tax planning throughout the year, but after I make that comment, most small biz owners look at me with a blank stare. Now I would like to provide a bit more detail regarding how to streamline their business operations and stay on top of everything before tax season comes back around. Here are three steps to getting your small biz ready for next tax season:

1. Use a computerized accounting system
2. Scan important documents
3. Use a file storing system

Listen here for more details on getting your biz ready for next filing season.



These are just a few of the things that a small business owner can use to streamline their business operations and get them ready for a smooth tax season next year. With a little assistance, a small biz owner can have a less taxing season next year.

The Tech Accountant

More Business or More Work

Do you want more work or more business?


Recently I was reading some comments in one of the LinkedIn groups I belong to regarding building your business and controlling the growth and one of the comments came from a husband and wife outfit (he handles the marketing and she handles operations). The husband stated that his wife wanted more business and not more work and the comment got me thinking “Do small business owners know the difference?”

I personally get asked similar questions by all kinds of people and organizations. Whether it is the survey from a vendor catering to small businesses, or a new person I just met at a networking function, the question always arises if my firm is seeking more work. Let’s take a closer look at the difference between more business and more work.

More Work

More work refers to a small business operation that the owner completes all or a majority of the tasks themselves. This type of business operation is okay for a start-up business. However, if and when a small business owner wants to take their business to the next level, the business owner must duplicate themselves and train other people to do part of the tasks or complete everything so that the business owner’s own efforts are used elsewhere.

More Business

Typically a small business can only take on more business once they have duplicated themselves efficiently and effectively and the majority of their efforts are focused on bringing in more “work” for others to do. If a small business owner is focused on completing the work, there is little time left to cultivate relationships and bring in more business. Hiring employees or outsourcing part of your business operations will allow the small business owner more time to grow their business.

So if you are a small business owner that wears all the hats in your operation, there’s a likely chance that you are taking on more work than business and once you reach your own personal capacity to do work, your business will have difficulty growing.

Let me know your thoughts on work versus business and feel free to post your comments.

The Tech Accountant

5 Taxpayers the IRS is Targeting

There was a great deal of news that occurred over this past weekend but one of the more important stories was probably the deal between AT&T and T-Mobile to merge pending government approval. This will make AT&T the largest mobile provider and will affect a great deal of customers. There is however a little bit of other news that many tax payers may want to know regarding a new list out from the IRS.


According to the IRS, they are targeting specific groups of taxpayers for audits this year and taxpayers need to ensure that their return will not be flag by the IRS’s “Discriminant Function”. The 5 areas where the IRS is putting more focus is:

1. Schedule A Filers – Those that itemized their deductions

2. Schedule C – Those solo entrepreneurs that are not corporations

3. Schedule E – Those that own rental properties

4. Cash Basis Businesses – Those businesses that only use cash and not credit

5. Sales of Assets and other investments – Those taxpayers that have investments or assets for investments

What’s a taxpayer to do to ensure that their return is not flagged by the IRS? The most important factor is keeping good records that proved your deductions or credits are valid and that you qualify for them. Keeping good records can also help if your tax return is selected for an audit. Audits go a bit more smoothly when your paperwork is organized and typically result is no change or maybe even a little more money back for you.

The Tech Accountant