Taxes - Need I say More

Taxes Defined: Sums imposed by a government authority upon persons or property to pay for government services

A Home based business can be extremely rewarding, but please do not going into this thinking that it will be cake walk because I guarantee you,that cake is the only thing you will be able to afford.

A home based business is a business whose primary office is in the owner's home. The business can be any size or any type as long as the office itself is located in a home.

When you run a business, it can feel like you spend far too much of your time worrying about tax. Here's a quick guide to the what you need to know about tax.

You need to keep records of everything -- literally everything -- you spend on your home business. You should especially keep records of things when their use might be shared between personal and business, such any business-related travel expenses you run up on your car. If you have stock, you need to go through and inventory it at least once a month.

When you work from home, you are legally self-employed. This can put you in a sticky situation, meaning that you have to pay for medical and other taxes that your employer would normally pay for you. In the US, for example, you will be responsible for your own social security and Medicare payments, while in the UK you will need to pay national insurance.

If you're not sure where to begin, get some tax software. Choosing your circumstances from its lists and giving any additional information it asks for should show you most of the tax rules that apply to you.

If you want to save as much as you can on your taxes, don't rely on things you read on the Internet, or even on computer software -- get an accountant. They'll be up-to-date with all the latest tax laws, and will know thousands of tips and tricks that there's no space to list here. See if you can find one who will take a percentage of what they save you in tax as payment instead of charging a flat fee -- this is an ideal solution for you and for them.

Whatever you do with your taxes, you absolutely must not file them late or pay them late. It's an all-too-easy trap to fall into, but there are automatic fines. Tax collection agencies will look upon you very unfavourably if you pay late, and are likely to start immediately charging interest on any money you owe them. Write your tax dates on your calendar and underline them in red. Twice.

People often say death and taxes are the same, but they are wrong. Death is a taxable event, but taxes never die.



By : David McLauchlan
For more articles by this author on this subject and over 100 other subjects visit his world of articles at http://www.david-mclauchlan.com