If you are a small business owner, you already know that you will pay a tax on what’s left of your income after you’ve booked your expenses. So it’s logical to make sure you have booked as many legal expenses as you can. That way your net income (and your resulting taxes) will be as small as possible. The IRS allows you a pretty wide range of small business tax deductions.

Here is a list of them. Check to see if you have included these in your tax planning.

1. Deductions for Start-up Costs

In your first year of small business, you are allowed to write off as much as $5,000 in start-up costs. In addition you can write off an additional $5,000 in organizational costs. Not only that: you also have the option of spread out expenses not deducted in the first year over a period of 15 years, beginning with when you opened your business. Eligible costs include things like market research, company advertising, training of your employees, travel for business, legal advice and other costs. Consult your tax professional for more details.

2. Deductions for Education

First stop: IRS Publication 970, “Business Deductions for Work-Related Education.” For the most part, you can write off expenses related to your employees’ education if the courses relate to their jobs.

In other words, if the course helps them keep pace with the marketplace demands (or improve their skills) or if they need the course to actually keep their existing jobs, then the expense may be a legitimate deduction. The bad news is that you can’t take a write-off on any expense related to training in a new, unrelated field. A couple of other things to remember: You can also claim a write-off if you are self-employed. Deductions also include the cost of getting to and from the classes. Consult your tax professional for more details.

3. Deductions for Vehicles

Be careful here: the rules for deducting automobile expenses are pretty detailed and the Feds pay close attention to anyone claiming these deductions. So, for starters, keep clear and concise records. You can deduct expenses two ways:

The first option is to claim a deduction by counting how many miles you drove while on business. Currently, you can claim a deduction of 44.5 cents per mile. Check to make sure that is the current amount, as it does change occasionally. The other option is to track your total expenses incurred on things like gasoline, repairs and maintenance.

Remember: keep good records. If you’re using your own personal vehicle for your small business, make sure you separate the times you use it for business from the times you do not. Include dates, destinations, purpose of the travel, etc. Read IRS Publication 463 for more info. And here’s an important point: if your employees use a business vehicle while running personal errands, for example, you have have to show this as income to them on their W-2.

A couple of other things to remember: If you bought a new (or previously owned) car, you can take a write-off. You’ll have to decide if it’s better to take it in one single deduction or spread out over a period of time through depreciation. And if that car is a hybrid, you might be eligible for a tax credit. Read IRS Publication 8910 for more details. As always, consult your tax professional for more details.

4. Deductions for Equipment

You have the ability to take a write-off for small business equipment purchases. The write-off can be pretty large — in 2006 it amounted to over $100 thousand. And the equipment can be used; the only requirement is that you use it at least half the time for your company. Allowable equipment includes things like computer hardware, machinery, office furniture, automobiles and other related equipment.

Make sure you read a current copy of IRS Form 4562 before planning your tax strategy on this point. If you decide you are not going to claim this write-off immediately, you can spread it out over a period of years by claiming depreciation on that equipment. Consult your tax professional for more details.

5. Deductions for Entertainment

The IRS definition of entertainment is pretty flexible. Generally speaking, if you attend a business meeting, for example, and you are not reimbursed for the expenses, you’re allowed to write off up to half the entertainment expense. They do caution you that the “entertainment” must be in a business context. This means if you go to a seminar or conference, that’s OK. Also, the entertainment should come immediately before or after the meeting. You get a break if you are self-employed; then, the 50 percent deduction cut-off does not pertain to you. Consult your tax professional for more details.

Conclusion

There are lots of ways to reduce your small business taxes. Generally it involves increasing the number and amount of allowable business deductions. Consult your tax professional for more details.

Tax Deduction Checklist

The best tax deductions checklists are found in three places:

Your past years’ tax returns; With your tax professional; and Through an online tax website

Past Years’ Returns

Just by looking at the deductions you have been able to take in the past, you will get a good idea of what deductions you can take this year. If you had mortgage interest, real estate taxes, IRA contributions, and charitable contributions last year – you probably have them this year as well. The same is true of medical expenses, various taxes, that safe deposit box you keep, and if you are required to pay certain expenses, like alimony. Finally, any business deductions you have taken in the past, for a home office, travel, mileage, etc. is likely to follow a pattern you have created and budgeted consistently.

Tax Advisors

Tax professionals are great at helping you identify deductions for one time occurrences and helping you organize your records and thoughts on how to approach the deductions that are available. You may need advice on issues that you have never faced before and those that run the risk of gaining or losing large sums of money. If so, your tax advisor is a great resource for addressing these issues.

Online Help

TurboTax Online, for example, has exceptional checklists for going over everything you need to consider before preparing your return and making sure you don’t miss anything important. It asks interactive questions, points out possible deductions you may forget, and reminds of the things you need to have or consider when taking a specific deduction.

A tax deduction checklist is one of the most important items a small business, or home based business, can have. This will always allow you to review it, and refresh your memory as to what is tax deductible and what is not. There can definitely be some gray areas when taking business deductions, but if you are not sure, or if it will raise a red flag, then just don’t do it. It is not worth it. But I have compiled a tax deduction checklist I use, and it is one I put together with my tax accountant.
Automobiles: 2 ways to deduct this, either by miles, or by all of the receipts of your expenses. Personally, I recommend just using the mileage deduction. You will probably be able to deduct more money this way, and it is just plain easy. Write down the number of miles it takes you to go somewhere for business. Then add them up and multiply it by the dollar deduction for mileage. This number may change. Office: Anything used in the operation of your office, whether at an office, or in the home office, is tax deductible. Just keep receipts. Bank charges: Any amount of money you are charged through a bank, or through a credit card processing company, is deductible. Business Gifts: Be careful with this one. If it is truly a gift, then deduct it. But this can cause a red flag with auditors if the amounts of the gifts become very large. It looks as if you are just trying to not pay taxes. Health Insurance: Any amounts of premiums you pay for your self employment are deductible. This included medical, life, and dental. Charitable contributions: Any donations made to charities can be deducted. Professional Fees: If you have an accountant, which files your taxes, and charges you a fee, it is deductible. Same goes for lawyers and consultants. Depreciation: Check with your accountant on this one. Some things must depreciate over a certain number of years. And, it all comes down to how you label it. If I bill someone for a “Website Design”, they are suppose depreciate it. But, if I call it “website updates”, they can write off the entire amount. Kind of tricky, so be careful.

The above gives you a pretty quick and easy tax deduction checklist. Feel free to use this, and this will give you a general guideline on what to deduct. I would also consult a tax person if you have any questions.