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5 Things You Need to Know About Sales Taxes in QuickBooks Online

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Man and woman using computer togetherThe most important thing you need to know about sales tax is that administering it correctly can be challenging.

If you sold only one type of product to customers in one city, collecting and paying sales tax would be easy. But most businesses have a wider reach than that.

QuickBooks Online offers tools that allow you to set up sales tax rates and include sales tax on sales forms. Further, it calculates how much you must pay to state and local taxing agencies.

This is one of the most complicated areas in QuickBooks Online because you may have to deal with numerous taxing agencies. If you’re not already working with sales taxes, we strongly recommend you let us help you get everything set up correctly from the start. Taxing agencies can audit your recordkeeping and you want to make sure it is set up correctly.

That said, here are five things we think you should know.

QuickBooks Online calculates sales tax rates based on:

  • Where you sell. Every state is different. If your business is located in Florida and you sell to a customer in Minnesota, you’ll be charging any sales tax levied by the state of Minnesota and possibly the city and county and other taxing authorities – if you have a connection, a “nexus” in that state (a physical location, active salesperson, etc.).
  • What you sell.
  • To whom you sell. Some customers (like nonprofit organizations) do not have to pay sales tax. You’ll need to edit their customer records to reflect this in QBO. Open a customer record and click the Edit link in the upper right. Click the Tax info tab and make sure there’s no checkmark in the box that says This customer is taxable. The Default tax code will be grayed out, and you can enter Exemption details in that field.

QuickBooks tips

Customer records for exempt organizations should contain details for that exemption. You’ll need to see their exemption certificate or at least know its official number.

Intuit now offers a revamped version of QuickBooks Online’s sales tax features.

At some point, you’ll be asked if you want to switch to the new, more automated system. The actual mechanics of the process are simple, but you’ll be moving historical and in-process data to a new structure. If you have sales tax set up right now and your situation is at all complicated, you’re going to want our help with the transition.

This enhanced feature only supports accrual accounting.

You can combine individual tax rates.

If you are required to pay city, county, and state sales tax rates for a particular customer, for example, you can create a Combined tax rate that contains all of the individual components. The customer will only see the total on an invoice or sales receipt, but QuickBooks Online will track each one accordingly for payment and reporting purposes.

QuickBooks tips

You can combine sales tax rates in QuickBooks Online (image above from current Sales Tax Center in QuickBooks Online, not the enhanced one).

Product and service records should contain sales tax information.

This is another area that will require some research. Just as some services are subject to tax, some products are not (like groceries in Arizona). So, you’ll need to find out what the rules are for what you sell. You can find this information on the website of the state’s Department of Revenue (sometimes called the Department of Taxation).

Once you know, you can record that status in QuickBooks Online. Open a product record by going to Sales | Products and Services and clicking Edit in the Action column or create a new one by clicking New in the upper right. Scroll down to Sales tax category in the record. You can choose between Taxable – standard rate and Nontaxable.

There’s a third option here: special category. This gets complicated. We can help you determine whether it applies to you.

QuickBooks Online tracks the sales tax you owe.

You can see what you owe to each agency by running the Sales Tax Liability Report, and record payments when you’ve made them. Summary and detail versions of the Taxable Sales report are also available.

Once you get sales taxes set up in QuickBooks Online, it’s easy to add them to the relevant sales forms. Getting to that point, though, takes time, study, and careful attention to detail. If you’re getting ready to sell, or you’re already selling and struggling with sales taxes, let us know. We can schedule an initial consultation to see how we can be of assistance.

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Did you know that QuickBooks Online can calculate and apply sales taxes to transactions? However, setup requires some upfront research. Here are a few things to get started.

Does your business have to charge multiple levels of sales taxes? QuickBooks Online allows you to combine them. Here’s how.

QuickBooks Online calculates sales taxes based on where and what you sell, and to whom. It’s a bit complicated and here is why. We can help you get through setup.

Did you know that Intuit has released an enhanced version of QuickBooks Online’s Sales Tax Center? Here are the details and we can help you make the transition

We invite you to take advantage of our free initial consultation to discuss the accounting and bookkeeping demands of your business. Call 817-741-2383 now to schedule an appointment.

Business Start-Up Costs — What’s Deductible?

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Image of Businessman hand holding pencil and financing, calculating with calculator and laptop computer on office desk, Business Accountant concept.Launching a new business takes hard work — and money. Costs for market surveys, travel to line up potential distributors and suppliers, advertising, hiring employees, training, and other expenses incurred before a business is officially launched can add up to a substantial amount.

The tax law places certain limitations on tax deductions for start-up expenses.

  • No deduction is available until the business becomes active.
  • Up to $5,000 of accumulated start-up expenses may be deducted in the tax year in which the active business begins. This $5,000 limit is reduced (but not below zero) by the excess of total start-up costs over $50,000.
  • Any remaining start-up expenses may be deducted ratably over the 180-month period beginning with the month in which the active business begins.

Example: Gina spent $20,000 on start-up costs before her new business began on July 1, 2020. In the 2020 tax year, she may deduct $5,000 and the portion of the remaining $15,000 allocable to July through December of 2020 ($15,000/180 × 6 = $500), a total of $5,500. The remaining $14,500 may be deducted ratably over the remaining 174 months.

Instead of deducting start-up costs, a business may elect to capitalize them (treat them as an asset on the balance sheet). Deductions for “organization expenses” — such as legal and accounting fees for services related to forming a corporation or partnership — are subject to similar rules.

We invite you to take advantage of our free initial consultation to discuss the accounting and bookkeeping demands of your business. Call 817-741-2383 now to schedule an appointment.

What To Know About Getting a Tax Refund

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Manjula P. Modi, CPAAll taxpayers are no doubt hoping for a refund this year. Unfortunately, there are a lot of myths about when and how you’ll get your refund.

In a recent statement, the IRS noted that most taxpayers are issued refunds by the IRS in fewer than 21 days. If yours takes a bit longer, here are six things that may be affecting the timing of your refund:

  • Security reviews – The IRS and its partners continue to strengthen security reviews to help protect against identity theft and refund fraud. Your tax return may be receiving additional review, which makes processing your refund take a bit longer.
  • Errors – It can take longer for the IRS to process a tax return that has errors. Fortunately, electronic filing has reduced the number of errors, which are more common in paper returns.
  • Incomplete returns – Here again, electronic returns make the most sense. It takes longer to process an incomplete return. The IRS contacts a taxpayer by mail when more info is needed to process the return.
  • Earned income tax credit or additional child tax credit – If you claim the earned income tax credit (EITC) or additional child tax credit (ACTC) before mid-February, the IRS cannot issue refunds as quickly as others. The law requires the IRS to hold the entire refund. This includes the portion of the refund not associated with EITC or ACTC.
  • Your bank or other financial institutions may not post your refund immediately – can take time for banks or other financial institutions to post a refund to a taxpayer’s account.
  • Refund checks by mail – It can take even longer for a taxpayer to receive a refund check by mail. Direct deposit is a better bet.

In an unusually poetic statement, the IRS explains that “tax returns, like snowflakes and thumbprints, are unique and individual. So too, is each taxpayer’s refund.” So keep this in mind. Fortunately, you can track your refund status online by entering your Social Security number and other key information.

IRS Offers Identity Protection PIN

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Manjula P. ModiThe IRS is gradually rolling out a new identity protection program that prevents anyone who has stolen your Social Security number from using it to file a fraudulent return. Learn how it works and whether you’re eligible.

The IRS can now give eligible taxpayers an “IP PIN,” a six-digit code to help prevent the misuse of Social Security numbers on fraudulent federal income tax returns. As the IRS explains, this PIN helps the agency verify a taxpayer’s identity and accept his or her electronic or paper tax return.

Not everyone can get one yet. If you are a confirmed victim of identity theft and the IRS has resolved your tax account issues, the agency will mail you a CP01A Notice with your IP PIN. Also, to be eligible for 2020, you must have filed a federal return last year as a resident of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas or Washington. This is as of February; the list will grow in the future.

Taxpayers eligible for the IP PIN Opt-In Program must use the online Get an IP PIN tool, explains the IRS. If you do not already have an account on irs.gov, you must register to validate your identity. Before attempting to register, read about the secure access identity authentication process. Taxpayers cannot obtain an IP PIN by calling the IRS.

How do you use an IP PIN?

Enter the six-digit IP PIN when prompted by your tax software product or provide it to your trusted tax professional preparing your tax return. An incorrect or missing IP PIN will result in the rejection of your e-filed return or a delay of your paper return until it can be verified.

Do not reveal your IP PIN to anyone. It should be disclosed only to your tax professional and only when you are ready to sign and submit your return. The IRS will never ask for your IP PIN. Avoid phone, email or text scams trying to trick you into revealing your IP PIN. For more details on using the IP PIN and the latest updates, go to the IRS IP PIN page. It contains a FAQ that answers the most common questions.

4 Areas to Consider When Transitioning Employees to Working From Home

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For businesses that haven’t traditionally embraced remote employees, it may be difficult to get up to full speed with the current turn of events.  To make the inevitable transition less overwhelming, we assembled a handy checklist of actions to consider while adjusting to the new workplace reality.

Organization

  • Access your staff members and/or roles that are able to work remotely, those that can’t work remotely, and those where remote work may be possible with some modifications.
  • Conduct an employee survey to determine the availability of computers that can be used for working remotely, as well as availability to high-speed internet access.
  • Create company guidelines covering remote employees, including inappropriate use of company assets and security guidelines.
  • Develop and conduct work-at-home- training for using remote access, remote tools, and best practices.
  • Select a video-conferencing platform for services, such as Zoom, Cisco WebEx, or Go To Meeting.
  • Develop a communications plan to involve remote employees in the daily activities of the organization.

 Security

  • Create and implement a company security policy that applies to remote employees, including actions such as locking computers when not in use.
  • Implement two-factor authentication for highly-sensitive portals.
  • If needed, confirm all remote employees have access to and can use a business-grade VPN, and that you have enough licenses for all employees working remotely.

Staff

  • Institute a transparency policy with your staff and communicate frequently.
  • Check in on your staff, daily if possible, to confirm they are comfortable with working from home. Find and address any problems they may be experiencing.
  • Make certain each staff member has reliable voice communications, even if this results in adding a business-quality voice over IP service.
  • Don’t attempt to micro-manage your staff. Remember their working conditions at home won’t be ideal, and they will need to work out their own work patterns and schedules.
  • Create a phone number and email address where staff members can communicate their concerns about the firm, working at home, or even the status of COVID-19.

Infrastructure

  • Ensure that you have ample bandwidth coming in to your company to handle all of the new remote traffic.
  • Make sure you have backups of your services so your staff is able to keep working in the event extra traffic causes your primary service to go down.

You may need to adjust or expand this list to match the specific needs of your firm and the conditions affecting your organization.  Use this list to get you started and to help guide you through the process.

We invite you to take advantage of our free initial consultation to discuss the accounting and bookkeeping demands of your business. Call 817-741-2383 now to schedule an appointment.

Take the Sting out of Performance Reviews

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Manjula P. Modi, CPA - Take the Sting out of Performance ReviewsPerformance reviews. Those two words can make employees sweat and fill managers with a sense of dread. But it doesn’t have to be that way. If performance reviews are handled well, they can provide opportunities for open and productive communication between manager and employee. And the outcome can be rewarding for both.

Too Little, Too Late

These days, reviewing employee performance once a year is generally regarded as inadequate. Experts recommend reviewing performance on an ongoing basis. Whether the actions prompting a review are positive or negative, providing feedback in a timely way is the best approach. The annual review can then serve as an overview of each employee’s progress — or lack thereof.

Attention to Detail

When discussing job performance, vague generalities are unhelpful. The more clearly the parties communicate, the better the chances of improvement are. If you’re doing the reviewing, give your employee specific examples of what he or she is doing right — and wrong. Make sure you can substantiate your comments. And take time to listen.

If you’re the one being reviewed, make sure you understand what’s being said. Don’t be afraid to ask specific questions. If you’re underperforming and there are legitimate reasons why, state them. If you’re meeting or exceeding expectations, discuss what your options are for the future. In either case, make sure you have a clear plan of action by the end of the review — and that you understand what’s expected of you.

It’s a Dialogue

Employee reviews can be very time-consuming. Are they really necessary? They are if the goal is a successful, well-run business with productive employees. There’s a much better chance of success when employees and employers are on the same page and performance reviews are used as a tool for communicating expectations and evaluating progress toward company and individual goals

For more tips on how to keep business best practices front and center for your company, give us a call at 817-741-2383 to learn more, or request a free initial consultation online.