A Complete Tax Refund Guide for Small Businesses

Taxes are one of the biggest hassles that you will face as a small business owner. Tax laws are changing all the time and you have to know what they are. You will have to take a lot of tax issues into consideration, including whether or not you will get a refund.

Can my business get a tax refund? This is a common question that most small business owners ask. Generally, anyone who pays taxes can get a refund when they pay more than the due tax. The same goes for businesses. In fact, the average small business gets a refund of $2,870. When it comes to small businesses, the ones that get refunds are C-corporations. In such businesses, the owners or the shareholders are taxed exclusively. However, other businesses can get a refund considering various factors. Two major factors determine if your business is eligible for a tax refund.

Type of Business Entity

There are different types of business entities. These entities determine how you will pay the taxes to the state. Many businesses prefer entities that deal directly with the owners. The business owners then have to pay taxes based on their business income. Such a business does not receive a tax refund because it does not pay directly to the IRS. Therefore, if your business falls in the following categories, you are not eligible for a tax refund.

• Sole proprietorship (which can be setup as a DBA)
• S-corporation
• Partnership
• LLC

You can get a tax refund if your business is in the C-corporation category. The good thing is that if your business is low on funds, you may get a refund advance from a lender and pay it back when your refund comes.

Type of Tax

There are a lot of tax nuances as a business owner. Another thing that could determine if you get a tax refund is the type of tax. You could get a refund for income taxes based on the amount of tax you pay from the income. You may also receive a refund if you have overpaid from your payroll taxes account. Another tax that could get you a refund is the excise or sales tax paid with the products or services. Therefore, the state assesses the taxes, and in case you had an overpayment based on the value of your products, you could get a refund to the business.

In short, you get a tax refund when you pay more than required. Remember, filing business taxes can be complicated. Therefore, it is advisable to get an experienced person to assist you.

How Can You Maximize Tax Refund?

Many people overpay their taxes to get more refunds. However, if you do this with your small business, you may not be able to cover some needs. There are other means to maximize your refund without paying too much. Such include:

• Check Tax Credits

It is advisable to check the state and federal tax credits to see what you are eligible for. You can consult an accountant to know if you have any credits.

• Pay Upcoming Expenses in Advance

Another way of maximizing tax refunds is prepaying any upcoming expenses. Pay these expenses if your business has adequate cash. It will be cost-saving and will minimize the taxable net income.

• Track Mileage

You can add mileage to your expenses if you are a frequent traveler. It is possible to get a deduction depending on the business mileage you have traveled.

• Reward Your Workers

Businesses also get refunds from paying excess payroll taxes. So, reward your workers by offering awards, bonuses, and incentives. These benefits can attract tax deductions and refunds.

• Check Home Office Deduction Eligibility

When you are an owner of a small business, there is a chance that you will, at times, work from home. So, a home office can get you a deduction. So, consider the work-related things you do at home and add them to your business expenses.

• Review our Credit Card and Personal Bank Statements

It is recommendable not to mix your personal accounts with your business accounts. However, if you used your personal bank account to meet your business financial needs at some point, it is crucial to keep the records in order. Record every expense in the books to show in the tax returns. It will be a lot easier if you use a digital tax system to manage your taxes.

Conclusion

Not every small business gets a tax refund. However, even if you don’t belong to a type C-corporation, you can get a refund in several ways. The points we have discussed can help increase the amount of money you get back after paying the taxes.