So what are some of the top small business tax breaks you should know this year? This question is asked constantly by all entrepreneurs. Why? Because every year brings a plethora of tax changes which makes staying up to date overwhelming – especially when you are already tasked with running a business. To make this task a little easier, its sometimes beneficial to look at tax breaks from the government’s perspective – because both the federal and state governments are willing to pay small businesses for certain economic boosters to the economy. So, over the next three weeks, we are going to tackle the top areas of small business tax breaks:
New jobs
Training
Research and development
Are you excited to take the credit for the good you have done? You should be!
New Jobs – Federal Credits
1. Do you plan to hire are least one person this year? Then you can use the federal Work Opportunity Tax Credit. This credit gives you between $1,200 and $9,600 per hire for hiring someone in even one of the following categories:
Veterans
Needy Families Recipients
Food Stamp Recipients
People living in Empowerment Zones or Rural Renewal Counties
Ex-Felons (before you blow this one off, more than one entrepreneur we work with insist some of their best cold calling inside sales people have been ex-felons)
Supplemental Security Income Recipients
Summer Youth Employees
If you are curious about the exact amounts, check out the official website: http://www.doleta.gov/business/incentives/opptax/benefits.cfmPro tip – You have to be on the ball to capture the credit timely. Add these categories to your new hire paperwork and capture the information quickly because sometimes you only have 28 days from hire to claim the credit. Even if you are not going to actively target these groups, you may stumble across someone you didn’t realize fell into one of the above categories. Simply add a section to your new hire paperwork with checkboxes for your new employees to fill out – then be ready to claim your tax credit.
New Jobs – State Credits
Certain states provide additional tax credits for new jobs. If you are adding jobs in a rural or underdeveloped part of the city, odds are, someone has passed a state tax credit that may benefit you. A good source is the National Conference of State Legislators: http://www.ncsl.org/research/financial-services-and-commerce/job-creation-tax-credits.aspx It is also worth a google search for “(insert your state here) jobs credit”. But, to make your jobs a little easier, we went ahead and found a few for you. Take a look at the stats and links below to see what your state offers in benefits. Find another credit or better site? Comment on the blog so we can crowdsource some best resources for other entrepreneurs!
So what are some of the top small business tax breaks you should know this year? This question is asked constantly by all entrepreneurs. Why? Because every year brings a plethora of tax changes which makes staying up to date overwhelming – especially when you are already tasked with running a business. To make this task a little easier, its sometimes beneficial to look at tax breaks from the government’s perspective – because both the federal and state governments are willing to pay small businesses for certain economic boosters to the economy. So, over the next three weeks, we are going to tackle the top areas of small business tax breaks: 
