Writing a Business Plan with Employee Taxes in Mind

Writing a business plan isn’t just a matter of writing whatever is on your mind.  It’s a carefully crafted document that considers a number of variables. One of the most important variables is a plan for hiring because salaries and wages and benefits expenses can be a substantial amount of total expenses. A couple of ways to minimize payroll expenses and prove you are a savvy business person is to manage the type of employees hired and methods of expense reimbursements to take advantage of tax credits and savings.

The first step is to research the tax credits that are available. For example, the Affordable Care Act offers small businesses hiring low and moderate income workers a health care tax credit for health insurance expenses as long as the business covers at least half of the single coverage for employees. The business plan can reflect this tax credit so you reflect higher profit.

Another way to lower employee related taxes is to institute an accountable plan. An accountable plan is one in which you reimburse employees for certain expenses and those amounts are exempt from FICA and FUTA taxes. This amount can be sizable if your business plan is written for a company that will have employees incurring regular expenses for travel, entertainment, business tools, supplies and so on. The accountable plan described in IRS Publication 463 requires that all reimbursable expenses be business related, of course. The expenses are not taxable to the employees either.

There are a host of tax credits available for hiring particular types of employees. For example, there are tax credits for hiring veterans or Indians. As you develop a business plan, consider ways to minimize taxes through savings and credits. These amounts will flow right to your bottom line, and just as importantly, potential funders will know you are a wise and savvy business person.

More detailed information and useful advice can be found at www.funded.com Created by Mark Favre, it offers expertise and assistance with developing and funding your concept, including a private forum for queries and discussions. If you need access to investors and funding providers, please do check our website.