Many taxpayers started a business and thought, or were told, “Don’t worry about the expense, it’s a write off on your tax return”.

The truth is that this may or may not be true.

Tax is not a cookie-cutter industry and as you can probably guess, the IRS did not make a “One Size Fits All” tax rule for write-offs.

If your intent is to enjoy your hobby and perhaps make some incidental income, this blog may not be of interest to you.

If your intent is to make money through a legitimate business, as defined by the IRS – this is for you

• My purpose is to provide you “heads up” and “eyes open” to help ensure your business and financial success
• This blog is provided to help educate you on how to organize, manage and conduct your business to improve your chances with the IRS in the event that your “activity” is audited ***

 

IRS Hobby VS Business Rules:

• An “Activity” is either a hobby or a business
• The IRS uses facts to decide if an activity is a (hobby) or a business
• Neither the Code nor the Regulations provide an absolute definition
• It is difficult for a taxpayer to win a hobby-loss case at the Tax Court level
• If your tax return pays tax as a business and the IRS finds that it is a hobby, your tax return can be corrected and your tax liability could go up; i.e. you might owe the IRS money ***
• The financial adjustment may be significant. In addition to the loss of the deductions, you, may face a §6662 understatement penalty for the tax years in question ***

 

Hobby Rules:

• An activity is presumed to be a Hobby if a profit is not earned in at least 3 taxable years of a consecutive 5-year period
• A taxpayer can overcome the presumption if he/she can show the activity was operated with a For-Profit motive
• Under IRC §183, a taxpayer’s deduction for Hobby losses is limited to the income produced
• You must itemize deductions to claim hobby expenses on your tax return
• Hobby expenses, along with other miscellaneous expenses you itemize on Schedule A, must come to more than 2% of your adjusted gross income before you can deduct them
• Hobby Expenses can bring your Hobby Gross Income, to zero
• Income is reported on your IRS Form 1040, Line 21, Other Income
• I understand that this can be confusing, so I will rephrase differently, to help bring clarity:
• Hobby Income needs to be reported
• Hobby Expense deductions have 3 limitations:

1. Total Itemized Deductions have to be greater than your Standard Deduction
2. Hobby expense deductions are limited to the hobby income produced, and then
3. Then those expenses must be reduced by 2% of your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI)

 

Business Rules:

• A Business has a For-Profit motive
• A simple, general rule is that if the business makes a profit in 3 of 5 years there will be a presumption of profit
• IRC § 183(d) is a safe harbor for the taxpayer
• If the business is For-Profit, no limit on deductions is imposed and the taxpayer may be able to use losses to offset (reduce) other taxable income
• If an activity has not produced profits in three of the past five years, the taxpayer may still argue that the business has a profit motive by relying on Reg. §1.183-2, which provides for a nine-factor test
• More weight is given by the courts to the objective facts (rather than to the taxpayer’s statement intent) Dreicer v. Comr., 78 T.C. 642 (1982)
• Judicial decisions suggest that no one factor is controlling
• Court decisions often seem to consistently rely on the first factor as the most important

 

The prevailing regulations list nine critical factors for determining whether an activity constitutes a Hobby or a Business. They are:

1. The manner in which the taxpayer carries on the activity
2. The expertise of the taxpayer or his or her advisers
3. The time and effort expended by the taxpayer in carrying on the activity
4. The expectation that assets used in the activity may appreciate in value
5. The success of the taxpayer in carrying on other similar or dissimilar activities
6. The taxpayer’s history of income or losses with respect to the activity
7. The amount of occasional profits, if any, which are earned by the taxpayer
8. The financial status of the taxpayer
9. Any elements of personal pleasure or recreation

 

Business Tax Reporting:

• A Sole Proprietor or Qualified Joint Venture will file a federal return on Form 1040 and Schedule C- Profit or Loss from Business
• If you have another Schedule C business activity; a separate Schedule C is required for each business; the same is true for your business records
• Check to see what tax reporting is required by your state tax board and local municipality
• The IRS expects you to pay tax as the money is earned
• If you operate on a calendar year, due dates are 4/15, 6/15, 9/15, and 1/15 for the previous year
• Quarterly estimated tax payments should be paid if you expect to owe more than $1,000 in federal taxes on an annual basis
• Use 1040ES for Individual Estimated Payments
• Reconcile payments on your annual Year End tax return
• Self-Employment tax of 15.30% is required on all Annual Net Earnings of more than $400

 

Building the Foundation for a For-Profit Business Intent

Tips for Success:

• Conduct your business, like a business, consistently
• Consistency includes Quarterly tax reporting and payments – as required
• Quarterly reporting requires that your accounting records be current – so you know if you have a profit or a loss
• Taxpayers bear the burden of proving that they engaged in the activity with an actual and honest objective of realizing a profit
• Keep detailed financial records
• Credit Card and Bank statements and cancelled checks are not enough- the IRS needs to see the detail of what you bought
• Receipts are your Audit Protection – the IRS has Strict Substantiation Requirements
• The Cohen Rule,” states that you can use “other credible evidence,” or rely on IRS Publication 463 which states that you don’t need to keep receipts for expenses under $75 – it is safer to save all receipts and to follow a consistent business practice
• Don’t use Cash: it is hard to track, easy to spend and nearly impossible to reconcile with receipts
• Establish separate checking and credit accounts for your business – don’t co-mingle business & personal funds
• Keep a Time/Activity Log- Outlook or Google calendar may be requested during an audit
• If you have had business losses and made changes in the attempt to improve profitability, keep a list of changes made and the date the change was made
• Establish a level of expertise by attending seminars, networking, and joining professional organizations related to the activity
• Anticipate that you could be audited ***
• Pursue your passion, enjoy the journey, and ask questions as you learn along the way

 

If you want to learn more about IRS tax rules, contact for me for a $75.00 Special: includes a 45 minute Q&A phone session plus a free “cheat sheet” for your personal use. The “cheat sheet” includes accounting/tax tips about what is a deductible expense, etc. Offer is valid until 9/5/16.

 

“Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines practiced every day” – Jim Rohn

“To open a shop is easy; to keep it open is an art” –Chinese Proverb

 

Thanks for reading,

Deb

 

Deborah Ann Fox, CPA helps Small Business Owners & Individuals build and protect their financial wealth. She can help by being your financial compass while you captain your ship.

Debbie offers free 30 minute no obligation consultations. We can discuss/resolve via a mix of e-mail, phone, virtual, and in-person communications.

http://www.debfoxfinancial.com

Call 619-549-2717

E-Mail me @ debfoxfinancial@gmail.com 

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