Guidance on Deducting Home Office Expenses
One of the benefits of having a home based business (for freelancers, self employed contractors and small business owners) is that you can deduct the expenses relating to the space that you use to work. This can result in a reduction in your tax bill for costs that you would incur regardless, which is certainly an incentive to being your own boss.
Criteria for Deductibility:
For home office expenses to be deductible, they have to meet the following criteria:
It has to be your principal place of business i.e. you cannot deduct home office expenses if you have another office that relates to your business, elsewhere, even if you work 22 hours a day or you check your blackberry in bed.
The space designated as your home office is used to earn business income and/or you meet clients or customers on a regular basis. You can deduct expenses relating to the workspace in your garage which is used for home improvement projects.
Are Clothing and Other Personal Attire Costs Tax Deductible?
Whether an expense is quite clear for the majority of expenses – salaries paid to employees, office rent, manufacturing supplies etc. , there are a handful of expenses that are more ambiguous. One of the more notable (and often asked) examples of this type of expense relate to personal attire including clothing, shoes and other personal maintenance costs (haircuts, beauty products etc)
Know Your Small Business Tax Deadlines For 2024
As we approach the new year, it will be time soon to start working on everyone’s favourite activity i.e. getting your tax stuff in order :) . Below are the deadlines that all small businesses need to know for 2024.
Download our free Canada unincorporated business tax deadline calendar for 2024 (both Federal and Quebec).
A Guide to Navigating Taxes in the Gig Economy
In a recent study by H&R Block, nearly 28% of Canadians reported taking on a side hustle in the “gig economy” to boost their income. This is a significant increase from 2022 in which the analogous percentage was 13%. This is likely a result of inflationary pressures and the expansion of opportunities available for flexible work.
The gig economy, popularized by Uber, refers to work that is flexible and usually incorporates digital apps or platforms.
Gig workers tend to be independent contractors who usually decide when they are going to work, often bring their own “tools” (such as a car or a computer) and are required to report their earnings to tax authorities.
20 Essential Tax Facts for Small Business Owners
Probably the most popular question posed to accountants and tax preparers (especially around this time of year) is what types of expenses are deductible. The short answer is that an expense is considered to be deductible if it has been incurred with the ultimate purpose of earning income. For example if you purchase a domain name with the intent of setting up a website to sell your goods or services, this would be a deductible expense. However, if the purpose of your website is simply a place to show pictures of your cat, this would not be considered a business and therefore not a deductible expense. Of course if your cat picture website starts to become popular and you decide that you want to actively build this business by advertising on the site or partnering up with cat product resellers, your non commercial hobby could then be considered a business. Since you now have the intent to build a business the income earned would have to be reported and expenses incurred to earn this income would be deductible.
Know Your Small Business Tax Deadlines For 2023
Somehow we are almost one month into 2023 (!) and it is time for business owners (and individuals) to start thinking about one of their favourite subjects i.e. taxes. I have compiled a list of the deadlines that all of you should know and also updated my annual business tax deadline calendar.
Sign up to download our free Canada unincorporated business tax deadline calendar for 2023 or Quebec unincorporated small business tax deadline calendar 2023.
Know Your Small Business Tax Deadlines For 2022
With the beginning of a new year upon us, tax submission deadlines for individuals and businesses are starting to loom. Every small business owner must adhere to these deadlines or risk facing penalties for late filing of returns plus interest on any overdue balances. Knowing these deadlines can help you ensure that you don’t simply waste your hard earned money and run afoul of CRA and RQ. I have compiled a list of deadlines for all unincorporated small business owners which includes sole proprietors and self employed individuals.
Note that the usual deadline for sales tax (GST/HST and QST) payments and income tax returns is April 30th. However, since this falls on a Saturday, the deadline is pushed to Monday, May 2nd, 2022.
Tax Filings for a Typical Canadian Small Business
When starting a business, it can be confusing and a little overwhelming to keep on top of the different types of tax filings that need to be submitted and ensuring that deadlines are met. It isn’t always clear, particularly to a new business owner, as to what the various documents from Revenue Canada or Revenue Quebec relate to., which often contains jargon that requires decoding. (for example payroll remittances are referred to as deductions at source). It can be easy to ignore these notices in favour of more pressing business related issues, which is probably the worst thing to do since the government is extremely persistent and will usually follow up with arbitrary assessments and interest and penalties. It is therefore prudent for both sole propriertorhsips and incorporated businesses to keep on top of their tax filings
Revenue Canada Interest, Penalties and Payment Arrangements for Income Tax and GST/HST Returns
Whether you are an individual or a business in Canada, taxes are an inescapable part of your existence. All sources of income need to be calculated, tax returns needs to be filed and taxes owing must be paid. This is somewhat facilitated if you are an employee as your employer tends to take care of the majority of remittances. Self-employed individuals, sole proprietorships, partnerships and corporations on the other hand, must account for their income and expenses , determine taxes payable and remit the appropriate amounts. Additionally, businesses are also responsible for other filings including GST/HST and QST and payroll. A lack of knowledge, imperfect accounting systems and the business of running a business sometimes interfere with the timeliness of filings. The Canada Revenue Agency attempts to curb these tardy behaviours by imposing penalties and interest on late filings as follows:
Unincorporat
