Home
>
Tax
>
Small Business Tax Deductions for Year End 2004

Small Business Tax Deductions for Year End 2004

As a small business owner, it's wise to familiarize yourself with some key deductions that may reduce your tax bill for 2004.

Employee Benefit Plans - You may deduct contributions to employee benefit plans (such as health insurance plans and retirement plans). Depending on your circumstances the maximum contribution that you may deduct per employee in a qualified retirement plan can go up to:

$100,000 or more With a Defined Benefit Plan

$ 44,000 With a 401(k) plan

$ 41,000 With a SEP-IRA or Keogh

Automobile Expenses- You can elect to deduct the actual expenses incurred (including gas, oil, tires, repairs, insurance, depreciation, and rent or lease payments) for the business-related portion of your car or truck expenses, or simply take the 2004 standard mileage rate of 37.5 cents per business mile.

Social Security Taxes - You may deduct Social Security and Medicaid taxes paid to match required withholdings on employee wages, federal unemployment taxes, as well as real estate or personal property taxes paid on business assets.

Home Office - Depending on whether you use your home or other real estate for business purposes, you may deduct some or all of any mortgage interest paid, as well as some or all of the maintenance and repair expenses associated with the property. The cost of utilities and business supplies associated with business use are also deductible.

Depreciation - Depreciation may be taken on passenger cars, equipment used for entertainment or recreational purposes (i.e., photographic equipment, cell phones and computers), as long as these items are used solely for the business.

Bonus Depreciation - The 'bonus' depreciation deduction of up to 50 percent of the cost of new business equipment in the year of purchase applies only to property placed in service on or before December 31, 2004. You may want to consider making any significant equipment purchases before year-end to take advantage of this expiring provision.

Professional Fees - You may deduct professional fees, such as those paid to a lawyer or accountant.

Meals and Entertainment - You may deduct 50 percent of meal and entertainment expenses associated with the conduct of your business.

State and Local General Sales Tax - Beginning in 2004, you will have the option of electing to take an itemized deduction for state and local general sales taxes in lieu of the itemized deduction provided for state and local income taxes.

Charitable Donations of Vehicles ? Through 2004, a deduction equal to the fair market value of a donated vehicle is allowed. Starting next year, however, the deduction allowed will generally be limited to the gross proceeds from the sale of the vehicle by the charitable organization.

Remember to keep on file the records and documentation necessary to substantiate all of your deductions. You should consult a tax preparer or professional tax advisor to determine how specific tax rules may impact your individual situation.

About The Author

Daniel Lamaute specializes in setting up retirement plans for the self-employed. Visit http://www.investsafe.com to learn about methods to maximize retirement contributions and to reduce taxes and penalties on early withdrawals.

quick home cleaning Arlington Heights ..

In The News:

Kurt the CyberGuy offers some easy fixes if you're struggling with Windows 11. PC users have reported slow performance, Wi-Fi problems and other issues.

In response to infostealer activity increasing 500% in a year and harvesting 1.7 billion user credentials, the CyberGuy offers four ways to stay safe from infostealer malware.

Looking Glass has developed a 27-inch light-field display that allows you to see digital objects in three dimensions without headsets or glasses.

A CCTV video purportedly originating from a Chinese factory shows a robot appearing to lash out at two men in an unexplained incident.

After years of delays, travelers must now show a REAL ID, a valid passport or another federally approved ID to travel. May 7, 2025, is the deadline.

Driverless tractor-trailers are already traveling on Texas roads, raising questions about safety, reliability and the future of trucking.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals that a new AirPlay bug lets hackers take over Apple devices via Wi-Fi with no clicks needed.

This Mother's Day, gift Mom tech gadgets that simplify life, connect and show love. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson offers some ideas.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reports that Tesla owners are facing threats as hackers weaponize leaked data. Are you next?

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson discusses how a paper pill bottle could revolutionize pharmacy packaging and cut plastic waste drastically.

The private information of about 4 million people was exposed after a major data breach involving VeriSource Services, a Texas-based HR firm.

Archer Aviation and United Airlines have teamed up to offer a more environmentally friendly way to skip New York City's traffic jams and reach your destination more quickly.

Healthcare company data breaches have leaked personal data of millions of people in recent years, and the CyberGuy offers ways to keep your information safe.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents

Police around the world are adding robots powered by artificial intelligence to their departments, and Thailand has emerged as one of the key players.

Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explains five cleanup hacks — a few smart automations and tools — to declutter your technology and keep things running smoothly.

Kurt the CyberGuy breaks down whether it’s better to remove your personal information from the web yourself or use a data removal service.

Google’s scam detection features, powered by artificial intelligence, are a significant step forward in safeguarding Android users from fraud.

The FBI has issued a warning that scammers are impersonating doctors, police and banks using spoofed numbers as "smishing" texts surge nationwide.

Communities with unreliable internet service stand to gain after Amazon's Project Kuiper launched its first full batch of satellites into orbit April 28.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says unsubscribing from spam might actually backfire. Learn when to avoid it and stop junk effectively.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about how the first nonstop beating heart transplant, called zero ischemic time, at Taiwan hospital changes surgery.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson: FBI warns of "time-traveling" hackers.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about a soft, vine-like robot called SPROUT that aids safe survivor rescues in collapsed buildings.

Health insurance giant Blue Shield of California confirmed it had been sharing private health data of 4.7 million users with Google for three years without even realizing it.