The process of preparing your taxes every year can be daunting. Each April, it seems as though the deadline pounces out at you and leaves you next to no time to find the paperwork you need and file your return. However, with the right LLC tax preparation techniques, you can bypass that confusing routine and make sure your paperwork is in order for the next year.



By establishing a system that organizes and outlines your LLC tax preparation tasks come tax time, you won't spend nearly as much time worrying about getting your things in order. Entering your data over time and having all of your paperwork in a central location as well as a second, backup location, you can avoid having to spend a large chunk of time in April making up a year's worth of work.

The Right LLC Tax Preparation System

The first thing you need to do is to look at your existing method of preparing your taxes. Does it work? By "work", I don't just mean finally getting your taxes done. I mean, does it stress you out so much that it ruins days or weeks of productive work in worry, panic, etc. If so, then ask yourself which aspects are causing you the most stress. When you start planning a new method, knowing what you need to change first helps immensely.

Receipts

Organize your receipts according to how they were used. Try creating folders or envelopes that you can keep in your desk. When you get home every day, empty all of your receipts from your wallet directly into these envelopes. You should also keep similar envelopes in your car or workplace to make sure you are never tempted to throw a receipt away. Write directly on the receipt whether a purchase is for "home" or "business".

For businesses that make a lot of internet purchases, you ought to either save the electronic file to your harddrive (use the "save this page" button on your browser); or print out your reciept. A printout takes a bit more time to print and file, but some people feel more comfortable in case of a harddrive crash. Remember the saying when it comes to taxes: "no reciept, no deduction". Taking the time to quickly print and file reciepts for your LLC's online purchases can avoid losing valuable deductions in case of a harddrive crash or other equipment failure.

Tracking Transactions

You should also keep a file in your cabinet that holds all tax related forms that may not fit anywhere else. You can place donation receipts, thank you letters, or early 1099s here for future reference. In small business tax preparation, having those forms in one place can save you vast amounts of time.

Also, by marking the business related transactions that appear on your credit card and bank statements, you can easily go back through and find the appropriate information when the time comes. You should download these statements to your desktop every month before the bank or creditor deletes them from their database.

Keeping Information on Hand

Keep a database and spreadsheet with all relevant information updated throughout the year. Mark tabs within your spreadsheet for different parts of your return such as "Schedule C Business Expenses" or "Schedule A – Donations". Track your expenses here so that you can easily make final tallies when you start small business tax preparation.

Store all of your prior years' tax information in a second cabinet or box. This allows you to have all of your important tax information on hand when you need it, saving you large amounts of time next year when comparing returns or gathering old information.

Using these techniques and ones developed by yourself for your specific business, you can save vast amounts of time during tax preparation next year.