Photo by John Hult
(Disclaimer: I am not an accountant, and this is not tax advice. Also, a caveat: this applies to folks living in the U.S.)
When I worked as a financial planner, the busiest time of the year was year-end. While every other industry (besides retail) was winding down and taking a leisurely two weeks off, we were going full-steam ahead, juggling year-end tax planning meetings for our roster of clients. Clients were always grateful that we got ahead of the curve. We didn't just prepare them for their tax bill come April 15, often, the strategies we advised, with the help of their accountants, helped save money on their tax bill. More often than not, the savings were significant and wouldn't have been an option to exercise after December 31.
If you're trying to find ways to save on taxes, don't wait until tax season. By then, it'll be too late. That'd be like trying to come up with a strategy against an opposing basketball team after the game ends. All you can do at that point is to accept victory or defeat.
For small business owners or freelancers who want to save money on taxes, year-end tax planning is your best option. Tax planning happens before the end of the year because the accounting period that most businesses use is a standard calendar year (January 1 through December 31). So, if there are any actions that you can take that could impact your taxes for the year, you typically have until December 31 to do so. So you'll want to met or talk to or have a 50-email-chain back and forth with your accountant before then so you ample time to coordinate any tax to do's.
But First, Get Organized
You have to get organized before you can plan. The planning and projections your accountant creates for you are only as good as the data you give them. You can ask your account or tax preparer what they'd need from you to run a year-end tax projection for you. But if you want to impress them, here's a list of the classics they'll need:
Financials for your freelance work or small business - A profit and loss statement for the year so far and a current balance sheet. Your profit and loss statement will report your freelance or business income and expenses for the year so far. The easiest way to generate these reports is via the bookkeeping software your business uses. If you have a bookkeeper, you can ask them for help.
What you predict income and expenses will be from now until the end of the year. So your accountant can have as full of a picture of your business or freelance finances, let them know what you expect to earn and spend between now and the end of the year.
Most recent paystubs - If you pay yourself or you are employed, you'll want to send your accountant your most recent paystub. Not only does your paystub report your year-to-date income, but it also has other important information, like how much you've paid into taxes if you participated in a 401(k) plan and other expenses.
Most recent statements for any investment accounts you have. Investment statements will report any taxable earnings, gains, or losses. If you made contributions to a tax-sheltered retirement plan that isn't employer-sponsored, make sure your accountant has this information.
Any significant personal changes in your life? If you got married, had a baby, bought and sold a car or business, won the lottery, or were given a giant of cash from your rich uncle, you'll want to make sure your accountant is privy to it. If you aren't sure whether or not a personal change has any tax implications, ask your accountant.
If you have a loan, line of credit, or mortgage, send your accountant your most recent statements. Your accountant will want to see the amount of interest you paid for the year, a factor that could impact your taxes.
If you made or planned to make any charitable donations, how much did you or will you contribute?
Did you make any tax payments for quarterly tax payments, sales tax payments, or any other tax payments?
*If you file jointly with a spouse or domestic partner, their financials potentially impact your tax situation. Make sure to submit their information to your accountant too.
Submit Your Stuff
The accountants I work with tell me their favorite types of clients are the organized ones. So I do my best to organize my tax stuff to make it easy on them. And I figure if they spend less time on admin or trying to decipher what one of my poorly named PDF is, then that leaves them more time to analyze, consult and do the actual tax work.
After you submit everything to your accountant, they'll do their thing and run some tax projections for you. They might recommend that you contribute to a qualified retirement account, incorporate your business, or defer any income you're due until next year. They might suggest that it makes sense to take the standard deduction.
Sometimes going through the exercise of having a tax projection prepared can save you a lot of money - like savings tens of thousands of dollars by incorporating or paying for an expense now, instead of waiting for the new year. Or your accountant might recommend adjusting your withholdings going forward. Other times, it's just an exercise that might reveal what you might have already known - that you'll owe $8,500 in taxes and youโll max out your contribution to your IRA. But it's better to know what the damage is now. If you haven't saved up enough, you have time to make up the difference. And if you have saved enough, well, buy yourself an ice cream cone and do a fucking dance.
Taxes aren't scary. What's scary is flying blind only to realize you have a huge tax bill.