Tax season arrives the same time every year — but the businesses that handle it smoothly are the ones that prepared throughout the year, not just in March. This checklist covers every significant tax obligation for Utah small business owners: income tax, payroll tax, sales tax, year-end documentation, and Utah-specific filings. Work through it in […]

Understanding the language your CPA uses — and the terms on your tax return — puts you in a stronger position to manage your business finances, ask better questions, and make more informed decisions. This glossary covers the most commonly used accounting, bookkeeping, tax, and financial terms relevant to Utah small business owners. A Accounts […]

The IRS publishes an enormous volume of guidance — publications, forms, instructions, notices, revenue rulings, and FAQs. For small business owners, navigating it can feel overwhelming. This guide cuts through the noise and identifies the IRS and Utah state resources most directly useful for day-to-day business operations, tax preparation, and compliance. IRS Online Tools and […]

Missing a tax deadline costs money — penalties, interest, and sometimes enforcement action. The calendar below consolidates every recurring federal and Utah state tax obligation for small business owners, organized by month. Bookmark this page and cross-reference it with your own accounting calendar at the start of each year. Note: When a deadline falls on […]

The questions below are the ones Utah small business owners ask most frequently during tax season — and throughout the year. These answers address the most common scenarios; your specific situation may have nuances that affect the answer. When in doubt, contact a CPA before acting. General Business Tax Questions How much will my business […]

Learn why solo entrepreneurs should never ignore IRS or state tax notices, what they mean, and when to call a CPA before a small issue becomes a costly one.

Before 2018, selling online to customers in other states was relatively simple from a sales tax perspective — if you didn’t have a physical presence there, you generally didn’t owe that state’s sales tax. The Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling in South Dakota v. Wayfair changed everything. Today, online businesses that reach sales thresholds in other […]

The majority of U.S. businesses — sole proprietorships, partnerships, S-Corporations, and most LLCs — are “pass-through entities.” That means the business itself doesn’t pay federal income tax. Instead, business income passes through to the owners’ personal tax returns, where it’s taxed at individual rates. Understanding how pass-through taxation works — and how to optimize it […]

The Research and Development (R&D) Tax Credit is one of the most valuable — and most underutilized — tax credits in the federal tax code. Many business owners, especially outside the pharmaceutical and aerospace industries, assume they don’t qualify. That assumption costs them money every year. Software development. Process improvement engineering. Product testing. Custom tooling […]

Your business structure is the foundation on which every other financial and legal decision rests. It determines how you’re taxed, how much personal liability protection you have, how you can bring in investors or partners, and what your options are when you eventually want to exit. Choosing correctly the first time saves years of restructuring […]