Small Business Taxes & ManagementTM--Copyright 2007, A/N Group, Inc.
We've often heard taxpayers say "it doesn't matter how much it costs, it's deductible". It may be deductible, but that doesn't mean you won't be out-of-pocket. The government (federal and state) is picking up some of the cost, but not all. How much? It depends on your tax bracket. And, the higher your bracket, the more the government pays.
For example, assume you're buying a $30,000 truck and, for simplicity, assume you can write the whole thing off in the year of purchase. That $30,000 purchase will reduce your taxable income by $30,000. Here's what your out-of-pocket expense will be at various tax rates on a $1 purchase. (We're using individual tax rates because that's what counts if you're doing business as a sole proprietorship, S corporation, partnership, or LLC.) The last column (M&E Out-of-Pocket) is for meal and entertainment expenses. For these expenses, only 50% of the cost is generally deductible. That means you'll be picking up a larger share of the costs. And you might want to think twice about adding some of those options to the truck if you're paying for most of the cost.
Taxable Income Your State Pays M&E Out-of-
(Married, Joint) Tax Rate Out-of-Pocket Fed Pays (5% rate) Pocket
Over But not over
$ 0 $ 15,650 10% $0.85 $0.10 $0.05 $0.93
15,650 63,700 15% .80 .15 .05 .90
63,700 128,500 25% .70 .25 .05 .85
128,500 195,850 28% .67 .28 .05 .84
195,850 349,700 33% .62 .33 .05 .81
349,700 ....... 35% .60 .35 .05 .80
Some points. First, we've added state taxes to the table to make it a little more realistic. We've assumed a flat 5% rate for the state rate. It's obviously more complicated. Rates are often graduated based on income, and they vary from state to state. Moreover, you get a deduction for state taxes on your federal return. The impact on you may be off a little, but not enough to affect the analysis. Second, this table really only applies to S corporations, since partners, sole proprietors and most members of LLCs are subject to the self-employment tax (we'll deal with that in a minute). Third, the tax brackets shown for individuals apply to 2007; the brackets are adjusted annually for inflation. Finally, we haven't taken into account the alternative minimum tax.Since the table is based on $1, you can use it to figure your out-of-pocket cash for any outlay by simply multiplying the decimal amount by the expenditure. It's clear from the table that if you're in the 15% bracket, you'll be paying for 80% of the cost of the truck. Thus, your out-of-pocket cost for a $30,000 truck would be $24,000. On the other hand, if you're in the highest bracket, your cash outlay will be only $18,000 ($30,000 value less $12,000 in tax savings). In the case of meal and entertainment expenses that are subject to the 50% disallowance rule, you'll be picking up 85% of the expense if you're in the 25% federal bracket--more in lower brackets, less in higher brackets.
The approach is the same for regular corporations. The only difference is the tax rates.
Tax Your Out- State Pays M&E Out-of-
Income Over Not Over Tax Rate of-Pocket Fed Pays (5% rate) Pocket
$ 0 $ 50,000 15% $0.80 $0.15 $0.05 $0.90
50,000 75,000 25% .70 .25 .05 .85
75,000 100,000 34% .61 .34 .05 .81
100,000 335,000 39% .56 .39 .05 .78
335,000 10,000,000 34% .61 .34 .05 .81
10,000,000 15,000,000 35% .60 .35 .05 .80
15,000,000 18,333,333 38% .57 .38 .05 .79
18,333,333 .......... 35% .60 .35 .05 .80
Since the corporate tax rates can be higher, a deduction can be worth more (state rates can approach 10%). If your corporation's taxable income is between $100,000 and $335,000, your out-of-pocket cost may be only $0.56 of every dollar of expenditure. But keep in mind that you're still picking up more than half the cost.If you do business as a sole proprietorship, partnership, or LLC, you'll be subject to the self-employment tax (the self-employment tax is basically social security taxes for self-employed). The tax is generally 15.3% of your self-employment income up to the FICA cutoff of $97,500 (for 2007). For a sole proprietorship, your self-employment income is your net income from the business. (Things can be somewhat complicated for a partnership and LLC, but the same rules generally apply.) Above $97,500 (2007) only the 2.9% Medicare tax applies. It gets more complicated since you can take a deduction for half of the tax on your Form 1040; we haven't taken that into account.
The only difference in the table from the individual one above is that we've included the self-employment tax. The taxable income ranges are slightly different because we've had to cut the 25% bracket at the FICA cutoff. Clearly, if you're doing business as a sole proprietorship, partnership or LLC, the federal government is picking up a larger share of any expenditure. Even so, at best, you'll be out-of-pocket for 57 cents on every dollar.Taxable Income Your State Pays M&E Out-of- (Married, Joint) Tax Rate Out-of-Pocket Fed Pays (5% rate) Pocket Over But not over $ 0 $ 15,650 10% + 15.3% $0.70 $0.25 $0.05 $0.85 15,650 63,700 15% + 15.3% .66 .29 .05 .83 63,700 97,500 25% + 15.3% .57 .38 .05 .79 97,500 128,500 25% + 2.9% .67 .28 .05 .84 128,500 195,850 28% + 2.9% .64 .31 .05 .82 195,850 349,700 33% + 2.9% .59 .36 .05 .80 349,700 ....... 35% + 2.9% .57 .38 .05 .79
A credit is better than a deduction because it's a dollar-for-dollar reduction in your tax bill. But you'll usually have to give up a deduction if it's a business credit. For example, you install a ramp at your front door for the disabled. You can take a credit of 50% of the expenditure. But you can't depreciate or deduct the same expenditure (doing so would be "double-dipping"). Thus, if the ramp cost $2,000, you can take a $1,000 credit and offset that amount of taxes. But then you can't deduct or depreciate the $2,000.
Finally, the exact value of a deduction depends on the time value of money. If you can expense that $30,000 truck (using the Sec. 179 expense option) in the year of purchase, you'll be much better off than if you have to depreciate it over 5 years. Or, in the case of many other assets, over a longer period of time. And, if you sell the asset after deducting the cost, you'll have repay some of the deduction.
Copyright 2006-2007 by A/N Group, Inc. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is distributed with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. The information is not necessarily a complete summary of all materials on the subject.--ISSN 1089-1536
--Last Update 06/08/07