Mark these tax deadlines on your 2011 calendar
It’s time to file various tax returns once again. Among the tax deadlines you may be required to meet in the next few months are the following:
* January 18 – Due date for the fourth quarterly installment of 2010 estimated taxes for individuals unless you file your tax return and pay any taxes due by January 31.
* January 31 – Employers must furnish 2010 W-2 statements to employees. Payers must furnish payees with Form 1099s for various payments made. (The deadline for providing Form 1099B and consolidated statements to customers is February 15.)
* January 31 – Employers must generally file annual federal unemployment (FUTA) tax returns.
* February 28 – Payers must file information returns, such as Form 1099s, with the IRS. This deadline is extended to March 31 for electronic filing.
* February 28 – Employers must send Form W-2 copies to the Social Security Administration. This deadline is extended to March 31 for electronic filing.
* March 1 – Farmers and fishermen who did not make 2010 estimated tax payments must file 2010 tax returns and pay taxes in full.
* April 18 – Individual federal income tax returns for 2010 are due
Building a financial cushion for your business is never easy. According to experts any businesses should have anywhere from six to nine months worth of income safely stored away in savings. What may be a nice well-advised idea in theory can easily be tossed right out the window when you’re just barely making payroll each month. So how is a small or medium-sized business owner to even begin a prudent savings program for long-term success?
Realizing that your business needs a savings plan is the first step toward better management. There are many reasons for building up a financial nest egg for your business. Building savings allows you to plan for future growth in your business and have ready the investment capital necessary to launch those plans. Having a source of back-up income can often carry a business through a rough time.
When market fluctuations, such as the dramatic increase in gasoline and oil prices or a slump in sales, start to affect your business, you may need to dip into your savings to keep operations running smoothly until the difficulties pass. Savings can also support seasonal businesses with the ability to purchase inventory and cover payroll until the flush of new cash arrives. Try to remember that you didn’t build your business overnight and you cannot build a savings account instantly either.
Review your books monthly, especially with the help of a professional, to see where you can trim expenses and reroute the savings to a separate account. This will also help to keep you on track with cash flow and other financial issues. While it can be quite alarming to see your cash flowing outward with seemingly no end in sight, it’s better to see it happening and put corrective measures into place, rather than discovering your losses five or six months too late.
