Capitol Blog » Business

Paying Quarterly Taxes

Jim — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:25:38 +0000

If you own your own business or work for yourself then you are required by federal and state laws to pay estimated quarterly taxes to the government of the United States. Estimated quarterly taxes can be figured out with the help of a business attorney or an accountant. Basically, they will need you to provide how much money you have made so far (you really should be honest here), and then they will figure in Social Security tax and other tax to determine how much you must send to the Internal Revenue Service.

Quarterly taxes are due on January 15, April 15, June 15 and September 15 of each fiscal year. If they are not paid by the 15th or postmarked by the 15th then the person paying the estimated quarterly taxes can be suspect to penalties. These penalties are usually 10 percent of the entire quarterly tax amount due to the IRS. Sometimes the IRS will not penalize the person paying the taxes as long as they are paid in full by the end of the fiscal year or the next April 15th with their tax return.

Paying estimated quarterly taxes helps businesses and self employed people in the area of their wallet. Sending in a miniscule estimated payment every couple of months is easier on the wallet then sending in the tax payment all at once on April 15th each year. This way, the business owner or the self employed person will be able to put more money away for profit and not have to save thousands of dollars in a separate account when tax time rolls around.

The Credit is due.

admin — Fri, 01 May 2009 16:02:49 +0000

It seems as the economy is finally on the upswing. After all of the hoopla about Obama’s first 100 days in office and his progress, many like myself wonder when the stimulus bill will actually trickle down and start helping the middle class. Our taxpayer money has invested millions into banks to keep their liquidity up. These banks in return are supposed to be giving homeowners and businesses access to credit they deserve.
However, I think the banks have taken advantage of the bailout and have tightened their lending criteria compounding the original issue. It’s just another way the consumer is held accountable for a greedy industry. One point that I agree on with Obama is his fight to end senseless credit card rate hikes. Many companies, fearing new legislation to ban increases, have started notifying good customers that their limits have been slashed and their rates have been increased.
I guess being a small business owner that takes responsibility for his original terms and agreement won’t ever understand how corporations can hide behind their customer service and take advantage of lengthy terms that their lawyers so masterfully created for situation like this.

Why You Should Hand Out Your Business Cards at a Job Interview

admin — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 15:30:18 +0000

You Make Contacting You Convenient for the Company

Your business card should list your different phone numbers with the best times to reach you. Having a website address on your card is great if your website supports the image your business card promotes of you and further sells your skills and abilities.

In presenting multi contact options on your business card, you increase the convenience for hiring companies to get a hold of you. Make sure everything including your contact information is accurate on your business card. Never hand out old cards – keep your information updated.

You Make Yourself Look Like the Professional You Are

Having a business card sets you apart as a professional whether you own a business or not. Whatever your profession, announcing it on a business card with your contact information gets attention and promotes you as a serious expert. Keep the card tasteful and don’t be pretentious.

“Mary Smith, Floral Designer” is fine, but Mary Smith, Award Winning Designer of Floral Fantasies” is way over the top, not to mention ridiculous-sounding. If you have won an award, you can explain that in a separate line under your title such as: “Winner of the Connecticut Floral Association Design Award for 2008.”

If you’re involved in more than one profession, always have a separate business card for each one. “Jim Johnson, Professional Writer and Painter” just comes off as confusing and unfocused rather than professional. A business card that you hand out at a job interview identifies who you are to a potential employer, so be sure this identity is clear and professional-sounding.

You Look both Polished and Prepared

You may be surprised when you get to your job interview. Panel interviews with more than one interviewer are becoming more and more common. If you always carry a stack of your business cards with you, you’ll be able to hand out a card to each interviewer. This is likely to make a positive impression. By simply carrying extra business cards, you can appear both polished and prepared at your job interview.

Another way to be polished and prepared in a businesslike way is to be sure that all of your career communication tools form a cohesive presentation of who you are professionally. The contact information and image presented by your business cards, cover letter and resume should be supported by your voice mail, answering machine and website. Make sure all of your communications details are accurate and relevant.