Accounting News and Notes

Atlanta CPA Presents Should Your Newly Incorporated  Business Use a DBA (Doing Business As)? 

-Determining if You Should Trademark the Name of Your Business 

Recently I received an inquiry off of our website for a new business owner seeking to know how best name and market their firm:

I am the owner of a new business.  I have a few questions regarding the changing the name of my business or rather setting up a “Doing Business As.”  It is my understanding that filing a DBA is a better option than attempting to change the name of the corporation.  It is also my understanding that setting up a DBA is a $30 fee and is to be set up when the corporation’s annual registration is filed.  Is the annual registration included in your yearly tax service fees or is this an additional fee?  If this is included, can you add a DBA?  Would you include any additional charges to add a DBA, other than the required $30, since you are already filing the annual registration?  Please let me know. Thanks. 

With the world getting smaller as the Internet helps both broaden your business marketplace and visibility, protecting your business name is becoming more and more important. Below is my response to the above inquiry: 

I would always suggest changing the corporate name rather than the DBA. To do so might I suggest you contact Mr. Rick Campbell, Attorney at 770 564 2600. Changing the corporate name will be one less name for you to be sure to protect. To have better protection it would be prudent to also speak to Mr. Campbell about getting a trademark for your corporate name. Please be reminded to consider if your company needs an international, national or state trademark.

John Dillard is an Christian Speaker/Author and Certified Public Accountant in Duluth, GA. To See how he takes Christ along with him to work visit http://www.hiscpa.com/ and for his latest book Overcoming Life’s 9/11’s: Job’s Journey and a Voice of One: Nehemiah’s Prayer visit http://www.john-dillard.com/ or call John Dillard CPA today at 770.814.9304 (All Rights Reserved) Dare to Attempt Something so Great for the Kingdom of God that it is doomed to failure, lest Christ be in it!  

Contact HIS CPA PC (A Christian CPA Firm) today.

Atlanta CPA Teaches Addressing IRS Notices for Atlanta Taxpayers 

Below is a sample of a notice I might receive from a taxpayer regarding their receipt of an IRS Tax notice detailing their concerns and questions. Addressing IRS notices and payroll tax issues are the bane for many taxpayers and the hiring of a competent payroll service is your best bet to ensure that you can work on your business rather than getting mired down in burdensome administrative details. 

I have a question about the attached IRS penalty letter I received today. It says that there is an Informational Return for 2008 that was not filed in a timely manner. I don’t have a clue what this could be about or if it’s some kind of mistake. When you amended our 2008 and 2007  S Corp. returns, was there any informational return that need to be sent also, such as a W-2/W-3 or something else? 

If none was required with the amended return, should I contact who did the original 2008 return?  And what other informational returns could be involved, other than a W-2/W-3 for our salary?  I never got a copy of the W-3 from our prior accountant.  All he gave me was a W-2 to file with our personal return.  I think he also sent out all the 1099s that year, so could the 1096 form also be the late informational return? Please tell me anything you can about what would cause this problem. 

Payroll is the largest and most burdensome administrative responsibility for a business owner. Whether you have one employee or a thousand, both the IRS and your state has a myriad of payroll reports and deadlines for which you are required to complete. Unfortunately there is not a one-stop shop to pay and report all of the varying deadlines and taxes. However, there is a solution that makes the reporting of payroll dramatically more seamless than if you strive to go it on your own.

The easy part of preparing a payroll is the actual paycheck itself, but that is where the simplicity stops and the difficulty begins as there are a dramatic list of reports and varying deadlines to meet. To this end I have recapped below some of the reports and their significance. Here is the letter of response I forwarded:

The letter you forwarded indicates that it is for a Civil Penalty which typically indicates payroll taxes returns. Might I suggest you first review all of your 2008 payroll tax returns to see if they were all timely filed and paid. As it is in your best interest to always to hire an Atlanta Payroll Service to handle all of your payroll needs as you could then forward this notice for their review and for them to both resolve and to pay if indeed they caused the penalty. To discover about payroll tax reports and their tax deadlines visit http://www.hiscpa.com/payroll.html

To learn more about tax entities and the taxation thereof visit http://www.hiscpa.com/article2.html  There you will also discover a wide host of resources for Atlanta Entrepreneurs.

John Dillard is an Christian Speaker/Author and Certified Public Accountant in Duluth, GA. To See how he takes Christ along with him to work visit http://www.hiscpa.com/ and for his latest book Overcoming Life’s 9/11’s: Job’s Journey and a Voice of One: Nehemiah’s Prayer visit http://www.john-dillard.com/ or call John Dillard CPA today at 770.814.9304 (All Rights Reserved) Dare to Attempt Something so Great for the Kingdom of God that it is doomed to failure, lest Christ be in it!    

We advise clients on: IRS representation, Offer in Compromise, Tax Problems, Incorporation in Georgia, Corporate and Personal Income Tax Returns, Part-time CFO, Virtual Controller, Business Planning, Offer in Compromise, Back Taxes, Bookkeeping.

Serving Atlanta, Duluth, Gwinnett, Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Coweta,  Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Newton, Paulding, Pickens, Rockdale, Walton, Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Henry, Newton, Bartow, Walton, Rockdale, Barrow, Spalding, Coweta, Dawson, Douglas, Fayette, Newton, Paulding, Spalding, Walton, Henry, Paulding, Douglas, Coweta, Canton, Covington, Douglasville, Druid Hills, East Point, Forest Park, Griffin, Lithonia, Mableton, McDonough, Milton, Mountain Park, Newnan, Powder Springs, Stockbridge, Union City, Villa Rica, Winder, Woodstock,  Smyrna, Sandy Springs, Marietta, East Point, Gainesville, Snellville, Buckhead, Buford, Peachtree City, Dunwoody, Kennesaw, Decatur, Conyers, Stone Mountain, North Fulton County, DeKalb County, Hall County, Clayton County, Cobb County, Forsyth County, Hart County, Jefferson County, Duluth, Atlanta, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Lawrenceville, Milton, Norcross, Snellville, Roswell, Buford, Cumming, Grayson, Lake Hartwell, Suwanee, Sugar Hill, Loganville, Lilburn, Dunwoody, Gainesville, Decatur, Atlanta GA, Gwinnett County, North Fulton County, Cherokee County, DeKalb County, Hall County, Clayton County, Cobb County, Forsyth County, Hart County, Jefferson County, Duluth, Atlanta, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Lawrenceville, Marietta, Milton, Norcross, Snellville, Roswell, Buford, Smyrna, Marietta, Cumming, Grayson, Hartwell, Suwanee, Sugar Hill, Loganville, Lilburn, East Point, Gainesville, Snellville, Buckhead, Buford, Peachtree City, Dunwoody, Kennesaw, Decatur, Conyers, Stone Mountain, Decatur. Sandy Springs, Peachtree City, Douglasville, Newnan, Griffin, Woodstock, Carrollton, Forest Park, Canton, College Park, Cartersville, McDonough, Riverdale, Fayetteville, Covington, Stockbridge, Conyers, Clarkston, Barrow, Bartow, Butts, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Coweta, Dawson, and Douglas.

Atlanta CPA Teaches Tax Planning 101: Utilizing Tax Information To Understand Changes in Your Tax Situation 

Understanding nuances of your own personal tax information will do much to help you both communicate with your CPA as well as to plan for your current tax bill and well into retirement. As such a CPA will work with a client to help understand and apply the many tax variances that might consist on a return to both enlighten and to educate a taxpayer. Below is a sample of what we might send to a taxpayer to teach and to help show clients reasons for variance in both their final tax obligation as well as the net amount due or to be refunded upon year-end income tax preparation: 

In Comparing Your Personal Tax Bill From 2008 to 2009 I noted the below, which are the primary contributing factors to your increased tax liability and taxes due: 

-Your K-1 from your P.C. increased $25,000 from 2008 to 2009.

-Your Interest Income increased $18,000 from 2008 to 2009.

-The K-1 from your Partnership Interest increased by $40,000 from 2008 to 2009.

-Your federal withholding fell by $8,000 from 2008 to 2009. 

To help avoid any unnecessary penalties and interest from being assessed by either the IRS or GA I recommend that we tax plan at least twice annually.

Year End Tax Planning: What Businesses Should Do Now
If you fail to plan, you are preparing to be surprised. Learn how you can get ready now for your year-end liability and survive the year-end tax preparation process. To learn how tax planning tips today visit http://www.hiscpa.com/year-end-tax-planning.html

Should You Maximize Profit or Work to Pay Fewer Taxes?
Tax Planning is an art under-girded by the science of the tax code and proper planning. Learn what you need to know to be a wise steward of your tax monies. To learn more visit http://www.hiscpa.com/profit-maximization.html

Contact HIS CPA PC (A Christian CPA Firm) today.

To learn more about tax entities and the taxation thereof visit http://www.hiscpa.com/article2.html  There you will also discover a wide host of resources for Atlanta Entrepreneurs.

John Dillard is an Christian Speaker/Author and Certified Public Accountant in Duluth, GA. To See how he takes Christ along with him to work visit http://www.hiscpa.com/ and for his latest book Overcoming Life’s 9/11’s: Job’s Journey and a Voice of One: Nehemiah’s Prayer visit http://www.john-dillard.com/ or call John Dillard CPA today at 770.814.9304 (All Rights Reserved) Dare to Attempt Something so Great for the Kingdom of God that it is doomed to failure, lest Christ be in it!        

We advise clients on: IRS representation, Offer in Compromise, Tax Problems, Incorporation in Georgia, Corporate and Personal Income Tax Returns, Part-time CFO, Virtual Controller, Business Planning, Offer in Compromise, Back Taxes, Bookkeeping.

Serving Atlanta, Duluth, Gwinnett, Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Coweta,  Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Newton, Paulding, Pickens, Rockdale, Walton, Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Henry, Newton, Bartow, Walton, Rockdale, Barrow, Spalding, Coweta, Dawson, Douglas, Fayette, Newton, Paulding, Spalding, Walton, Henry, Paulding, Douglas, Coweta, Canton, Covington, Douglasville, Druid Hills, East Point, Forest Park, Griffin, Lithonia, Mableton, McDonough, Milton, Mountain Park, Newnan, Powder Springs, Stockbridge, Union City, Villa Rica, Winder, Woodstock,  Smyrna, Sandy Springs, Marietta, East Point, Gainesville, Snellville, Buckhead, Buford, Peachtree City, Dunwoody, Kennesaw, Decatur, Conyers, Stone Mountain, North Fulton County, DeKalb County, Hall County, Clayton County, Cobb County, Forsyth County, Hart County, Jefferson County, Duluth, Atlanta, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Lawrenceville, Milton, Norcross, Snellville, Roswell, Buford, Cumming, Grayson, Lake Hartwell, Suwanee, Sugar Hill, Loganville, Lilburn, Dunwoody, Gainesville, Decatur, Atlanta GA, Gwinnett County, North Fulton County, Cherokee County, DeKalb County, Hall County, Clayton County, Cobb County, Forsyth County, Hart County, Jefferson County, Duluth, Atlanta, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Lawrenceville, Marietta, Milton, Norcross, Snellville, Roswell, Buford, Smyrna, Marietta, Cumming, Grayson, Hartwell, Suwanee, Sugar Hill, Loganville, Lilburn, East Point, Gainesville, Snellville, Buckhead, Buford, Peachtree City, Dunwoody, Kennesaw, Decatur, Conyers, Stone Mountain, Decatur. Sandy Springs, Peachtree City, Douglasville, Newnan, Griffin, Woodstock, Carrollton, Forest Park, Canton, College Park, Cartersville, McDonough, Riverdale, Fayetteville, Covington, Stockbridge, Conyers, Clarkston, Barrow, Bartow, Butts, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Coweta, Dawson, and Douglas.

Atlanta CPA Teaches Incorporating in Georgia 

Incorporating Your Business” Choosing a Business Entity Type

There are many reasons a taxpayer may look to incorporate their business ranging from legitimacy, liability limitation and tax mitigation. Understanding these many nuances is your best first step in ensuring that you chose an entity type is best achieving success given your business model and operations. Entity selection is determinant on many issues ranging from citizenship, number of shareholders, ease of operation, tax obligations and year-end filings and even who your shareholders will be. Though many of these issues will conflict, working with a professional who is well versed in these issues will help you make the best election available for your new Georgia Business.

Choosing an Entity Type
Your initial choice of entity is perhaps the most important tax, financial and legal decision you might ever reach. Being well versed in these areas is essential to a wise and prudent decision.  Visit http://www.hiscpa.com/article2.html

Tax Effects of Entity Choice
Carefully considering the tax effects of your entity choice is essential to getting your business off on the right foot. Being careful to avoid, if at all possible, the double taxation of C Corporations and then selecting the right entity for your business from both a tax and legal perspective is critical. See http://www.hiscpa.com/article6.html

Getting Started
Understanding many of the basics of the start of the incorporation process will do much to ensure that you are well-versed and able to make wise and informed decisions. As these issues will affect your business operations and finances during the lifetime of your business they are essential to getting started well. See http://www.hiscpa.com/incorporating-guide.html

Determining Where to Incorporate
The decision of where to incorporate your business is a critical component of getting your business started. Learn what you need to know to make a well-informed decision.  Visit http://www.hiscpa.com/incorporating-articles.html

New Corporation Forms and Registrations Checklist
Whether you are just incorporating or have been in business for years. This summary will enable you to quickly locate the forms and guidance you need to ensure your business maintains tax compliance. To learn more visit http://www.hiscpa.com/checklist.htm

Incorporating Your Leadership
Knowing who will lead your business, their morals, beliefs and work ethic are essential to success in your new business venture. Determining who should be at the helm and who should follow will do much to avoid needless delays and time lost in aimless decision making. Visit http://www.hiscpa.com/business-leadership.html

Incorporating the Details
Learning the basics of incorporation will do much to ensure that you do not make a costly mistake. Discovering the details of what all is involved in your new Georgia business will much to ensure you avoid costly mistakes and blunders. To learn more visit http://www.hiscpa.com/incorporating-details.html  

At His CPA, PC we strive to be much more than just tax preparers, put our partner to work for you today to see how much enlightened business leadership can mean to your business success.

To learn more about tax entities and the taxation thereof visit http://www.hiscpa.com/article2.html  There you will also discover a wide host of resources for Atlanta Entrepreneurs.

John Dillard is an Christian Speaker/Author and Certified Public Accountant in Duluth, GA. To See how he takes Christ along with him to work visit http://www.hiscpa.com/ and for his latest book Overcoming Life’s 9/11’s: Job’s Journey and a Voice of One: Nehemiah’s Prayer visit http://www.john-dillard.com/ or call John Dillard CPA today at 770.814.9304 (All Rights Reserved) Dare to Attempt Something so Great for the Kingdom of God that it is doomed to failure, lest Christ be in it!  

Atlanta CPA Teaches Your New Georgia Corporation: Don’t Forget the Details 

Though many file their initial Georgia Articles of Incorporation correctly, frequently as Paul Harvey would say “the rest of the story” is overlooked and missed. Being sure that you understand the big picture will help ensure your new business gets off on the right foot and does not fail in maintaining its responsibilities as a Georgia corporation. 

Establishment of Your Corporate Bylaws 

After the Secretary of State has accepted your initial Articles of Incorporation, you will then need to look to document the business purpose of the company. Your Georgia Bylaws will be govern/determine how the official business affairs of the business are conducted. Though these are not required to be filed with anyone, they are an essential part of the incorporation process. 

Legal Publication 

Georgia law has long held that new business owners are required to file in the official county newspaper a public notice of intent to incorporate. Listings of the official newspaper in your county are available on-line on the Georgia Secretary of State’s web-site. 

Paying the Annual Registration Fee 

The Georgia Secretary of State’s office requires that all Georgia corporations file an annual registration and pay an annual fee to keep their corporation legally registered with the state. The report will include the names and addresses of all officers of the company and its registered agent. 

Electing/Naming a Registered Agent 

As a Georgia business owner you will be required to initially elect and to maintain an official registered agent for the business. Typically small business owners elect to nominate either themselves or their attorney as a registered agent. However, in fact law allows, for a registered agent to be any individual or business that resides/does business in Georgia. 

Opening a Corporate Bank Account 

Now that your new Georgia business is incorporated, you will need to open a corporate bank account using the corporate name and Federal ID #. As the corporation did not exist prior to its incorporation date, you will need to set up an new corporate bank account and to supply to the back the new IRS EIN. 

At His CPA, PC we strive to be much more than just tax preparers, put our partner to work for you today to see how much enlightened business leadership can mean to your business success.

To learn more about tax entities and the taxation thereof visit http://www.hiscpa.com/article2.html  There you will also discover a wide host of resources for Atlanta Entrepreneurs.

John Dillard is an Christian Speaker/Author and Certified Public Accountant in Duluth, GA. To See how he takes Christ along with him to work visit http://www.hiscpa.com/ and for his latest book Overcoming Life’s 9/11’s: Job’s Journey and a Voice of One: Nehemiah’s Prayer visit http://www.john-dillard.com/ or call John Dillard CPA today at 770.814.9304 (All Rights Reserved) Dare to Attempt Something so Great for the Kingdom of God that it is doomed to failure, lest Christ be in it!    

We advise clients on: IRS representation, Offer in Compromise, Tax Problems, Incorporation in Georgia, Corporate and Personal Income Tax Returns, Part-time CFO, Virtual Controller, Business Planning, Offer in Compromise, Back Taxes, Bookkeeping.

Serving Atlanta, Duluth, Gwinnett, Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Coweta,  Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Newton, Paulding, Pickens, Rockdale, Walton, Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Henry, Newton, Bartow, Walton, Rockdale, Barrow, Spalding, Coweta, Dawson, Douglas, Fayette, Newton, Paulding, Spalding, Walton, Henry, Paulding, Douglas, Coweta, Canton, Covington, Douglasville, Druid Hills, East Point, Forest Park, Griffin, Lithonia, Mableton, McDonough, Milton, Mountain Park, Newnan, Powder Springs, Stockbridge, Union City, Villa Rica, Winder, Woodstock,  Smyrna, Sandy Springs, Marietta, East Point, Gainesville, Snellville, Buckhead, Buford, Peachtree City, Dunwoody, Kennesaw, Decatur, Conyers, Stone Mountain, North Fulton County, DeKalb County, Hall County, Clayton County, Cobb County, Forsyth County, Hart County, Jefferson County, Duluth, Atlanta, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Lawrenceville, Milton, Norcross, Snellville, Roswell, Buford, Cumming, Grayson, Lake Hartwell, Suwanee, Sugar Hill, Loganville, Lilburn, Dunwoody, Gainesville, Decatur, Atlanta GA, Gwinnett County, North Fulton County, Cherokee County, DeKalb County, Hall County, Clayton County, Cobb County, Forsyth County, Hart County, Jefferson County, Duluth, Atlanta, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Lawrenceville, Marietta, Milton, Norcross, Snellville, Roswell, Buford, Smyrna, Marietta, Cumming, Grayson, Hartwell, Suwanee, Sugar Hill, Loganville, Lilburn, East Point, Gainesville, Snellville, Buckhead, Buford, Peachtree City, Dunwoody, Kennesaw, Decatur, Conyers, Stone Mountain, Decatur. Sandy Springs, Peachtree City, Douglasville, Newnan, Griffin, Woodstock, Carrollton, Forest Park, Canton, College Park, Cartersville, McDonough, Riverdale, Fayetteville, Covington, Stockbridge, Conyers, Clarkston, Barrow, Bartow, Butts, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Coweta, Dawson, and Douglas.

Gwinnett CPA Teaches Incorporating Your New Georgia Business: Determining Who Will Lead Your Company Business 

Leadership 101: Knowing who is in charge and how they are lead are essential to the running of a country, a war, a battle, a family, a church and your business. Failing to prepare for essential business planning issues will do much to impair your way to success. Great authors over the years from John Maxwell, Zig Ziglar, and Lou Holz have written dynamic books and articles on how to lead with both your heart and your mind. Choosing who will lead your corporation at all levels is essential to goal congruence and obtaining your overall business mission, profits and goals. 

Electing Your Board of Directors 

Though Georgia law only requires one director, it might be prudent to seek additional outsiders to oversee and guide your business operations. Directors, though not required to be, are frequently outsiders who are willing to provide wise and insightful guidance. Directors are required to be of legal age but are not needed to be Georgia residents. 

Having the Right Officers 

The Officers of a company are those who can legally sign a contract the company. It is not unusual for many business’s to have the owner serve as the sole Officer, sole Director and Shareholder. As one could imagine, this dramatically streamlines the decision making process. Officers as well, are the duly authorize representatives to sign the corporate income/partnership return.

 Determining Who Will Own the Company

 In many minds the most important portion of business leadership for your business is who has the ultimate control. Though both good Directors and Officers are essential to goal obtainment, it is the shareholders/owners who have the ultimate control of who runs the business and thus ultimately their final determinations. Shareholders and owners, not only elect the Officers and Directors of a company, but they have ultimately the final work in all business decisions. Great care should be exercised when potentially adding a partner, as the right one versus the wrong one can well result in the difference between business harmony and profits to needless anxiety to losses. Your owners and shareholders as well should be of full legal age and are not required to be Georgia residents.

At His CPA, PC we strive to be much more than just tax preparers, put our partner to work for you today to see how much enlightened business leadership can mean to your business success.

To learn more about tax entities and the taxation thereof visit http://www.hiscpa.com/article2.html  There you will also discover a wide host of resources for Atlanta Entrepreneurs.

John Dillard is an Christian Speaker/Author and Certified Public Accountant in Duluth, GA. To See how he takes Christ along with him to work visit http://www.hiscpa.com/ and for his latest book Overcoming Life’s 9/11’s: Job’s Journey and a Voice of One: Nehemiah’s Prayer visit http://www.john-dillard.com/ or call John Dillard CPA today at 770.814.9304 (All Rights Reserved) Dare to Attempt Something so Great for the Kingdom of God that it is doomed to failure, lest Christ be in it!    

We advise clients on: IRS representation, Offer in Compromise, Tax Problems, Incorporation in Georgia, Corporate and Personal Income Tax Returns, Part-time CFO, Virtual Controller, Business Planning, Offer in Compromise, Back Taxes, Bookkeeping.

Serving Atlanta, Duluth, Gwinnett, Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Coweta,  Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Newton, Paulding, Pickens, Rockdale, Walton, Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Henry, Newton, Bartow, Walton, Rockdale, Barrow, Spalding, Coweta, Dawson, Douglas, Fayette, Newton, Paulding, Spalding, Walton, Henry, Paulding, Douglas, Coweta, Canton, Covington, Douglasville, Druid Hills, East Point, Forest Park, Griffin, Lithonia, Mableton, McDonough, Milton, Mountain Park, Newnan, Powder Springs, Stockbridge, Union City, Villa Rica, Winder, Woodstock,  Smyrna, Sandy Springs, Marietta, East Point, Gainesville, Snellville, Buckhead, Buford, Peachtree City, Dunwoody, Kennesaw, Decatur, Conyers, Stone Mountain, North Fulton County, DeKalb County, Hall County, Clayton County, Cobb County, Forsyth County, Hart County, Jefferson County, Duluth, Atlanta, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Lawrenceville, Milton, Norcross, Snellville, Roswell, Buford, Cumming, Grayson, Lake Hartwell, Suwanee, Sugar Hill, Loganville, Lilburn, Dunwoody, Gainesville, Decatur, Atlanta GA, Gwinnett County, North Fulton County, Cherokee County, DeKalb County, Hall County, Clayton County, Cobb County, Forsyth County, Hart County, Jefferson County, Duluth, Atlanta, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Lawrenceville, Marietta, Milton, Norcross, Snellville, Roswell, Buford, Smyrna, Marietta, Cumming, Grayson, Hartwell, Suwanee, Sugar Hill, Loganville, Lilburn, East Point, Gainesville, Snellville, Buckhead, Buford, Peachtree City, Dunwoody, Kennesaw, Decatur, Conyers, Stone Mountain, Decatur. Sandy Springs, Peachtree City, Douglasville, Newnan, Griffin, Woodstock, Carrollton, Forest Park, Canton, College Park, Cartersville, McDonough, Riverdale, Fayetteville, Covington, Stockbridge, Conyers, Clarkston, Barrow, Bartow, Butts, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Coweta, Dawson, and Douglas.

 Atlanta CPA Teaches Understanding the Incorporation Process of Your Georgia Based Business 

So you have started a new business and now need tax advice to take your business to the next level and to ensure that you set up as the correct/best legal entity type for your new Georgia business. Choosing to incorporate your business as a corporation  will do much to protect your personal assets from legal liability issues while potentially shrinking your overall year-end tax obligation while also providing benefits for yourself, as well as your employees. We are here to serve you as you make this important decision. Over the decades we have helped thousands pursue the dream of owning their own business and helping them understand and utilize the entity choice that is best-suited for their business. 

Incorporating in Georgia

 Incorporating in Georgia requires that you file for the company Articles of Incorporation with the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office. Corporations should also be sure to prepare a legal posting/announcement for the legally authorized newspaper in the county’s paper, establishing bylaws, election a Board of Directors, Officers and the issuance of stock. 

Georgia Entity Requirements 

Georgia law requires that you essentially disclose that entity type your business is as part of the name of the business such as adding to the end of your business name one of the below entity types. These names acknowledge to the public what entity type you have selected and for identification purposes with the GA Secretary of State. Types include: 

Incorporated 

Company 

Inc. 

LLC 

LLP 

Selecting a Name for your Georgia Business 

Georgia law requires you to select a corporate/business name that is easily distinguishable from other names so that the public will be able to readily identify and recognize businesses from other companies. 

Establishment of an Incorporator 

Georgia law requires that as a business legally registering to transact business in the state have a named incorporator who is responsible for all of the initial incorporating paperwork. A company’s Articles of Incorporation should be included in the initial paperwork filed with the Secretary of State’s Office with the initial filing fees. 

Corporate Directives/Setting up Your Corporate Bylaws 

Over the years of serving Georgia business owners have often struggled with “what’s next” in the establishment and setting up of their new business. To help clarify and assist owner in addressing these issues we work with taxpayers be providing the below Incorporating Checklist:           

This is to confirm that we went over the rules of being an S Corporation and that you have opted to become same. You are aware of the need to have an annual Board of Directors, Officers, and Shareholder’s Minutes meetings and that each year you should pay the annual fee with the Secretary of State’s Office to renew your corporations annual registration.  

Please be aware that you need to get a business license and always list your corporate title when signing any agreement and conduct all corporate business in the corporate name.  

In your corporate book you will find several forms: Employee forms – W-4, G-4, and I-9 and independent contractor forms W-9. After they complete these forms, you should keep these in their permanent files. There is also information on the Georgia New Hire Reporting Act and forms relative to that information. You are aware of the need to pay a reasonable salary and that you are going to retain a payroll service for your entire payroll and 1099 needs. Please be reminded that as long as you pay yourself a reasonable salary, you may also pay yourself shareholder distributions, which are devoid of FICA and Medicaid taxes.  Per your advice you will not be required to file sales tax reports. 

The following are recommendations to better manage your business:Turn in a monthly expense report to the business and keep a daily log to track and support business miles.I suggest we tax plan twice every year.  Your corporate returns are due March 15^th of each year.You will need to trademark your business name to ensure that the name will always be yours. 

Please forward a copy of your last year personal return along with a copy of the S Corporation acceptance, when it is received. 

To learn more about tax entities and the taxation thereof visit http://www.hiscpa.com/article2.html   There you will also discover a wide host of resources for Atlanta Entrepreneurs.

John Dillard is an Christian Speaker/Author and Certified Public Accountant in Duluth, GA. To See how he takes Christ along with him to work visit http://www.hiscpa.com/ and for his latest book Overcoming Life’s 9/11’s: Job’s Journey and a Voice of One: Nehemiah’s Prayer visit http://www.john-dillard.com/ or call John Dillard CPA today at 770.814.9304 (All Rights Reserved) Dare to Attempt Something so Great for the Kingdom of God that it is doomed to failure, lest Christ be in it!    

We advise clients on: IRS representation, Offer in Compromise, Tax Problems, Incorporation in Georgia, Corporate and Personal Income Tax Returns, Part-time CFO, Virtual Controller, Business Planning, Offer in Compromise, Back Taxes, Bookkeeping.

Serving Atlanta, Duluth, Gwinnett, Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Coweta,  Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Newton, Paulding, Pickens, Rockdale, Walton, Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Henry, Newton, Bartow, Walton, Rockdale, Barrow, Spalding, Coweta, Dawson, Douglas, Fayette, Newton, Paulding, Spalding, Walton, Henry, Paulding, Douglas, Coweta, Canton, Covington, Douglasville, Druid Hills, East Point, Forest Park, Griffin, Lithonia, Mableton, McDonough, Milton, Mountain Park, Newnan, Powder Springs, Stockbridge, Union City, Villa Rica, Winder, Woodstock,  Smyrna, Sandy Springs, Marietta, East Point, Gainesville, Snellville, Buckhead, Buford, Peachtree City, Dunwoody, Kennesaw, Decatur, Conyers, Stone Mountain, North Fulton County, DeKalb County, Hall County, Clayton County, Cobb County, Forsyth County, Hart County, Jefferson County, Duluth, Atlanta, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Lawrenceville, Milton, Norcross, Snellville, Roswell, Buford, Cumming, Grayson, Lake Hartwell, Suwanee, Sugar Hill, Loganville, Lilburn, Dunwoody, Gainesville, Decatur, Atlanta GA, Gwinnett County, North Fulton County, Cherokee County, DeKalb County, Hall County, Clayton County, Cobb County, Forsyth County, Hart County, Jefferson County, Duluth, Atlanta, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Lawrenceville, Marietta, Milton, Norcross, Snellville, Roswell, Buford, Smyrna, Marietta, Cumming, Grayson, Hartwell, Suwanee, Sugar Hill, Loganville, Lilburn, East Point, Gainesville, Snellville, Buckhead, Buford, Peachtree City, Dunwoody, Kennesaw, Decatur, Conyers, Stone Mountain, Decatur. Sandy Springs, Peachtree City, Douglasville, Newnan, Griffin, Woodstock, Carrollton, Forest Park, Canton, College Park, Cartersville, McDonough, Riverdale, Fayetteville, Covington, Stockbridge, Conyers, Clarkston, Barrow, Bartow, Butts, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Coweta, Dawson, and Douglas.