Calculating Business Profits for Tax Purposes
Small businesses rarely use detailed accounting systems and in reality for a “one man show” a sophisticated accounting system is not required. The Revenue (Tax Office) will require you to provide sufficient information to show how you calculated your profit and to have invoices/receipts in support of your figures.
Our Self Employed Income calculator will do the work for you and produce a simple Profit & Loss Account for the year and also calculate the tax allowance due for cars, and equipment used in running your business.
The following is a brief summary of the required steps for a small business when calculating their taxable profit.
Step 1: Total all sales invoices for your accounting period. Invoices must be issued on a timely basis throughout the year.
Step 2: Identify all your business expenses incurred during your accounting period. For a small business these will normally consist of the following;
- Salaries paid to employees e.g. spouse or children.
- Telephone/ Mobile
- Travel
- Motor Expenses
- Rent for premises
- Insurance
- Light and Heat
- General office costs e.g. stationery, postage etc.
- Any other expenses incurred for the running of the business.
Step 3: Deduct the total for Step 2 from the total for Step 1 and that is your business profit.
Step 4: You have to add any element of private expenses to your business profit to arrive at your profit for income tax purposes. e.g. Motor Expenses personal use 1/5th of total then add 1/5th of your motor expenses to your profit at Step 3.
Step 5: Calculate your annual allowance for cost of equipment used in the business e.g. computers, cars etc.
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