Equipping Your Home Office with Last-Minute Tax Deductions
Don’t you hate it when you need something like wrapping paper right before Christmas? If you go into most stores just one or two days before the 25th, you have to pay an outrageous amount for a product that you know will be at least half off days later. Well, prepare yourself (and your clients) to take advantage of all those after-Christmas sales, where the majority of stores are trying to decrease inventory for the upcoming year. Not only can you get new equipment for your business at reduced prices, but you increase the tax deductions claimed for 2012.
Here are just a few great things to consider purchasing before 2013:
Office Supplies. Stock up on office supplies before the year ends. You’ll have to buy the stuff anyway; why not make it tax deductible in 2012? Make a list of everything you use, and eliminate all those last-minute runs to the office supply store next year by purchasing after Christmas.
Wireless Keyboards and Mouses. Do the tangled cords of your mouse and keyboard frustrate you? Then you might be interested in a wireless keyboard and mouse. And to top it off, most cost less than $50!
Small Portable Drives. Generally called JumpDrives, FlashDrives, or TravelDrives (depending on the brand), these portable external drives are a great way to store information and transmit it from one computer to another. They’re small, fit into any USB port, and rarely require any software installation. And they’re fairly inexpensive, ranging from $50 to $100.
A Shredder. You handle sensitive financial information, and most of it isn’t even yours. You wouldn’t want that information to fall into the wrong hands. If you don’t already have one, you should definitely purchase a shredder. It will protect you and your clients, and runs anywhere from $40 to $75.
All in One: Copier/Fax/Printer. Are you looking to update your printer or fax? If so, you might consider an all-in-one system that can copy, fax, scan, and print. Depending on your needs, you can get a low-end model that will work well for low usage, or a higher-end model that can handle more usage.
Office Furniture. Is one of your New Year resolutions to organize your office space? A few pieces of office furniture could go a long way in helping you sort your business into nice, organized compartments. Consider purchasing a bookshelf or a filing cabinet (And by the way – did you know there are fireproof filing cabinets. That’s a good way to protect priceless information). That may be all that it takes to clean up your desk and help you to focus on what you do best: accounting.
Laptop Computer. Maybe it’s time for some of you to take technology out your front door; and that’s difficult to do with a desktop computer. Perhaps you consult with business owners at their main office and would to access and update their files. Or perhaps you travel and would like to work on the go. For whatever reason you find yourself itching to work when you’re not in your office, now might be a good time to invest in a laptop computer. Depending on your needs you can get anything from under $1000 to over $3000.
UAC Tax Training
If you’ve ever considered expanding your business to include tax services, now is a good time to get started. Through UAC’s Professional Tax Preparer Program you can learn how to prepare personal and business taxes while earning a professional designation. With a reasonable investment you can expand your business, earn a professional designation, and claim a tax deduction. Don’t wait another day, because there are only 19 left before 2013. Call Universal at 1-877-833-7909 to enroll now.
