How to Protect Yourself and Your Business

I have worked in the Payroll field for 20 years and the two biggest problems I see are:

Time Theft and Being Sued for Underpayment

Have you ever had an employee get paid for more hours than they have worked?  Have you ever terminated an employee and within a week you received a letter from the State Employment Board or a Labor Attorney claiming you underpaid?

 I have a solution for your dilemma by using time clock systems from T-Sheets.  It is automatic, time stamped and holds up in a court of law.

Having no time cards leaves you open for “Time theft” as well as the employee’s word against yours.  Remember this saying “If it isn’t written down, it didn’t happen”. 

Over the last 8 years I have been looking for the perfect system to help, not only for the small business owners, but also for big corporations with having employees and contractors in a building or out in the field.  I have found the perfect software: T-Sheets

Not only can employees clock in on a computer, they can also clock in using a phone call, text messaging, Twitter, and is compatible with an Android or Apple device.  T-Sheets is not only just a time clock, but you can also log into projects or jobs. T-Sheets can also track GPS locations for those out in the field.   

In California, starting July 2015, every employer is required to pay sick time to every employee that has worked 30 hours or more in a year.  They are require to pay up to 24 hours or 3 sick days per year.  What does this have to do with T-Sheets?   T-Sheets can also track your vacation and sick time for your employees.    

T-Sheets will not only protect you and your company, it will also save you money on “Time theft” and overhead cost. 

T-Sheets can integrate with over a dozen different payroll and accounting software. 

What are you waiting for?  Go and try T-Sheets Free for a 14 day Trail  

As a T-Sheet Pro, I can help you get started as well as give you an added discount. 

Payroll and Sales Taxes

If you have employees or sell tangible products i.e.: clothing, food, books, internet sales and many other items. As a business owner you may be required to file tax reports with the IRS, Franchise Tax Board (FTB), and/or the Board of Equalization (BOE).

If you have employees you need to make

sure that your payroll provider (Like Myself) is filing your quarter Tax reports to the IRS and the FTB. 

If you buy materials & supplies that helps produce the product that you sell, you can get a re-sellers permit so you do not have to pay sales tax to that vendor.

If you are selling a tangible product, then you are required to report your sales tax
to the Board of Equalization (BOE) and pay sales tax to them.

Do you sell in the city of El Cajon, La Mesa, Vista or National City in San Diego County? If so, there is an additional form you need to fill out to adjust the extra sales tax.

Give us a call 619 -726-1158 for a quote on your payroll services. We can help you get set up with the IRS, Franchise Tax Board and/or the Board of Equalization (BOE).

Keeping you connected and on top of your business is another piece to the puzzle. We can help you see the bigger picture. 

Deductions and Credits that you may qualify for.

There are different deductions and credits that are out there that not everyone knows about. If you qualify for these deductions or credits, this could help you get more of a tax refund or it could help cut down your tax liability.

One thing that I enjoy doing during tax season:  Sitting down with my clients talking with my them and hearing about their life.  As we all know, life events happen. 

I listen to key words like: I now have a college student, I finally retired, we sold our house, we bought a house, we have a new rental, or we have a new baby. This helps me to hear key words to match up different deductions and credits that you qualify for.   This will also help me to give you advise to prepare for next year.  My goal is to get you all the deductions and credits you qualify for.

Finding the right puzzle pieces can sometimes be difficult. I am here to listen and am able to help find the right piece for you. 

Do you think you paid too much in 2012?  Do you feel that there was something missing?  Give us a call 619-726-1158 and we can look over last year's taxes and see if there was anything that was overlooked.

We appreciate your feedback, let us know what you want to read about, or what your favorite blog as been so far.

The Cloud

Why you want to use The Cloud?

I have a number of clients who have shared their folders from their “Dropbox” or “Google Drive” with me.  Let me tell you, I love it!

It is one of the best ways to share Documents, Excel Spreadsheets, PDF’s, and Word Documents.  It helps streamline the process without resending documents when you update them.  It helps to cut out on the confusion of duplicate documents: Excel Spreadsheets, PDF’s, and Word Documents.  With the cloud, you can update the document and it saves it in the cloud.  It also notifies the other person who has access to the Documents, Excel Spreadsheets, PDF’s, and Word Documents.

If you don't have a Dropbox, click on the link, sign up and get an additional 500MB of space.  Dropbox Sign up here

You will need to have a Google Account username in order to get a Google Drive account.  Click here to Google Drive Sign up here 

Both clouds have a free start-up space, if you want to expand and grow your space you can purchase some for a small fee.  Check out both sites and see what works for you.

Just another way to be organized and streamline your business with another helpful piece to the puzzle.  

It is a great way to share documents in a safe, eco friendly and easy system.

We value your busy schedule and we aim to help save you time and money.

Give us a call 619-726-1158 to set up an appointment for a free consultation.

Check out our other blog articles, and we would love for you to connect with us on our other social media sites to your right.  Be social friendly and share our blog with your friends.  

Thanks for checking us out

Gabe The Taxguy

The Right Tools

When you are trying to get organized, the first thing is to find what works best for you. Find what fits your needs, not your Bookkeepers needs. The second thing is to make it a habit.

It could be tools like an app (see our blog from yesterday The Perfect App) from your app store on your smart phone or tablet. You can also purchase file organizers, large for invoices, bills or receipts, or small file organizers for just receipts from your local office supply store. You can also purchase millage log books.  

 

Once you pick up the tools try it out for a while and see if it fits your needs.  If it doesn't seem to fit your needs give me a call (619) 726-1158. We can meet you at your local office supply store (we love office supply shopping) and help you out. The goal is to streamline and make things easier for you. 

Using Excel Spreadsheets and Word programs are another way to get organized and we will talk about that in the next blog.....stay tune.

With only 9 weeks left in 2013, start looking now so when 2014 comes you will have the system that works for you.

Having the right tools for the right job is another piece to the puzzle.  We are here to help guide you int he right direction for you and your business.

Give us a call 619-726-1158 to set up an appointment for a free consultation.

Check out our other blog articles, and we would love for you to connect with us on our other social media sites to your right.  Be social friendly and share with your friends.  

Thanks for checking us out

Gabe The Taxguy

The Perfect App

As I start my 10th tax season, the #1 Most Common Problem I have seen over the years.....

Not Being Organized. 

I have been given shoe boxes filled with receipts and invoices, paper bags filled with receipts and invoices and many other creative ways during a Bookkeeping or Tax appointment.  

www.expensify.com

With the Smart phones, there are apps that can help you get organized.  My favorite app that I use is called “Expensify” . It allows you to scan your receipts, keep track of your mileage and keep track of your time you spend on a project.  It will also allow you to run reports and share them with your Bookkeeper and Tax Preparer.

That’s what I call a Win-Win situation.

Go on to the app store on your phone or tablet and try out "Expensify", which is a "free" app and  give it a couple of weeks and see if it works for you.  Or check out the many other apps that could fit your needs and help you get organized. 

With only 9 weeks till 2014, it is a good idea to find out what works best for you now, so when January 1, 2014 comes along you are ready to start the new year organized.

It can be a puzzle to find that method that is tailored to your needs, we are here to help guide you in the right direction.

Give us a call 619-726-1158 to set up an appointment for a free consultation.

Check out our other blog articles, and we would love for you to connect with us on our other social media sites to your right.  Be social friendly and share with your friends.  

Thanks for checking us out

Gabe The Taxguy

Getting Organized

There are so many tools out there that will help you get organized. And, the first thing that we need to do is to find that tool that will help you to succeed. The second thing we will do is create the habit.

Here at Piña Business Services we are going to help you create that habit and keep you accountable to getting more organized to help you succeed.

Give us a call to set up a free consultation 619-726-1158

The benefits of using a Local Payroll Provider

Do you ever call your payroll provider and get a random person on the phone? 

As a former Payroll Manager that was one of my biggest complaints with the larger payroll companies out there.    

At Piña Business Services, you will be greeted by the same person every time.  You will be treated with the utmost respect   We see you as a valued client with real needs and we respect your time and availability.  That is why all of our services are tailored to fit your needs.

Being a member of a Payroll Association, allows me to get the current up to date laws, and law proposals. I make sure my clients get these notifications also. 

  

Payroll can be puzzling, we can help put the puzzle pieces together one piece at a time.

Give us a call 619-726-1158 to get a quote for your Payroll needs.

Be sure to check out our social media links to the right.  Also to the right you can check out our past blogs.  

Thank you for taking the time to read, share and/or liking our blog.  

How to have your taxes benefit your pocket

Are you living paycheck to paycheck, and yet every tax season you get this big refund?  

There are many credits, deductions, and write-offs that are there for our benefit. Knowing how to use these credits, deductions and write-offs, can give you more money in your pocket throughout the year, instead of using the government as your savings account.

Talking to your tax professional (Like Myself) about adjusting your withholdings is something you should be doing about 1 or 2 times a year. We need to make sure we are not over paying and learn how to add more money in your paycheck.

Knowing all the credits, deductions and write-offs are important, but communicating with your tax preparer is where you need to start.

It can be puzzling but, we are here to help put all the pieces together. 

To set up an appointment to have us look over your taxes and see how to put more money in your paycheck, call 619-726-1158

Feel free to ask questions or comment below.  Also, we appreciate any shares or likes on Social Media, all the links are below.

Why you want to outsource your Bookkeeping instead of using your family friend.

Paying someone to do your Bookkeeping vs. having a friend do it CAN save you money. 

The key elements that you want to look for are:

• Communication
• Financial Reports
• Financial Advice
• Up to Date on New Laws

Are you looking for someone who can just data entry your expenses and your income or are you looking for someone to evaluate the health of the business and give you advice on your next steps? 

Outsourcing a Local Bookkeeper (Like Myself) who can guide you through a budget, your Financial Reports and your taxes can really help you and save you money in the long run.

Having a Local Bookkeeper (Like Myself) who belongs to a Bookkeeping and Payroll organization, who will get the up to date changes to the laws can really help look out for you and the health of your business.

 

Bookkeeping is not just producing a Profit and Loss Statement, it’s another piece of the puzzle that helps show your tax refund or balance due.  If done right, it will be a refund or break even.  


Give us a call 619-726-1158 for a free consultation.

If you haven't seen our video blog about our services, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/user/pinabiz?feature=c4-feed-u