How should I document my investment into a business for proof of transfer?

Great question. Check out this link: http://www.irs.gov/uac/Do-I-have-to-File-a-Tax-Return%3F PLEASE go speak to a professional about this. You might call one of the tax dudes here on Clarity (go figure...). In the past I have always filed a return -- even if taxes were not owed. It buttons things up nicely.

I'm assuming you're talking about yourself, working for another company? The first thing to consider is that a "1099" is NOT an employee, rather an "independent contractor". The IRS takes it seriously when a company claims 1099 contractors, when in fact, these contractors are treated as employees (the IRS wants payroll tax and will fine companies that miscategorize). To be a 1099 contractor, rather than an employee (W-2), you must have complete control over your schedule - when you work, how much ect. There are other criteria, but this is the main one - you must clearly not be treated the same as an employee. The other thing to consider is that if you are a 1099 contractor, you are responsible for paying and submitting your own income tax and self employment tax to the state and the IRS. It is more advantageous for a company to pay you as a 1099 contractor as they save paying employer portion of payroll taxes. Also you will not count as an employee for the Affordable Care Act (which impacts companies with over 50 employees). Hope this helps. Kathryn

Yes. For USA based businesses – we consult on everything from conceptualization to completion, including federal, state, and local laws/regulations, etc. We even provide referrals for Branding (Logo/Product Packaging, etc.), Website Building & Security, SEO, Google Search, etc. If you know what you want to sell (and it is not prohibited by law), we are able to provide clarity to have you up and running within 30-days on average.

If your concern is from an ethical standpoint or a concern over a segregation of duties, there is no problem at all having your tax person handling your bookkeeping. The bigger issue is something that few people understand about accountants. There are different specialties within accounting, and you should go to the right specialist for the right task. Tax accountants are experts in tax law, filling out tax returns and finding ways to minimize taxes. They must immerse themselves in the field to maintain their expertise. Financial accountants (which include bookkeeping) are experts in debits and credits and keeping all your transaction straight in your accounting software so that you can get good financials each month. Financial accountants have to immerse themselves in your day-to-day accounting so that they can keep it accurate and up to date. Full disclosure, this is the work that my firm specializes in, we don’t do any taxes. Because each type of accountant must immerse themselves in their individual fields of expertise, they don’t have the time to focus on the other expertise. Not that they are both not great accountants, they just have a different specialty. Here’s a good analogy. If you developed a heart condition, would you go see a neurologist? No, you’d go see a cardiologist. They are both outstanding physicians and know a lot about the human body, but the cardiologist spends all their time thinking about, studying, and treating heart conditions and is going to be the best equipped and most knowledgeable about treatments for your heart condition. The last point I’ll make is that tax work is very seasonal and requires incredible focus and incredibly long hours leading up to major tax deadlines. This is not only during the period from January to April 15th, but also leading up to major deadlines on August, September and October 15th. Companies I have worked with that used tax accountants in the past for their bookkeeping find during these periods their tax accountants are forced to put all other work besides taxes on hold until their tax work is complete. What often happens in these situations is that these company’s bookkeeping falls three or four months behind. This can be devastating for a small business that needs to know if they are making money or losing money on a very up to date basis. So my suggestion is to find yourself a good bookkeeper that can handle your books. Your tax person may even be able to suggest a good resource, and deep down may be glad to do so because her first love is taxes, not bookkeeping. My firm could likely handle the work as well. Hope my thoughts above are helpful and addressed your question, but feel free to reach out to me if you have any follow up questions.

I will answer this is the simplest form I can. Basically in every country to conduct business in you will need to pay taxes in that country. If you have an office, employees or your revenue comes from that country you have to pay taxes. These taxes will include State, Federal and Sales Tax. Moreover, this at the beginning will make you think you are paying double tax since this income also has to be paid with your local government, but it isn't so bad. This could be a great opportunity to build a tax strategy where you can take advantage of multi country taxation which can lower your overall tax bracket. There are several steps you have to do to conduct business in the US, such as incorporating first as a foreign corporation in the state you chose (Preferably one with no state tax) then filing your taxes. Your tax preparer in Canada will have to take this in consideration since there are forms he has to fill out to cancel either you Canadian Income Tax or your US tax preparer to fill out the return not to pay taxes here but in Canada... whichever tax you have to pay depending on the international treaties they have.