Ten Tax Deductions Home Daycare and Child Care Providers Miss

Most child care providers know they can deduct the cost of food and supplies for their business on their taxes. Some even know they can take a substantial mileage deduction. But many home daycare providers miss some large deductions that can really help trim your tax bill or increase your refund. This article deals with ten commonly missed deductions and how to apply them to your taxes.

I am sure you have diligently kept your receipts from last year and have added up your food costs. Did you also calculate the cost of your consumable supplies? Maybe not! Consumable supplies are the items used for your business that are, well, consumed and have to be purchased over and over again. Items like toilet paper, tissues, napkins, paper towels, dish soap, laundry soap, etc. fall into this category. All of these items are either used by the children in your care or are used more frequently because you have children in your care. And all of them are partially deductible on your taxes. If you buy these supplies strictly for child care and your family doesn't use them, then these supplies are 100% deductible. However, most of us don't separate out our toilet paper for daycare and family use.

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So, in order to find out how much you can deduct for these consumables, you need to apply the time/space formula to the total amount spent on these supplies in a year. The time/space formula calculates how much time you spent doing daycare in a year compared to the number of hours in a year, and also calculates the amount of space in your home that you use for your business. Briefly, you need to calculate the number of hours you spent doing child care in a year. Then you need to divide that number by the number of actual hours in a year (8760) to come up with a percentage of time you spent providing child care in the year. Finally, you need to calculate the percentage of your home that you use for your business and multiply this percentage times the percentage of hours worked to get a final percentage. This final percentage is then multiplied by the amount spent on consumables in a year to come up with the dollar figure of how much you can claim as a business expense on the consumables you purchased.

Here is a list of the most common consumables used, though you may come up with a lot of others depending on your situation: dish soap, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, all cleaning products, Ziploc bags, aluminum foil, Saran wrap, garbage bags, tissues, toilet paper, paper towels, baby wipes, hand soap, lotion, paper plates, paper cups, and air fresheners. There are many others that may apply to your home. Try to come up with an exhaustive list that applies to your situation.

This next grouping of deductions I will deal with together, as they are all related. These deductions deal with supplies and services for your home that you pay for. This includes utilities, garbage services, internet service, and more. Since these services benefit both your business and your family, they once again need to have the time/space formula applied to them in order to calculate your deduction. Use the figure that you calculated from above and multiply it times the total amount paid in a year for, say, your electric bills to come up with a deductible amount. Basically, any supply or service that is used to benefit your business can be at least partially deducted.

Remember to include these items: electric bills, propane or natural gas, water bills, home security system fees, cable or satellite television, internet service (if you use the internet for your business for advertising or looking things up or email), and garbage and/or recycling pickup. All of these services are necessary for running a child care business and are therefore deductible. Just calculate the total amount spent in a year for a service and then multiply it by your time/space formula calculation to get a total deduction. List these out and give them to your accountant, it's that easy!

There are occasionally times when you can deduct 100% of the cost of a service. This applies when a service is used exclusively for your business. For example, if you have a phone line that is only used for your child care business, then you can deduct 100% of the fees for that phone line. Also, if your child care is run out of a separate building from your home, say a converted garage, then you can probably figure out the electricity for just that building and deduct that cost at 100%. It is, of course, advantageous to be able to increase your deductions, so take advantage of this if you can.

The tenth and final deduction that is commonly missed is a deduction for work done on or services provided for your home. For example, did you have new gutters installed? That cost will be at least partially deductible. Did you have your carpets cleaned? Again, that is a deduction. Did you have a repairman come to fix the refrigerator? Take a deduction for that! Save all receipts for any work done so you can claim the deduction. You will need to speak with your accountant about how much you can deduct for services done, because it depends on the service how the deduction is taken. Things like refrigerator repair will probably be deducted based on the time/space formula. Carpet cleaning and other cleaning services may be 100% deductible. Things like home improvements may have the time/space formula applied or they may be depreciated, depending on the cost. These can be great deductions, it is just a little more difficult to know how to calculate the total deduction on these items and should probably be done with the help of an accountant.

These ten tax deductions are fairly simple to apply and can really bring a home daycare provider some much needed tax relief. It takes a little extra time to calculate these items, but it can definitely be worth it in the long run!

Ten Tax Deductions Home Daycare and Child Care Providers Miss

frosty Wine Slush Drinks

Over the past few years, wine slushies (frozen wine slush drinks) have been gaining huge popularity all over the country. The mixture of wine, fruit flavors, sugar, and other sometimes exotic ingredients integrate to originate a thoughprovoking taste. However, when you ice this concoction, that's when your tongue throws a party for your mouth. Frosty it, or production it in a blender, makes all the difference. Refreshing beyond description.

There are two ways you can go about production wine slushies. One is to find a good recipe, buy all of the ingredients and make it from scratch.

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The other way is to buy a dry wine slush mix that you just add your beloved wine (any kind of wine, even champagne) and water to. You just mix it up all together and ice it. That's all there is to it.

Let's observe option estimate one: Here are some recipes for wine slushies to make from scratch.

Wine Slush Recipe

1 (12 oz.) Frosty orange juice

1 (48 oz.) Hawaiian punch

Juice of 2 lemons

1/2 c. Sugar

1 bottle wine

Stir and freeze. Use 1/2 of 7-Up and 1/2 slush.

Wine Slush method

2 c. Sugar and 1 c. Water, boiled, simmered 10 minutes and cooled

1 (12 oz.) orange juice concentrate

1 (12 oz.) lemonade concentrate

2 c. Water

1/2 gallon Hearty Burgundy

Mix and freeze. To serve: Make individual glasses. Fill glass half with Frosty mixture and half 7-Up.

Celebration Wine Slush method

4 (6 oz.) cans Frosty tangerine or orange juice concentrate

2 pt. Pineapple sherbet

3 c. Water

Orange, lemon, or lime slices or wedges

Dry white wine, champagne, rum, vodka, sparkling water or lemon-lime carbonated beverage, chilled

Thaw integrate slightly; stir sherbet to soften. Stir integrate and water into sherbet. ice 5 hours. Spoon 2 tablespoons slush into glass; pour in option of beverage. Decoration with fruit slice. Makes 9 1/2 cups slush or about 60 to 75 servings.

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These are all tasty Frosty wine drinks, however, they are high-priced because of all of the many distinct ingredients you have to buy. Plus, they require a trip to the store to buy all of the ingredients. Some recipes are also a hassle to make. This doesn't say much for convenience.

Our next option is the dry wine slush mix. This option eliminates all of the negatives mentioned above. As a constructor of a dry wine slush mix myself, I can tell you that population are buying these mixes for a collection of reasons.

First, they are super convenient. All you need is the mix and your beloved wine. You just add wine and water to the mix, and stir it up until the mix is completely dissolved. Stick it in the freezer for 4 to 8 hours, or overnight. Take it out and use a spoon to stir it all up to the allowable consistency and serve.

No measuring out sugar, no slicing lemons or limes, no scooping sherbet, no simmering water and sugar on the stove, etc. You just stir up the wine and water with the mix and you're done. That's convenience.

Convenience isn't all that wine slush mixes have to offer. No matter how favorable a goods is, if it doesn't taste good - it's no good. The fact that millions of bags of wine slush mix are sold and enjoyed every year speaks for itself. If it didn't taste good, no one would buy it. It obviously tastes good. Very good.

If you have any left over or if some melts, just stick it back in the freezer and it will be just as good next time. This is not always true with some of your "from scratch" recipes. It will stay Frosty in your freezer for at least 9 months and taste like you made it last night. Before you make up a batch, it will stay in your cabinet just fine for a full year.

Versatility comes into play here also. The mixes don't need any confident kind of wine. It takes on the profile of any kind of wine you use, even champagne. However, you may be surprised that many, many population buy it because you can use it for a non-alcoholic slush mix. You can use it with non-alcoholic wine, ginger ale, cranberry juice, pomegranate juice, apple juice, grape juice and sparkling juices. Moms love this for the kids.

Another nice aspect of some of the wine slush mixes is that they also come in pretty, decorated gift bags. These make for remarkable hostess gifts, birthday gifts, Christmas gifts, etc. A bag or two of the wine slush mix with a bottle of wine makes for a perfect gift for any occasion. Some associates even have other wine connected items such as wine charms, flattened, decorated wine bottles, wine dip mixes, and so forth that you can add to make an entire custom wine themed gift basket.

Whether you select option estimate one or the dry mixes, wine slushies are so tasty and here to stay. Enjoy!

frosty Wine Slush Drinks

freezing Wine Slush Drinks

Over the past few years, wine slushies (frozen wine slush drinks) have been gaining huge popularity all over the country. The blend of wine, fruit flavors, sugar, and other sometimes exotic ingredients merge to create a spellbinding taste. However, when you frost this concoction, that's when your tongue throws a party for your mouth. Icy it, or making it in a blender, makes all the difference. Refreshing beyond description.

There are two ways you can go about making wine slushies. One is to find a good recipe, buy all of the ingredients and make it from scratch.

Bank Orchard

The other way is to buy a dry wine slush mix that you just add your favorite wine (any kind of wine, even champagne) and water to. You just mix it up all together and frost it. That's all there is to it.

Let's explore selection amount one: Here are some recipes for wine slushies to make from scratch.

Wine Slush Recipe

1 (12 oz.) Icy orange juice

1 (48 oz.) Hawaiian punch

Juice of 2 lemons

1/2 c. Sugar

1 bottle wine

Stir and freeze. Use 1/2 of 7-Up and 1/2 slush.

Wine Slush recipe

2 c. Sugar and 1 c. Water, boiled, simmered 10 minutes and cooled

1 (12 oz.) orange juice concentrate

1 (12 oz.) lemonade concentrate

2 c. Water

1/2 gallon Hearty Burgundy

Mix and freeze. To serve: Make personel glasses. Fill glass half with Icy blend and half 7-Up.

Celebration Wine Slush recipe

4 (6 oz.) cans Icy tangerine or orange juice concentrate

2 pt. Pineapple sherbet

3 c. Water

Orange, lemon, or lime slices or wedges

Dry white wine, champagne, rum, vodka, sparkling water or lemon-lime carbonated beverage, chilled

Thaw merge slightly; stir sherbet to soften. Stir merge and water into sherbet. frost 5 hours. Spoon 2 tablespoons slush into glass; pour in selection of beverage. Adornment with fruit slice. Makes 9 1/2 cups slush or about 60 to 75 servings.

********

These are all yummy Icy wine drinks, however, they are expensive because of all of the many separate ingredients you have to buy. Plus, they wish a trip to the store to buy all of the ingredients. Some recipes are also a hassle to make. This doesn't say much for convenience.

Our next selection is the dry wine slush mix. This selection eliminates all of the negatives mentioned above. As a maker of a dry wine slush mix myself, I can tell you that habitancy are buying these mixes for a range of reasons.

First, they are super convenient. All you need is the mix and your favorite wine. You just add wine and water to the mix, and stir it up until the mix is wholly dissolved. Stick it in the freezer for 4 to 8 hours, or overnight. Take it out and use a spoon to stir it all up to the proper consistency and serve.

No measuring out sugar, no slicing lemons or limes, no scooping sherbet, no simmering water and sugar on the stove, etc. You just stir up the wine and water with the mix and you're done. That's convenience.

Convenience isn't all that wine slush mixes have to offer. No matter how convenient a product is, if it doesn't taste good - it's no good. The fact that millions of bags of wine slush mix are sold and enjoyed every year speaks for itself. If it didn't taste good, no one would buy it. It obviously tastes good. Very good.

If you have any left over or if some melts, just stick it back in the freezer and it will be just as good next time. This is not all the time true with some of your "from scratch" recipes. It will stay Icy in your freezer for at least 9 months and taste like you made it last night. Before you make up a batch, it will stay in your cabinet just fine for a full year.

Versatility comes into play here also. The mixes don't need any positive kind of wine. It takes on the profile of any kind of wine you use, even champagne. However, you may be surprised that many, many habitancy buy it because you can use it for a non-alcoholic slush mix. You can use it with non-alcoholic wine, ginger ale, cranberry juice, pomegranate juice, apple juice, grape juice and sparkling juices. Moms love this for the kids.

Another nice aspect of some of the wine slush mixes is that they also come in pretty, decorated gift bags. These make for breathtaking hostess gifts, birthday gifts, Christmas gifts, etc. A bag or two of the wine slush mix with a bottle of wine makes for a excellent gift for any occasion. Some fellowships even have other wine connected items such as wine charms, flattened, decorated wine bottles, wine dip mixes, and so forth that you can add to make an entire practice wine themed gift basket.

Whether you select selection amount one or the dry mixes, wine slushies are so yummy and here to stay. Enjoy!

freezing Wine Slush Drinks

Who Should Receive a Form 1099-MISC?

Virtually every tax rule has a potentially long list of exceptions, limitations and otherwise mind-boggling list of finer points. Such is the case with the Form 1099-MISC reporting requirements. Ask a simple question: To whom am I required to send a Form 1099-MISC? Get a simple answer: Read the 8-page document entitled "Instructions for Form 1099-MISC" and watch your head spin.

What's a small business owner to do? The purpose of this article is to give you an introduction to the wild and wacky world of Form 1099-MISC do's and don'ts. Even then, this article will focus only on who gets a 1099-MISC for "non-employee compensation" that gets reported in Box 7.

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Let's start with the basics. Fortunately, there are two basic rules that are somewhat easy to understand:

1. Only report payments to a given individual when the annual total is 0 or greater.
2. Only report payments made for services rendered to you in the course of your trade or business. Personal payments are not to be reported. Example: you can forget about payments to your lawn care man or other independent contractor who works on your home (electrician, plumber, appliance repairman, handyman, etc). But if you hire an accountant or attorney to do work for your business, and annual total is 0 or more, then you've got to issue a 1099-MISC to that service provider.

Now comes the fun part. There are many exceptions to the above general rules. For example, there's a long list of payments for which a 1099-MISC is not required, such as:

1. Payments to a corporation. Sole Proprietors, independent contractors, and self-employed people are the folks the IRS is trying to keep an eye on here.
2. Payments for merchandise. The main concern is services rendered not products sold.
3. Payments of rent to real estate agents.
4. Payments of wages to employees. Those go on Form W-2.

And then there are exceptions to the exceptions. For example, generally speaking, payments to corporations are excluded. But there are certain payments to corporations that should be reported on 1099-MISC, such as:

1. Medical and health care payments (these go in Box 6, not Box 7)
2. Fish purchases for cash. (See the next paragraph for more amazing facts about this one).
3. Attorney's fees. (Doesn't that one make you smile?)

And then there are aspects to 1099-MISC that are just plain fishy! Note that even though the main concern of Form 1099-MISC is payments for services rather than products, if you are in the fish business and purchase fish for resale, you are required to report annual cash payments of 0 or more to anyone who is in the business of catching fish. Cash payments include the following: coin, currency, cashier's check, bank draft, traveler's check, or money order. A cash payment does not include a check written against your personal or business account.

Who Should Receive a Form 1099-MISC?

Types of Arrest Warrants - A Look at Felony, Civil and Alias Arrest Warrants

A warrant of arrest is issued by the court ordering law enforcers to detain a person. Basically, arrest warrants are issued if there has been a crime that was committed and there is enough evidence to incriminate a suspect, and if the person named in the warrant committed the crime.

However, there is also warrant of arrests issued if the person in question failed to show up in court. For example, if you have outstanding parking tickets and you fail to pay for it or to show up for court to hear your case, then an arrest warrant may be issued in your name.

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There are also search warrants that give the authority to search a person's premises. Although this is not necessarily an arrest warrant, if the authorities found narcotics or other evidence that point to a particular crime, they can automatically arrest you without the warrant of arrest.

Another type of warrant is called the bench warrant. This is basically issued to people who have skipped their next scheduled court appearance. The superior court warrant is also another type of warrant issued by the county court or the Supreme Court. This secures the appearance of the defendant on court who has been indicted.

These are the types of arrest warrants that are commonly used by the law. It is important to remember that having arrest warrants is a serious thing and that you should not try and ignore it. If you do not remember committing any crime, and you have an arrest warrant in your name, then you may want to try getting the arrest warrant reviewed as you may have been a victim of identity theft.

What's a Felony Warrant?

People don't understand that there are different kinds of warrants that can be issued by the court. One of which is called the felony warrant. Basically, if this type of warrant was issued, the person in the warrant can be arrested for felony charges or for crimes that he or she committed.

One example would be the case of Paula Poundstone who was arrested on a felony warrant. The charges were three counts of lewd acts on a 14 year old girl. She was also charged for endangering two unidentified girls and two boys by driving under the influence.

This is an example of a case where felony warrants can be issued. Although the three lewd acts charges were dropped, she underwent a 180 alcohol rehabilitation program.

Felony warrants lasts until the authority arrests the person who was charged with a particular felony act.

Felony warrants are public documents which can be legally and freely viewed by the public and is a serious type of warrant that should not be ignored. It is important that you should try searching for felony warrants in your name in order to make sure that you are free from any felony charges that you may not know about.

You have to consider that fact that people may use your identity and you may be charged with a crime under your name that was committed by another person who used your identity to commit the crime.

This is what felony warrant is all about. Lewd acts or conduct is just one type of crime that felony warrant may be filed against you.

What is a Civil Warrant?

There are a lot of people who fills out a civil warrant or a civil summons form. However, not many people know about it and that they often mistake it for an arrest warrant. So, just what is a civil warrant and where is it used?

Basically, a civil warrant is commonly issued in the small claims court when filing suit. The plaintiff will be requested to fill out a civil warrant or a civil summons form. In this form, it will contain space for the details of the claim. If you are seeking for a money judgment, then you might want to prepare and file a type of civil warrant called the warrant in debt.

Another type of civil warrant that is commonly issued is called the warrant in detinue. This is used by the plaintiff in order to obtain a possession of a specific personal property that he or she considered to be wrongfully possessed or withheld by the defendant. These forms can be filled out by a non-lawyer who is representing him or herself.

The civil warrant is basically commonly used in the small claims court. In order to file it, you will need to give the court clerk the name of the defendant, the amount of your claim, the basis of the claim, the current address of the defendant, and the sufficient funds to pay the fees, such as the filing fee and the sheriff's fees in order to serve the warrant.

As you can see, the civil warrant is basically simple to understand. These warrants are basically used in the civil court and are commonly used by filing small claims.

What is an Alias Warrant?

You'll see that there are quite a lot of types of warrant. If you are studying law or that you have an interest with the law, it is important that you should know about the different types of warrants in order for you to become more informed and more aware about the proceedings of the law. Even if you are a regular person, having knowledge about the different kinds of warrant can help you in case you or someone you know has been issued with a type of warrant.

One type of warrant is called the alias warrant.

Basically, the alias warrant is a type of warrant that is issued by the court when no plea has been entered on the case you are involved in, particularly if you failed to appear in court. This type of warrant can be issued if you also fail to appear on the initial appearance on the citation or you have failed to appear on court on the scheduled court date.

You have to remember that when you receive and sign a citation, this is as good as a promise that you will appear in court. If you fail to appear, you will automatically have two cases instead of one. This additional offense is called Failure to Appear, which is under the Penal Code.

This type of warrant gives the authority to arrest you. You can bond out of jail by cash bond, bail bond, attorney bond, or PR bond.

As you can see, alias warrants should be taken seriously. You need to appear in court in person or by mail on the scheduled court date. Or else, you will be charged with an additional offense and an alias warrant will be issued on your name.

Types of Arrest Warrants - A Look at Felony, Civil and Alias Arrest Warrants

Warning About Buy Here, Pay Here Car Lots

Before you turn over your hard earned cash at a buy here pay here car lot, there are some things that you should know. This information will save you a lot of money, both right now and in the future.

You're paying too much.

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There's no bank that's regulating how much the car lot is charging you for the car. In many cases, buying from a buy-here-pay-here car lot is resulting in you paying thousands more for a car than it could ever possibly be sold for at a regular car dealership. On top of that, you're paying thousands more in finance charges than you have to.

You don't have to use a buy here pay here car lot!

You absolutely don't. There are finance companies on the internet that specialize in helping people with horrible credit get into cars without even needing a down payment. You can save thousands of dollars on both the price of a car, your interest rate and your monthly payments if you just know what to do.

Regardless of your credit history... If you've had judgments, repossessions, bankruptcy or multiple bankruptcies, medical collections, tax liens, whatever. Who cares?

You can get financed and approved... for more car with lower payments. Lower payments are the result of a lower interest rate.

You know what the best thing about getting approved online is? You don't necessarily have to buy from a car dealership. Having an approval letter from an online loan company means that you can go car shopping anywhere you want, including shopping for cars in your local newspaper for sale by private owner, which saves you from having to pay sales tax!

Warning About Buy Here, Pay Here Car Lots

How to Find Someone's Address Using Their Cell Phone Number

These services make sense for a whole lot of reasons. For instance a particular number might keep popping up on your spouse's cell phone or you might be the habitual victim of a prankster who keeps sending you odd text messages or making disturbing calls. Regardless of the nature of your concerns, you can always find what you need using such services.

More than 50% of the numbers in existence are either unlisted numbers or they come from cell phones, looking in a phonebook won't help at all because these records are not publicly available, they are part of the records of private cell phone companies.

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Businesses exist that pay a lot for the opportunity to access records for unlisted phone numbers as well as cell phone numbers. This information that is gathered is then used to create very comprehensive databases that you can use to search for the needed information. This is because they spend money to get these databases together, they also tend to charge a fee for providing services such as reverse cell number lookup. Their fees aren't exorbitant but they are well worth what you pay for them.

Reverse cell phone number search services allow you instant access to records such as name, address and current location for just a small amount of money. All you need to have is the person's phone number and a credit card to sign up for the service in question.

Some people prefer to save money by using services that offer the chance to perform a one-time search, while other people who feel they will be using these services much more frequently prefer to pay a substantially larger fee.

You'd be surprised about just how much you can find out about a person just from their phone number alone.

How to Find Someone's Address Using Their Cell Phone Number