Small business tax calendar, tips & tools

While individuals must wait until Tuesday, Jan. 17, to begin e-filing returns, the Internal Revenue Service has already opened the electronic door for small businesses.

In an email to tax professionals last week, the IRS said it successfully completed its annual Modernized e-File, or MeF, system activities and is now accepting tax year 2011, 2010 and 2009 business-related tax returns.

So the ol' blog is joining the IRS with a nod to business taxes in today's Daily Tax Tip.

Mark your business tax calendar: To help business filers meet all their tax responsibilities and deadlines, the IRS produces an annual tax calendar for small businesses and self-employed filers.

If you want a paper copy to hang on your wall, sorry. This was a popular item. The IRS is already out of stock and it doesn't plan to reprint any more.

But that's why the Internet was invented, right?

You'll find a link to the current month's business calendar page over in the left column at the end of the monthly tax moves list.

But if you want to peruse the full 12 months, you can download your own PDF copy of the 2012 business tax calendar. There's also a version in Spanish.

In addition to the calendar grids, the document elaborates on business tax issues each month.

Check your desktop: Don't want to mess with a big old PDF on your PC or laptop? No problem.

Install the IRS Calendar Connector on either or both machines and access key business tax dates right from your desktop.

As new events are added, promises the IRS, they will be automatically updated via the desktop tool.

The customizable tool allows you to specify what types of business tax alerts you wish to view: general, employer, excise or all.

And you get to pick how you want the reminders displayed: by day, week or month.

Business tax Outlook: The IRS also offers Microsoft Outlook users a way to subscribe to the business calendar or import the tax dates to that personal computer calendar.

Right now the options are:

• Subscribe to the Tax Calendar using Outlook 2007,
  
• Subscribe to the Tax Calendar using iCal or
• Import the Tax Calendar into Outlook 2003.

There's no indication of when the IRS might add an Outlook 2010 option, but I'll let you know as soon as I find out. Or if you discover it before I do, drop me a note or post a comment here and I'll pass it along to other readers.

More small business tax topics: Finally, as I've noted before, I tend to focus on individual taxes. Some of those tax tips cross over, especially advice for sole proprietors who file Schedule C or C-EZ with their personal Form 1040s.

But when you do want some additional small business tax tips directly from the IRS, check out the agency's A-Z Index for Business.

Now I know there are lots of small business tax-specific blogs and websites out there. Not that I'm lazy, but it is a Saturday, and a nice one here in Central Texas, so I'm going to go enjoy it and ask for your help, dear readers, in the biz tax area.

If you have a favorite small business tax site and/or blog — and it can be your own! — please share the information and link by adding a comment below. Thanks!

You also might find these items of interest:

• IRS hikes 2011 mileage tax deduction amount
• Your boss is worried about your retirement, too
• Year-end tax moves for small businesses