Erica has been writing about small business finance and technology since 2008. She joined Merchant Maverick in 2018 and specializes in researching and reviewing business software, financial products, and other topics to help small businesses manage and grow their operations. Her expertise has been cited in MSN, Reader’s Digest, Vox, U.S. News & World Report, and Real Simple. She is a Certified ProAdvisor for QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Payroll, a graduate of Limestone University, and currently resides in Greenville, South Carolina.
One form of relief offered to small businesses is the Employee Retention Tax Credit. First introduced in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, this tax credit could be claimed by eligible employers on quarterly tax returns. This program was expanded by the Consolidated Appropriations Act signed into law in December 2020, making the credit accessible to more employers.
The SBA offers a variety of loan programs that vary according to business needs. Its flagship program is the 7(a) loan program, which offers loans for most general business purposes. However, it also offers special programs such as microloans and disaster loans. Find out more about SBA loans, including who qualifies.
QuickBooks Online is cloud-based accounting software. It has the complex accounting capabilities that small business owners need and supports numerous integrations. Quickbooks Online has a lot to offer in terms of features, accounting, and usability.
Loans expert Erica Seppala talks inflation with Nasdaq.
Financial expert Erica Seppala analyzes in Real Simple what people in their 40s can do to strengthen their finances.
Loans expert Erica Seppala tells Real Simple why an app might help people pay down their debt faster.
To set up online ordering for your restaurant, you have to create a menu, customize your online ordering site, choose takeout and delivery settings, route orders to POS and kitchen display devices, and connect to delivery services like DoorDash. You can also accept orders through your Google Business Profile and social media.
If you own a rental property (or several), there are several write-offs that you can deduct to lower your tax bill. This includes everything from mortgage interest and homeowner’s insurance premiums to the money you pay toward utilities, repairs, and employee wages.
Rental property depreciation allows property owners to write off the costs of purchasing and improving rental property on their income tax returns. Typically, a rental property depreciates at a rate of about 3.6% per year for 27.5 years. Depreciation begins after the property is available to rent.
Bonus depreciation is a tax incentive that allows businesses to write off a large percentage of the cost of an asset in the first year it’s placed into service. In 2024, 60% of the cost of qualified property can be written off in the first year it’s placed in service.
Most POS systems are not equipped to efficiently take in all this data. So, you will need accounting software like QuickBooks Online to keep track of expenses over time. Alternatively, you can save your receipts and manually add all your expenses when filling out your taxes.
If you’re a real estate investor or plan to invest in the future, it’s important to know the basics of residential rental properties, starting with the various classifications. In this post, we’ll break down how to classify rental property, from property types and classifications by property age and location to classifications used for writing off accelerated depreciation.Â
The Internal Revenue Service allows property owners to depreciate the value of an investment rental property over 27.5 years using the Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS). This applies to all properties put into service on or after January 1, 1987.
While it is generally recommended to do a cost segregation study in the same year a property is purchased, built, or remodeled, this doesn’t always occur. Property owners that do not do a cost segregation study in the same year that property was put into service can do a cost segregation look-back study.
The best time to do a cost segregation study is the year the property is put into service. This is the same year that you purchase, construct, or remodel the property. However, if you didn’t order a study in the first year, you haven’t missed out. You can have a cost segregation study done at any time with a look-back study.
For property owners, cost segregation can help save thousands of dollars through accelerated depreciation. The required cost segregation study to realize these savings can be expensive, so can you bypass this expense with DIY cost segregation?Â
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The vendors that appear on this list were chosen by subject matter experts on the basis of product quality, wide usage and availability, and positive reputation.
Merchant Maverick’s ratings are editorial in nature, and are not aggregated from user reviews. Each staff reviewer at Merchant Maverick is a subject matter expert with experience researching, testing, and evaluating small business software and services. The rating of this company or service is based on the author’s expert opinion and analysis of the product, and assessed and seconded by another subject matter expert on staff before publication. Merchant Maverick’s ratings are not influenced by affiliate partnerships.
Our unbiased reviews and content are supported in part by affiliate partnerships, and we adhere to strict guidelines to preserve editorial integrity. The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone.
