Small Business

Employer reimbursements to you or payments to a third party for qualified adoption expenses are generally tax free up to $12,650 in 2012 ($13,360 in 2011.)
The exclusion is phased out if your modified gross income is between $189,710 and 229,710 in 2012 ($185,210 and $225,210 in 2011.)

Employer contributions to the HSA of a qualified individual (determined monthly) are exempt from federal income tax withholding, social security tax, Medicare tax, and FUTA tax.
For 2013, the employer can contribute up to $3,250 for self-only coverage or $6,450 for family coverage to a qualified individual's HSA.

An employee can generally exclude from gross income up to $5,000 of benefits received under a dependent care assistance program each year. This limit is reduced to $2,500 for married employees filing separate returns.
The employer can exclude the value of benefits from the employee's wages if you reasonably believe that the employee can exclude the benefits from gross income and qualify for the dependent care credit.
The employer cannot exclude dependent care assistance from the wages of a highly compensated employee unless the benefits provided under the program do not favor highly compensated employees.

Premiums paid by employer to recipient are not taxed if policy coverage is $50,000 or less. .

If Chauffer services are provided for both personal and business purposes, the costs of the personal use are considered taxable income.

Fringe benefits are taxable and included in a recipient's pay Unless the law specifically excludes it.
Fringe Benefits are various non-wage compensations provided to employees in addition to their normal wages or salaries.
The most common of these benefits include health, dental, accident and life insurance, daycare, tuition reimbursement, disability income protection, retirement benefits, sick leave, vacation pay, profit sharing, funding of education and adoption benefit plans.
Normally, employer-provided benefits are tax-deductible to the employer and non-taxable to the employee. The exception to the general rule includes certain executive benefits such as for golden parachute plans.

You can exclude up to $5,250 of educational assistance you provide to an employee under an educational assistance program from the employee's wages each year.
Graduate school expenses qualify as well as undergraduate courses.
Payments are tax free provided that the courses do not satisfy the employer's minimum educational standards and do not qualify the student for a new profession.
Educational assistance means amounts you pay or incur for your employees' education expenses.
These expenses generally include the cost of books, equipment, fees, supplies, and tuition. These expenses do not include the cost of a course or other education involving sports, games, or hobbies, unless the education has a reasonable relationship to your business, or is required as part of a degree program.
Education expenses do not include the cost of tools or supplies (other than textbooks) your employee is allowed to keep at the end of the course.
They do not include the cost of lodging, meals, or transportation.

A business plan is comprehensive planning document which clearly describes the business developmental objective of an existing or proposed business. The plan outlines where the resources needed to accomplish the objective will be obtained and utilized. It should also guide you to act on your intentions and benchmark your steps along the way and be written on a format that allows for collaboration among your employees and partners. For more information go to FundingRoadmap.com

Each expense should be listed on a proposed budget sheet. Costs should be researched. Some items on your budget sheet will be "fixed costs" in that they have no relationship to the cost of your product or service. Other costs are called variable costs as they are directly related to the services or quantity of products you sell. To learn more go to FundingRoadmap.com