If you’ve recently started a business, or if you’re in the process of starting one, you should be aware of a tax law change that could make a big difference in your tax bill. The 2010 Small Business Jobs Act doubled the amount of start-up expenses that someone starting a business in 2010 could write off in that year. Here are the details.
Generally, expenses incurred before a business begins don’t generate any deductions or other current tax benefits. However, under pre-2010 Small Business Jobs Act law, taxpayers, whether they were individuals, corporations or partnerships, were permitted to elect to write off up to $5,000 of “start-up expenses” in the year business began, and the rest could be deducted over a period of 180 months. The $5,000 figure was reduced by the excess of total start-up costs over $50,000. You were deemed to have made this election unless you opted out.
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