Give your heart a refill at the Schoolhouse Expo

Take time to “get a refill” at the

Schoolhouse Expo, May 16–20, 2011.

Right now, you can buy your ticket to the live 2011 Schoolhouse Expo for an amazing price! Purchase your ticket by February 9th, and receive a $20 discount and gifts (valued over $419.87) for only $19.50!

In addition to the privilege of attending approximately 20 live, hour-long sessions, you will receive a one-year membership to the Homeschool Legal Advantage and a free will, valued at $65; 21 downloadable gifts worth more than $200; access to MP3 files of the sessions, for future reference; door prizes; access to a virtual vendor hall jam-packed with the market’s most outstanding vendors; and a whole lot of fun!

This special offer won’t last long! The Early Bird Sale ends February 9 at 11:59 p.m. We’d love to have everyone there, but space at the Schoolhouse Expo is limited. Tickets for the live conference are available on a first come, first served basis—we only have a limited number of tickets. Our May 2010 conference sold out within a few weeks. We want you to join us, so make plans to pick up your ticket during the Early Bird Sale! Get all the details here!

I’ll be there speaking on Micro Business for Teens! This is an on-line event; you can join us live in May or order all the workshops to listen to later.

I hope you’ll join me there!

Carol Topp, CPA

Educator Tax Deduction for Homeschoolers?

The IRS gives a $250 tax deduction to educators for unreimbursed supplies they spend in the classroom.

Can homeschoolers take this deduction?

The IRS guidelines say to be an eligible educator:

“You work at least 900 hours a school year in a school that provides elementary or secondary education, as determined under state law.”

To work means to get paid for your work as a teacher-employee. Homeschool parents are not employees of a school. We do not get paid; we do not get a W-2. The IRS will check for a W-2 from a school if a taxpayer takes the Educator Expense deduction. Homeschoolers would not have a W-2 from a school, even if your state classifies your homeschool as a private school.

The Educator Expense Deduction was initiated by President Geo W. Bush  attempting to get support from teachers and their powerful unions. It was extended at the end of 2010 for one more year.

I do not recommend that homeschool parents take the Educators Expense deduction. Sorry.

Carol Topp, CPA

P.S. Here are my required “lawyer” words:
Internal Revenue Service Circular 230 Disclosure: Advice relating to federal taxes that is contained in this communication (including attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein.

Paying co-op leaders

Hello,
I am the leader of a support group with around 65 families.  Our group has a board of elders and by-laws.  We also have a co-op of about half the members of the larger group.  The co-op requires members to be a member of the larger group.  The co-op has separate leadership and it’s own checking account. The by-laws don’t address the co-op specifically.

The co-op pays the leadership and teachers from their account.  Tuition and fees are charged for participating families.  Teachers are written checks from the co-ops account monthly. “Teacher Gift” is always written in the memo in the checks. For the most part, curriculum for the classes are decided upon by the leadership of the co-op. Those in the leadership of the co-op serve no other volunteer function in the main group (their leadership on the co-op has been counted as their volunteer service for all the 7 years the co-op has existed ). Another member of the group has complained that their paid leadership service is not volunteer service and should not be counted toward the main group.  I do agree with this.  But it seems that we need to address this and some other issues that aren’t quite right.

Should our groups separate?  The larger group has not reviewed the co-op’s financial records. The co-op only gave out 1099′s last year for the first time.  I know that whatever is done, there will be hurt feelings and I am at a loss to know where and how to tackle these issues.  Where and what should I start with?

Thanks in advance.

Tina

Tina,

Here’s my advice:
Read my ebook Paying Workers in a Homeschool Organizations. Available as a pdf for immediate download for $7.00 at
http://homeschoolcpa.com/bookstore/paying-workers-ebook/

Good for your group for finally giving 1099MISC to the teachers!  But you should stop writing “Teacher Gift” in the memo. These are not gifts. They are payments for services.

In my experience, it is untypical for homeschool co-op leaders to be paid. That is because most co-ops cannot afford to pay leaders. Instead, many leaders receive discounted tuition (or free classes) in appreciation for their volunteer efforts.

Since you are paying these leaders, they are employees, not independent contractors as your teachers apparently are (although this statement concerns me: “curriculum for the classes are decided upon by the leadership of the co-op.” It sounds as if they are employees and not independent contractors). Employees require quite a bit more paperwork and may involve paying unemployment tax and workers compensation taxes. I discuss the difference between independent contractors and employees in the Paying Workers ebook.

You asked: “Should our groups separate? The larger group has not reviewed the co-op’s financial records.” Obviously the larger support group has neglected some of their responsibilities. See my blog post on leader responsibilities here:
http://homeschoolcpa.com/what-are-the-legal-responsibilities-of-homeschool-leaders/ Perhaps it is time to weigh the pros and cons of being separate. A lot goes into that decision.

You also said: “Another member of the group has complained that their paid leadership service is not volunteer service and should not be counted toward the main group. I do agree with this. But it seems that we need to address this and some other issues that aren’t quite right.”
You are correct that you cannot pay a volunteer, so perhaps the volunteer service is not fulfilled because they are paid.

If you wish to discuss your group’s issues and concerns, I do offer private phone consultation with homeschool leaders. It’s one of my most popular services. Read more about it here: http://homeschoolcpa.com/services/consultation/

I hope that helps.

Carol Topp, CPA
HomeschoolCPA.com Helping homeschool leaders
————

Hi,

I wanted to thank you so much for writing back and give a little update.  The officers met and decided to work at correcting any errors we may be making.  We have a meeting scheduled with the co-op directors in the next couple of weeks.  I think it is so important to set a good example in everything you do.

I do want to add that I was incorrect in that the co-op leaders receive tuition waivers instead of being paid.  Once we get all the information on the finances, then we can make the necessary decisions about our groups.  I am praying for a smooth road.

Your website is very helpful and I have shared it with all the officers of our group.   We are so very appreciative.

Tina

Homeschooling as a home-based business

Dear Carol,

I am a homeschooling mother of three. I recently named our homeschool and incorporated the name to offer tutoring and testing for income (in my home). What do I need to do to report the income to the IRS. Should the name be a LLC. or S-Corporation? If you can shed some light on how I need to handle this, I would greatly appreciate it. I need the income to continue homeschooling, and this is unfamiliar territory for me. Thank you in advance for help.

Connie

Connie,
Thank you for contacting me. I wish you the best of success in your new endeavor as a business owner! It can be exciting and overwhelming at the same time.

You said you incorporated the name.  What specifically did you do?  Did you merely register the name or did you file incorporation papers with your state?  There is a big difference with respect to taxes.

Most tutors start out as sole proprietors and never progress to S Corp (or the larger C Corp) status.  There is no need to be a corporation for most tutors. This blog post I wrote might be helpful: Why You Should Be a Sole Proprietor

You might benefit by reading my articles and ebook, Small Business Start Up Guide, available at http://caroltoppcpa.com/services/small-business/

Sole proprietors file a Schedule C as part of there individual Form 1040.  A Schedule C shows all the income and expenses of the business.
Corporations have different IRS forms that are much more complex and usually require a CPA to prepare.

I hope that helps. There is a lot to learn!

Carol Topp, CPA