What Every Business Owner Should Know About Taxes

How much and how you pay your taxes are based off the type of business you own.

Here are the 4 general types of business taxes every business owner should be familiar with:

Estimated tax: Generally, you must pay taxes on income, including self-employment tax (discussed next), by making regular payments of estimated tax during the year. For additional information, refer to Estimated Taxes.Self-Employment Tax: Self-employment tax (SE tax) is a social security and Medicare tax primarily for individuals who work for themselves. Your payments of SE tax contribute to your coverage under the social security system. Social security coverage provides you with retirement benefits, disability benefits, survivor benefits, and hospital insurance (Medicare) benefits.

Employment Taxes: When you have employees, you as the employer have certain employment tax responsibilities that you must pay and forms you must file. Employment taxes include the following:

Social security and Medicare taxes

Federal income tax withholding

Federal unemployment (FUTA) tax

Excise Tax: This section describes the excise taxes you may have to pay and the forms you have to file if you do any of the following.

Manufacture or sell certain products.

Operate certain kinds of businesses.

Use various kinds of equipment, facilities, or products.

Receive payment for certain services.

Form 720 – The federal excise taxes reported on Form 720 (PDF), consist of several broad categories of taxes, including the following.

Environmental taxes.

Communications and air transportation taxes.

Fuel taxes.

Tax on the first retail sale of heavy trucks, trailers, and tractors.

Manufacturers taxes on the sale or use of a variety of different articles

Form 2290 – There is a federal excise tax on certain trucks, truck tractors, and buses used on public highways. The tax applies to vehicles having a taxable gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more. Report the tax on Form 2290 (PDF). For additional information, see the instructions for Form 2290 .

Form 730 – If you are in the business of accepting wagers or conducting a wagering pool or lottery, you may be liable for the federal excise tax on wagering. Use Form 730 (PDF), to figure the tax on the wagers you receive.

Form 11-C – Use Form 11-C, Occupational Tax and Registration Return for Wagering, to register for any wagering activity and to pay the federal occupational tax on wagering.