ROBERT ALLEN BAUTISTA

Tax season in Kansas City does not start in April. For anyone with a small business, a side gig, or a cross-state commute, the smoothest filings begin in December. Here is a month-by-month plan. December: last chance to change the numbers* Estimate your profit and decide on any year-end purchases or retirement contributions * Open a Solo 401(k) now if you want one for this year * Make charitable gifts before December 31 Details: The Best Tax Break Kansas City Freelancers Igno

Every tax season, someone brings me a shoebox. Sometimes it is an actual shoebox; sometimes it is 4,000 unsorted photos on a phone. Either way, the cost is the same: hours of cleanup, missed deductions, and stress if the IRS or the state ever asks a question. Here is a recordkeeping system that takes about 20 minutes a month. The monthly 20-minute routine1. Download statements for every business bank and card account. 2. Snap or forward receipts into one folder or app as you

When self-employed clients ask me how to lower their tax bill, the answer that gets the least attention is often the biggest: put money into your own retirement plan. Every dollar you contribute to a SEP IRA or Solo 401(k) can reduce your federal income tax, and because Missouri and Kansas both start from federal adjusted gross income, it lowers your state tax too. Why it works so well for freelancers* No employer is offering you a 401(k) match, so you have to build your own