Purchase a copy of Tom Copeland's Family Child Care Record-Keeping Guide. Just $10!

Save $8 off the cover price and pay no sales tax or shipping charges to any U.S. address. (While supplies last.)

All child care providers should have a copy of this book. Use it as a reference when you have a record-keeping question. Discover some business deductions you are overlooking.

This great deal is possible because the 8th edition just came out and I still have some copies of the 7th edition on hand. According to Tom, the changes in the new edition are minor, except for incorporating new comments from the IRS Audit Technique Guide that came out in 2009. The total number of pages in the book didn't change.

Check out all of Tom Copeland's family child care business publications and webinar training opportunities.

August 2010

Dear Family Child Care Provider,

Thank you for visiting my website. Welcome. I hope that you find some useful information. Click here to read my Frequently Asked Questions.

If you have further questions about family child care record keeping and/or tax issues, please contact me by email or by phone at 800-616-1268 (California residents) or 510-745-7275 (all others). Email generally gets my quickest attention. During the off season (April 16 through December), I try to answer any questions that come my way, though I offer tax preparation services to California residents only.

If you are a California family child care provider and wish to have me prepare your 2009 income tax return, please contact me right away. The final filing deadline is October 15. Higher tax preparation fees will apply unless all of your tax information is provided by August 31.

Yours truly,

P.S. The Fall Surcharge applies between September 1 and October 15. All 2009 tax information must be received by August 31 to avoid a tax preparation fee surcharge:

After August 31 -> 20% fee surcharge applies
After September 15 -> 40% fee surcharge applies
After September 30 -> 60% fee surcharge applies

I Help Family Child Care Providers With:

• Income Tax Preparation
• Employee Issues / Hiring Helpers
• Payroll Tax: Quarterly Returns, W-2s, Etc.
• Estimated Tax Payments (Form 1040ES)
• IRS Notices and Audits
• Prior Year Tax Returns
• Advice regarding Business Licenses
• Direct and Shared Expenses
• Daycare Grocery Costs
• Standard Meal Allowance Rates
• Time / Space Percentage
• 100% Day Care Rooms (exclusive use)
• Home Inventories and Depreciation
• Business Use of Home (Form 8829)
• Record-Keeping
• Auto Expense
• Start-up Costs

Remember:

• Use a Form W-10 to provide your tax id number to parents.
• Don't give out your social security number - get a tax id number for your business.
• Save all grocery receipts (even for personal food) unless you use the standard meal allowance rates.
• Track all meals served to day care kids, even those not reimbursed by a food program.
• Track hours you (and your spouse) work when kids are not present.
• Always depreciate your home if you own it; depreciation will benefit you and it is not optional.
• Avoid a big tax bill and penalties on April 15 by making estimated tax payments.
• Do an inventory of your home furnishings when you start business (or even within a few years of starting).