Re:DigitalOcean Raises $37.2M From Andreessen Horowitz to Ta...
by AznHisoka on Thursday March 06, 2014 @01:07PM
(#7355462)
Hmm.. question for u. Say I start a corporation, with just me and another partner, and I need to pay myself... So the revenue earned by the company that's paid to me. that's taxed once by the company. And then again by me as salary. No? Isn't that how it works?
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Re:DigitalOcean Raises $37.2M From Andreessen Horowitz to Ta...
by gamblor956 on Thursday March 06, 2014 @02:04PM
(#7355834)
Yes and no. What the other comments are ignoring is that the deductibility of salary paid to owners is capped, precisely to avoid the shenanigans they're trying to achieve (i.e., avoiding double taxation using the corporate form).
Up to a limit, your salary as owner is deductible to the corporation. Generally, the "safe" limit is usually the current SSI maximum wage. Beyond that, the IRS is very likely to re-characterize wages paid to owners as dividends. While this actually results in a lower (direct) tax to the owner, it usually results in higher taxes to the corporation, plus penalties and back interest.
Note that this is generally true for LLCs, S-Corps, and C-Corps, though the precise rules differ based on the type of entity. You'll definitely want to talk to a lawyer or accountant.
Re:DigitalOcean Raises $37.2M From Andreessen Horowitz to Ta...
by logjammer on Thursday March 06, 2014 @01:15PM
(#7355516)
No, that is not how it works. Your salary is an expense for the company, paid before any corporate tax is paid, and thus reduces corporate tax.
A company that has $10MM in revenue, and $10MM in salary expense will pay zero corporate income tax.
Re:DigitalOcean Raises $37.2M From Andreessen Horowitz to Ta...
by gamblor956 on Thursday March 06, 2014 @02:08PM
(#7355860)
A company paying its owner $10mm in salary cannot deduct all $10 million. It could probably get away with paying a six-figure salary (fully deductible), but the rest would be re-characterized as a dividend and the underlying "salary" expense would not be deductible. At the numbers we're talking about in this hypothetical, the corporation would be treated as severely underreporting its tax liability--meaning the highest penalty rates, back interest, and possibly including jail time.