New Set of Rules

The IRS is helping and hindering small businesses with two new initiatives. One initiative features four significant fee hikes that went into effect February 1.

• Requesting a change in accounting method went from $1,500 to $2,500.
• An opinion letter on employee IRAs, SEPs, SIMPLE IRA and Roth IRA plans went from costing between $125 and $2,570 to costing between $200 and $4,500.
• The cost of a pre-filing agreement went from a three-tiered price structure with a $10,000 cap to a flat fee of $50,000.
• The cost of a private letter ruling increased from $7,000 to $10,000, although taxpayers earning less than $250,000 can apply for a reduced fee.

On a more positive note, the agency simplified filing requirements for small employers. Businesses with one or more employees paying wages totaling less than approximately $4,000 a year will no longer have to file quarterly employer tax returns. Instead, they will file a new annual form-Form 944-and make one payment, explains Kevin Brown, the IRS' Small Business/Self Employee Commissioner.

"Eligible employers are those with an estimated annual employment tax liability of $1,000 or less," notes Brown, who says the ruling will reduce the filing burden for nearly 950,000 entrepreneurs. "Replacing four quarterly forms with one annual form is a significant benefit."

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This article was originally published in the May 2006 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: New Set of Rules.