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Get professional tax advice
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November 30, 2000: 1:13 p.m. ET
Now is the time find the preparer to get your firm in top shape for April 15
By Jane Applegate
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Dear Jane: My husband and I both work second jobs. He cleans a doctor's office and I do simple bookkeeping for a small transcription business. I think we are paying too much in taxes, but I'm not sure how to figure it out.
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 CHECK YOUR SHOEBOX
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Organize all your invoices, receipts and records now, so you won't be looking frantically for things on April 14.
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Any business, no matter how small, needs professional tax advice. You need to find an experienced tax preparer and ask them to determine exactly how much tax you should be paying.
You can get some good basic advice by reading, "Small Time Operator," by Bernard Kamoroff, CPA ($16.95). Kamoroff also has another great book, called "422 Tax Deductions ($17.95). To order call: 800-515-8050.
This is a great time for every business owner to sit down and do some year-end financial projections. Prepare a basic profit and loss statement so you can get a ballpark estimate of your tax liabilities and start planning for next year.
Organize all your invoices, receipts and records now, so you won't be looking frantically for things on April 14. This is also the time to find a new accountant or enrolled agent (a person licensed by the IRS to file returns), if you are not happy with your current adviser.
Ask friends and colleagues for referrals and try to find someone familiar with your industry. 
Jane Applegate, a syndicated columnist and author of 201 Great Ideas for Your Small Business, covers small business for CNNfn.
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