Small Business News

House Democrats are calling on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to boost drivers’ mileage deduction benefits.

Bloomberg reports that Democrats are urging the IRS to increase the tax break to help small businesses that rely on heavy mileage, including truckers, drivers and other transportation-related businesses with soaring costs.

Mileage reimbursement is the amount a contractor can deduct from their taxes per gallon. At the moment, businesses, gig workers and other business proprietors are able to deduct 58.5 cents per mile as a business cost for federal taxes.

A letter obtained by Bloomberg informs that representatives Sharice Davids of Kansas and Ruben Gallego of Arizona, along with other Democrats, have asked IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig is raise that amount temporarily, as a means of helping small businesses navigate the challenges created by sky-high gasoline prices.

Referring to the unfairness of making businesses that are require large amount of gasoline for operations to be forced to swallow soaring fuel costs, Gallego said: “Small business owners and rideshare drivers should not bear the brunt of rising gas prices caused by oil-company greed and Putin’s war in Ukraine.

“While Democrats in Congress work on solutions to ease the impact of these rising prices, we are also calling on the IRS to take executive action.”

Gallego continued that the idea to increase mileage reimbursement amounts to ease the financial burden on small businesses came after speaking to a driver when on holiday in Florida. The driver told Gallego that the mileage deduction wouldn’t offset his expenses with higher gas prices.

Increases to mileage reimbursement by the IRS would not require legislation and direction from Congress, as the agency sets mileage deduction each year.

In a statement Davids said: “This is a common-sense step that the IRS has taken before during extraordinary times to lower the costs for those business owners, and I think it’s pretty clear that we are in extraordinary times.”

The calls are made as gas prices across the US continue to break records and the national average for a gallon of gasoline increased by 10 cents to $4.58. In California, the average cost at the pump exceeding $6 a gallon for the first time, according to data from the American Automobile Association.

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This article, "Congressmen Ask IRS to Increase Mileage Reimbursement Rate" was first published on Small Business Trends

Read more: https://smallbiztrends.com/2022/05/congressmen-ask-irs-increase-mileage-reimbursement-rate.html

Whether you want to design and build a simple entertainment unit or design your next house, a solid knowledge of design software is crucial.  There are different design software to facilitate your need. AutoCAD is one of the biggest and most sophisticated software out there. Developing skills with AutoCAD has many different applications. There are several offerings online with AutoCAD courses you can take now to make this happen.

The following is the list of the most popular online AutoCAD courses to help you advance your career.

Autodesk AutoCAD – Beginner to an Advanced Level will teach you the fundamental of AutoCAD and all the features and commands in it. Some of the key points discussed are interface, drawing tools, drawing methods, modification tools, annotation, layers, blocks, palettes, and layout. The course requires no prior knowledge and takes 12.5 hours to complete.

In 11 hours, Autodesk AutoCAD Masterclass: The Ultimate Guide to AutoCAD teaches and prepares you for the official Autodesk certified user exam. You will learn computer-aided design, CAD drawings, floorplans, and technical drawings. The modules include interface and shortcuts, polylines in AutoCAD, transform commands, layers in AutoCAD, edit commands, and using and editing blocks.

AutoCAD 2D and Autocad Electrical 2017 for Beginners elaborates on the basics of AutoCAD electrical and advanced AutoCAD 2D. In four hours you will learn drawing tools, house map design, 2D bent pipe joint, polar array, 2D mechanical shape, electric schematics, electric panels, star-delta starter project, and electrical plan project.

The Complete AutoCAD 2018-21 Course Tutorial is a beginner to an intermediate level course for AutoCAD version 2018-2021 on windows and mac. You will learn navigation tools, DWG history feature, creating and modifying drawings, drawing tools and properties, dimensions and annotations, and working with texts and tables. Additionally, the course contains 150 AutoCAD commands and quizzes.

In 40 hours, Quantity Surveying Building Estimation teaches you the complete project estimation using AutoCAD and Excel. It covers manual calculations, PlanSwift software, Primavera P6, Ms. Project 2019, and AutoCAD and Excel for beginners. Major topics include substructure quantity, sloped footing quantity, raft foundation quantity, superstructure items quantity, scheduling, and rate of analysis of different works.

AutoCAD2020 2D Basics & Advanced (Full Projects Civil + Arch) covers the basics of AutoCAD, its advanced commands, architectural shop drawings, and structural shop projects. Architectural projects include defining layers and axis, and drawing walls, windows and doors. And structural projects include distributing columns, slab layout and reinforcement, beams layout, and foundations.

AutoCAD 2020-2021-2022 2D from Zero to Hero teaches you the essentials and all the 2D commands of AutoCAD 2020,21 and 22. The lessons include drawing and modifying commands, dynamic blocks, block attributes, match properties, copy/paste, fields, and tables, parametric design, annotation, and layout and printing. The course also covers architecture projects.

Autodesk AutoCAD 2021 Mechanical course is designed for mechanical engineers and teaches you all the basic and advanced commands of AutoCAD 2021 mechanical both for 2D and 3D.  it includes basic commands such as line and limit commands, 2D commands such as polyline and ellipse, 3D commands like 3D fillet and 3D solid editing, and more.

Based on real-life practical projects from different engineering disciplines, 60 AutoCAD 2D & 3D Drawings teach you everything about drawing using 60 practice drawings. The 10-hour course includes making floor plans, making elevations from floor plans, adding section views, making stair plans, foundation plans, mechanical couplings, and doorbell circuit diagrams.

AutoCAD Programming Using C#.NET – Beginner Course is a guide to learning and understanding the fundamentals of C# (C Sharp) programming in AutoCAD. The lessons also include .NET Framework and visual studio IDE 2017. In this course, you will learn AutoCAD .Net API structure, create AutoCAD objects using C#, user input functions, selection sets and filters, and develop a title block project.

Several major companies like Volkswagen and NASDAQ offer these courses to their employees. Upon completing these courses you will be awarded a certificate and lifetime access to learning materials including videos on different devices. The courses are self-paced and contain progress tests. Additionally, you are offered a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Image: Depositphotos

This article, "Check Out These Top AutoCAD Courses Online" was first published on Small Business Trends

Read more: https://smallbiztrends.com/2022/05/autocad-courses.html

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As a small business owner, your time is valuable. To find out helpful facts about hiring virtual assistants and their benefits, you will not want to miss watching this video. Co-founder and CEO of Work Better Now Andrew Cohen sits down with Shawn Hessinger, the Executive Editor for Small Business Trends, to explain how virtual assistants can help build your brand without breaking your bank. 

To read more about Andrew Cohen and his virtual assistant agency, you can click here. 

Shawn: What is a virtual assistant? What does a virtual assistant do?

Andrew: That term has really morphed since we initially started. Before it meant admins and data entry located outside of our office, right? In other words, remote talent that could fill a gap in process-driven positions. 

Now that position has really transcended and changed into something greater. Everyone is working remotely because of the pandemic, and they’re able to use these virtual assistants in a variety of ways. 

Andrew goes on to say that while he sees them used in an executive administration fashion, they are also being used in business development and marketing now. He adds that he also sees VAs being used for social media channels, invoicing using QuickBooks, customer service and taking inbound and outbound calls.

Shawn: What kinds of people need virtual assistants?

Andrew: Our business motto is every business should have an assistant. Take solopreneurs, for example, since they are a type of business owner that usually can benefit from an assistant. If not, they will be spending time on repetitive, time-sucking tasks that someone else could be doing and allowing them to grow their businesses. 

Andrew mentions that one of his clients is a shipping/delivery company, and they utilize eight of Work Better Now’s VAs. Some of the tasks that these assistants perform include: 

Andrew explains that it is amazing what VAs can do, and the talent is out there. And finding that talent, understanding how to hire it, utilize it and implement it at your company, is important. 

He said that what his business once thought of as their target market has really transcended into something much greater because the opportunity to use remote talent has grown since the pandemic. 

For us, he says, there is no more barrier to tell people they can work virtually. We all know that—since we’ve been doing it for the last two years. As a result, we know this is what you can use a virtual assistant for. 

Shawn: What are the top tasks people use a virtual assistant for that we haven’t mentioned so far?

Andrew: If you are an executive, and you have a calendar and are setting up meetings—that takes up a lot of time going back and forth between you and the person you are trying to meet. You have an assistant do this for you. Anything that an executive assistant can do for you, those are really the top things virtual assistants can do. 

Other examples: sending out invoices, doing collections, follow ups on sales calls. For instance, you may have a call with a perspective client, and you let them know you will send them information. These are also top things a VA can do.

Andrew says that his company practices what they preach. He goes on to explain that his is a smaller company, and that 17 assistants work for them. He adds that 14 of them are in Central and South America, and those are the same 14 that they hire out to clients. 

He adds that the 14 are doing everything from social media management, to recruiting, to onboarding tasks like processing incoming resumes and interviewing candidates. 

Andrew says the company is throwing an event in New York in a couple of weeks, and that his executive assistant is doing tasks to set up the event like contacting the venues, setting up all the pricing and managing the swag the company is giving away. 

Literally all these time-consuming tasks you don’t have time for, that’s what our VAs are working on. 

In the video, Shawn and Andrew also discuss:

Be sure to let us know in the comments how you feel about the video and whether you are thinking about utilizing a virtual assistant after watching. 

Listen to the full episode and subscribe on SoundCloud …

This article, "The Future of the Virtual Assistant" was first published on Small Business Trends

Read more: https://smallbiztrends.com/2022/05/virtual-assistant-future-andrew-cohen.html

In today’s market, small business owners who hope to recruit and retain outstanding employees can’t help but offer health insurance plans to their staff. Not only do health benefits make workers more likely to stay with their companies, but a healthier workforce is also a more productive one. Of course, obtaining affordable health insurance plans for small teams can be a challenge. Fortunately, health insurance options specifically for small businesses are available.

While the Affordable Care Act stipulates small businesses with fewer than 50 employees are not required to provide health insurance to their employees, that doesn’t mean that they can’t offer the option to attract the best and the brightest workers. Fortunately, there is plenty of health insurance for small businesses to choose from.

How much does small business health insurance cost? It varies. Many consumers have found that obtaining health insurance coverage as a small business is more affordable than for individuals seeking insurance on their own. Through a small business health insurance option, a company contributes toward a portion of the cost as a part of the workers’ salary, then each employee pays the difference through a payroll deduction.

What the small business health insurance plan covers will vary depending on the insurance company and the options purchased, but some basic healthcare costs are always covered by law.

How does health insurance for small business work? A small business owner can choose a plan that best meets their coverage and cost needs. The business pays a portion of the premiums, and employees usually are responsible for the difference in the premiums paid as a payroll deduction. Then, when an employee seeks healthcare, they pay copays, deductibles and other noncovered costs while the insurance company pays the rest of the medical bill, provided it was not out of network care.

Like other health insurance, small business health coverage benefits cover a variety of medical services, although how much coverage can vary greatly between plans. Common coverages include:

Small business health insurance covers prescription drugs, although specific costs and restrictions will vary based on the insurance company and insurance plan.

Small business health insurance offers emergency care coverage, paying a portion of the cost when covered patients receive emergency medical care. Of course, the amount of out-of-pocket expenses will vary based on the health plan and the insurance company.

Small business health insurance also covers outpatient healthcare as part of the health insurance benefits. Specific limitations on services and out-of-pocket costs will vary based on the health plan.

Health insurance companies also cover maternity and prenatal care as part of small business health insurance benefits. Often, covered patients will have very little out-of-pocket costs to deliver a baby, but the amount will vary based on the health plan.

Many preventative healthcare services are covered in full by small business health insurance. The ACA dictates that certain preventative screenings and other healthcare be fully covered, but be sure to check the specific offerings of each available health plan.

Small business health insurance also covers mental healthcare, including many inpatient and outpatient mental health services. The exact coverage options will vary depending on the best health insurance providers and the group plans.

Many other healthcare services – including those for pre-existing conditions – are covered by small business health insurance providers, but since group coverage varies it’s important for a small business owner to investigate the various coverages from any medical plans before selecting the best for their company and their employees.

While most small business health insurance benefits are fairly comprehensive and cover a variety of healthcare services, health insurance still has its limitations and options it does not cover, including:

Under the U.S. Affordable Care Act, small businesses with fewer than 50 employees do not have to provide health coverage to their workers. Larger companies that fail to provide health insurance benefits to their employees face financial penalties from the government. Many small business owners, however, choose to offer group health insurance plans as an added benefit in order to recruit and retain the most talented workers. Small business employees who are not otherwise covered might be eligible for special plans through the ACA marketplace.

A variety of health insurance options are available to small business owners, including:

In the United States, small business health insurance is governed by the same law as most other healthcare plans: the Affordable Care Act. This law, fully enacted in 2014, requires most U.S.-based employers with 50 or more employees to provide health insurance options for their workforce. It also dictates what sort of health insurance coverage insurance companies must include in their health plans. The ACA even established a health insurance marketplace where consumers and small businesses can shop for the best and most affordable health insurance options.

While the ACA doesn’t require most small businesses to provide health insurance for their employees, it did benefit small business owners by establishing the SHOP network through which they can choose from a variety of insurance companies and health plan options.

Employers who offer health insurance benefits to their employees also must abide by COBRA. Under this law, when an employee is terminated they must be offered the opportunity to extend their health insurance coverage for one of three maximum coverage periods. Likewise, employers who offer health insurance to their workers must also follow the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which safeguards employees’ private personal and medical information.

Image: Depositphotos

This article, "Small Business Health Insurance – What You Need to Know" was first published on Small Business Trends

Read more: https://smallbiztrends.com/2022/05/small-business-health-insurance.html