When you are preparing your taxes this year, be sure to ask for tax advice. A great deal of advice can come from the IRS website, while your accountant surely knows many other sources for tips on all the latest tax laws. You will want to make sure you are writing off all the right deductions.

When you ask for tax advice, you’ll have to know just what questions to ask, so here are some important items that you should be able to understand completely in order to do your taxes properly and to your own best advantage:

• What expenses count as “ordinary and necessary?”
• What can I write off besides: business travel, equipment, salaries, and rent?
• How do I write off business losses?
• What if my losses exceed my personal income?
• How do I write off a trip that combines business and pleasure?
• If I have employees, what do I have to withhold?