How Do You Handle Host Discount Purchases for Tax Writeoffs?

[lisacb77]

For those of you that purchase products with the host discounts, how do you handle these purchases come tax time?

I am $150 away from level 1 in sellathon. I have figured out that if I order them on my friends' host discount this month, it's not that much different expense wise for me as it's also my kit enhancement month.

BUT how would I write that off? The receipt would be in her name as host. And I know I can mark it as "consultant gift" but wouldn't the IRS wonder about a $100 gift to one person?? I guess I could explain I was purchasing products but it just seems cleaner for me to purchase them on my kit enhancement and forego earning the sellathon.

Appreciate your ideas!

 

[jrstephens]

I need to know this too. I have purchased lots of things under my mom's name a lot.

 

[jdavis]

I have heard you can only give up to $20 to a host as a consultant gift, but other than that I don't know how to help you with the rest of the question.

 

[ange13]

The only way the IRS will ever know is if you were audited. That is rare, unless you claim everything under the sun. Even if you were audited, as long as you can show that the money came from you, it shouldn't matter. I have done that forever and have never had a problem.

Plus, if you earn the sellathon, you can claim those items too, cuz you get taxed on them--they put the product value (I believe) on your tax statement (can't remember right now what its called--not a W2 but the other thing.....) so even if you don't pay for it, you get taxed on it. Plus it goes towards your $15k if you haven't reached that already.

Just my thoughts,

 

[chefkristin]

The only way the IRS will ever know is if you were audited. That is rare, unless you claim everything under the sun. Even if you were audited, as long as you can show that the money came from you, it shouldn't matter. I have done that forever and have never had a problem.

Plus, if you earn the sellathon, you can claim those items too, cuz you get taxed on them--they put the product value (I believe) on your tax statement (can't remember right now what its called--not a W2 but the other thing.....) so even if you don't pay for it, you get taxed on it. Plus it goes towards your $15k if you haven't reached that already.

Just my thoughts,

Is it the 1090 form?

 

[ange13]

yep, the 1099, thanks!!! Boy I was having a brain ____ (you fill in the blank) !!!!!

 

[jenniferknapp]

The only way the IRS will ever know is if you were audited. That is rare, unless you claim everything under the sun. Even if you were audited, as long as you can show that the money came from you, it shouldn't matter. I have done that forever and have never had a problem.

Plus, if you earn the sellathon, you can claim those items too, cuz you get taxed on them--they put the product value (I believe) on your tax statement (can't remember right now what its called--not a W2 but the other thing.....) so even if you don't pay for it, you get taxed on it. Plus it goes towards your $15k if you haven't reached that already.

Just my thoughts,

Do you claim it as a consultant gift? Even if it is over $100, over and over again?

 

[ange13]

Yep. the consultant gift choice is basically a way for us to track our expenses. it isn't always an actual gift. sometimes it's because we goofed on the taxes, or the person on an outside order underpaid by 20 cents or something like that. I just eat it, and that's the way I keep track of it to be able to write off. costs of doing business.

it would be nice to have some different wording choices--like business expense, or mathematical error ,etc. but until that happens, everything that is a possible write off or goof on my part is a "consultant gift".

hope that helps to look at it differently

 

[jenniferknapp]

Yes, I have been trying to find out how other people are claiming it, because I knew I wasn't the only one! Thanks again

 

[jrstephens]

I have done this in the past but have not clicked consultant gift or anything whe I submitted it. Can I just go back and change it? On every show I have submitted in my mom's name I have always gotten a little something b/c I have not wanted to waste the half price items.

What about the items I have bought using "booking benefits" in other people's name?

My check book will show where the money came out of my account.

 

[ange13]

Of course you can claim those too. If you forget to mark it as a consultant gift, you can always add it later to your expense report. Or there have been times when I've ordered with my credit card--well then I can't mark the consultant gift tab so I have to add those manually as an expense. But I always mark it!

 

[jenniferknapp]

you can go back and change a payment type after the show was submitted! I am just worried that I won't have the proof that I paid for some of the stuff....I use my debit card to submit the show, and it doesn't get divided up really...

 

[lisacb77]

Thanks all for your input. I am still trying to decide if I'm going to bother...I'd love to have the sellathon products but I don't want to spend $150 to get there! I might just have to accept the fact that I can't make my goal EVERY month and just order samples in the spring when I have more $$.

Thanks for the input though, definitely handy!

 

[BethCooks4U]

Thanks all for your input. I am still trying to decide if I'm going to bother...I'd love to have the sellathon products but I don't want to spend $150 to get there! I might just have to accept the fact that I can't make my goal EVERY month and just order samples in the spring when I have more $$.

Thanks for the input though, definitely handy!

Have you purchased all your Christmas gifts? You have to spend that money anyway and why not give them the best?

If you are spending $150 or so on those gifts anyway why not double your money. The $150 cost would be less your commission (which is at least $30) and then you'd earn the $100 in products at level 1. So you would be coming out ahead because you'd have those products and more in your lifetime sales total.

JMHO.

 

[lisacb77]

Thanks Beth. The folks I have to give presents to are PCed out right now...my poor mom scraped up 3 gadgets just to get that show up to the $300 mark. And even though it is my kit enhancement, I've tried to scale back b/c I just can't afford to spend a ton right now.

I guess I'm feeling kind of humbled right now. My best bud pointed out that an email I sent over the weekend offering 10% off to about a dozen select ppl to help me make my $150 remaining sounded a little selfish. I know it may seem silly but now I'm a little gun shy and I think maybe not making a bonus one month may humble me enough to get my focus back on the customer and off me to truly be successful. That's what I really enjoyed getting into this, being able to help people get what they wanted and have a great time. I need to focus back on that. I think I've been too wrapped up in my goals and the $$

Thank you all for your thoughts.

 

[cmdtrgd]

Lisa,Your best bud isn't being too good for you right now. Women, which are most of our customers, naturally want to help out. It's not like you're trying to get them to purchase $1250 in sales, but only $150. If I received that email and could, I would order something...especially since you are offering a discount! I actually had another direct sales person (different products) do just that. She needed $90 in orders by a certain time to make her bonuses and she offered a lot off - so I ordered $90 in products and got it almost half-off and got other freebies with it.

 

[lisacb77]

No Kate, it wasn't that she didn't want to help. She said it was the way the email could come across is it sounded a little "all about me" instead of "what a deal for the customer"...honestly I sent it out quickly and I probably could have worded it better. I should have mentioned the discount first, and then let them know as a bonus they'd be helping me. I was basically like "I need you to help me so I'm giving you a discount."

I could see how that might come off the wrong way.

Also, this friend just hosted in October and had a great show...and she got everything she needed with her host benes. And she wants to host again in spring when I visit her. So I don't want to be too greedy! A twice a year host is someone to listen to, I think, especially when she was the only person to respond from my emails at all

But thanks for the thoughts....everyone has been so great to listen to my vents

 

[BethCooks4U]

Thanks Beth. The folks I have to give presents to are PCed out right now...my poor mom scraped up 3 gadgets just to get that show up to the $300 mark. And even though it is my kit enhancement, I've tried to scale back b/c I just can't afford to spend a ton right now.

I guess I'm feeling kind of humbled right now. My best bud pointed out that an email I sent over the weekend offering 10% off to about a dozen select ppl to help me make my $150 remaining sounded a little selfish. I know it may seem silly but now I'm a little gun shy and I think maybe not making a bonus one month may humble me enough to get my focus back on the customer and off me to truly be successful. That's what I really enjoyed getting into this, being able to help people get what they wanted and have a great time. I need to focus back on that. I think I've been too wrapped up in my goals and the $$

Thank you all for your thoughts.

Well, I don't know how you worded that email but I don't think it was selfish at all. You gave them a deal to help them help you. I don't see a problem with that unless a person did it all the time - then people would get tired of it. It also helps when your circle has widened a bit. I don't even really know most of those that get my newsletter now (met them once for an hour at a show...). I send my offer and if they are interested they respond. No bad feelings on either side if they don't take advantage of it - but I am surprised that more don't take me up on it!

 

[lisacb77]

Yeah, that was probably the other problem. I'd just sent emails in the last month for open houses & the Black Friday sale as well. So people were probably on email overload LOL.