I own a small automobile finance company and have to file tax returns for the current year. Someone told me I can use the cash basis in reporting the income and someone else stated I must be on the accrual basis, which is correct. We loan money out at 15.99 % over a three year period, sometimes we have a large amount of late payments that come in. Should I be accruing the income or should I be a cash basis taxpayer Please help
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you should be able to be on the cash basis
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-----> real address on hobokeni or hobokenx
If you are a sole proprietor, you can choose your accounting method on the first Schedule C you file. To change it later requires jumping through a lot of hoops using IRS Form 3115. Whether one accounting method is better or worse for you depends, it's a good question for your accountant.
-Mark Bole
Interest income has special rules. There are the OID rules under Sections 1271 to 1275 which effectively require you to accrue interest income if qualified stated interest is not paid at least annually. There are also the below market interest rate rules under Section 7872 and the other interest rules under 1276 to 1288. However your overall method of accounting may still be cash (assuming you otherwise qualify) but you still have to comply with the special "accrual like" interest rules.
-- Drew Edmundson, CPA Cary, NC
Then how should income be correctly determined without accruing interest earned? ChEAr$, Harlan Lunsford, EA n LA
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