Tax Planning & Strategy for Billings Small Business
Filing a tax return is not tax planning. Tax planning is what happens between January and December — the strategy that decides how much you owe when the return is prepared. Marlow Accounting builds proactive tax plans for Montana business owners, then executes them across the year.
Who this is for
- S-corporation and LLC owners paying $10,000+ per year in federal tax
- Business owners who have never done proactive tax planning
- High-earning W-2 professionals with a side business
- Owners considering an entity change, a major purchase, or a sale
- Anyone whose current CPA only talks to them in March
What's included
Annual tax projection
A full projection of your federal and Montana tax liability, updated at least twice a year.
Entity structure review
Sole prop vs. LLC vs. S-corp vs. C-corp — modeled with real numbers, not a rule of thumb.
S-corp election & compensation
When it makes sense, we handle the election, set reasonable compensation, and coordinate payroll.
Retirement plan strategy
SEP, Solo 401(k), SIMPLE, and defined benefit plans modeled and set up.
Depreciation & Section 179 planning
Timing vehicle, equipment, and building purchases to maximize deduction value.
Quarterly estimated payments
Calculated based on real numbers, not last year's return — no surprises in April.
Why once-a-year tax filing is expensive
By the time your tax return is being prepared in February or March, the tax year is closed. Every meaningful lever — entity structure, retirement contributions, equipment purchases, income timing, S-corp compensation — is either already pulled or already lost. A March meeting can find deductions you already earned, but it cannot create new ones.
Proactive tax planning happens in Q2, Q3, and Q4 while you can still change things. That is when we look at your projected income, model the strategies that fit your situation, and put a plan on the calendar so you actually execute before December 31.
Common Montana small-business tax strategies
S-corporation election is the single biggest lever for many profitable LLCs. Once your net profit is consistently above roughly $50,000, an S-corp election can save $3,000–$15,000/year in self-employment tax, if it is set up and run correctly with reasonable compensation and clean bookkeeping.
Retirement plans are a second large lever. A Solo 401(k) can shelter up to $70,000/year for an owner-operator; a SEP-IRA is simpler and shelters up to 25% of compensation. Which one is right depends on your income, your spouse's involvement, and whether you have employees.
Section 179 and bonus depreciation let you deduct qualifying vehicles and equipment in the year of purchase. This can be powerful — or a trap — depending on your income trajectory. We model it before you buy, not after.
Accountable plans for reimbursing owner expenses, health insurance and HSA planning, and Augusta-rule strategies for home office rentals round out the toolkit for most Montana small businesses.
Our tax planning cadence
New clients get a full baseline tax plan in the first 30 days — entity review, projection, and prioritized recommendations. From there, we update your projection twice a year (mid-year and Q4), meet to discuss what has changed, and adjust estimated payments accordingly.
Because we also prepare your books and payroll, the numbers we plan against are real and current — not a guess based on last year's return. That is the difference between planning that saves you money and planning that just fills a meeting.
Related services
Bookkeeping Services
Clean, current books — every month, without you lifting a finger. Marlow Accounting provides monthly bookkeeping for small businesses across Billings and Montana, delivered by a dedicated team on a fixed monthly price.
Learn morePayroll Services
Payroll is where small mistakes turn into big penalties. Marlow Accounting runs full-service payroll for Montana small businesses — direct deposit, tax filings, year-end forms — integrated with your bookkeeping so nothing falls through the cracks.
Learn moreBusiness Tax Preparation
Business tax returns done right — 1120-S, 1120, 1065, and Schedule C. Prepared by a team that already knows your books, coordinated with your tax plan, and filed on time without a March fire drill.
Learn moreReady to talk tax planning?
Call us or schedule an appointment — we'll answer your questions and quote your work up front.