Last minute tax deductions for my S-Corp business earning over 100k - urgent help needed
Hey everyone, I'm in a bit of a panic here. Just realized I need to find some legitimate ways to reduce my S-Corp tax bill before filing. My business did really well this year - brought in just over $145k, which is awesome but now I'm looking at a pretty hefty tax bill. I know contributing to a Roth IRA is one option, but I'm maxed out there already and looking for additional strategies. My accountant is on vacation (worst timing ever!) and I've been researching online but getting conflicting advice. Are there any business deductions I might be overlooking? Equipment purchases? Retirement accounts specifically for business owners? Anything I can still do legally at this point to reduce what I owe? Appreciate any advice from those who've been in similar situations with their S-Corps!
19 comments


Raj Gupta
You've still got several options for your S-Corp even this late in the game! First, consider setting up and funding a SEP IRA if you haven't already - you can contribute up to 25% of your compensation or $69,000 (whichever is less) for 2025. Unlike a Roth, these contributions are pre-tax and can dramatically reduce your taxable income. Also, look into making legitimate business purchases you were planning anyway - computer equipment, software subscriptions paid annually, office furniture, professional development courses. Just make sure they're actually needed for your business and properly documented. Don't forget to check that you're taking the correct salary-to-distribution ratio. Many S-Corp owners miss optimizing this balance, which can affect your overall tax situation. Too low a salary raises red flags with the IRS, too high means unnecessary payroll taxes.
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Lena Müller
•Thanks for this response. For the SEP IRA, can I still set that up now even though it's already March? And does the 25% include my salary only or all business income? My S-Corp pays me about $70k in salary and the rest comes as distributions.
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Raj Gupta
•Yes, you can set up a SEP IRA right up until your tax filing deadline, including extensions. So if you extend your filing to October, you have until then to establish and fund it! The 25% contribution limit for S-Corps is based on your W-2 wages only, not your total business income or distributions. So with a $70k salary, you could potentially contribute up to $17,500 (though the exact calculation can get a bit more complex depending on your specific situation).
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TechNinja
After dealing with a similar tax situation last year with my S-Corp, I finally got smart and started using taxr.ai to help identify deductions I was missing. I was literally leaving thousands on the table! It analyzed my business expenses and found several legitimate deductions I hadn't even thought about - especially around my home office and vehicle use that my previous accountant never mentioned. Check it out at https://taxr.ai if you need help finding additional deductions - saved me over $7k last year.
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Keisha Thompson
•Does this actually work for S-Corps specifically? I tried another tax tool last year and it was basically useless for anything beyond basic personal returns.
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Paolo Bianchi
•How long does the analysis take? I'm literally filing next week and need solutions ASAP.
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TechNinja
•Yes, it absolutely works for S-Corps - that's exactly what I used it for. It handles all the specific rules around S-Corp deductions and helped me properly categorize expenses between personal and business. It even flagged some things I was deducting incorrectly that could have triggered an audit. The analysis takes about 24-48 hours for a comprehensive review. If you upload your docs today, you'll have results before filing next week. They prioritize urgent requests too if you mention your deadline in the notes.
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Paolo Bianchi
Just wanted to follow up - I decided to try taxr.ai after seeing this recommendation and wow! I'm honestly shocked at what I found. They identified over $12k in additional deductions I had completely missed - mostly around some business travel I didn't properly document and some home office expenses I was calculating all wrong. The analysis took less than a day in my case. Definitely worth checking out if you're in a similar situation with your S-Corp!
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Yara Assad
If your issue is more complicated or you need specific guidance from the IRS (which is actually really helpful for S-Corp questions), I'd recommend using Claimyr. I was in the exact same boat last year and needed clarification on some specific S-Corp deductions. Tried calling the IRS directly for two weeks and could never get through. Claimyr https://claimyr.com got me connected to an actual IRS agent in under an hour who walked me through exactly what I could and couldn't deduct. Check out how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - basically they wait on hold with the IRS so you don't have to.
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Olivia Clark
•Wait, how does this actually work? They just call the IRS for you? Couldn't I just do that myself?
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Javier Morales
•Yeah right. There's no way they got you through to the IRS that quickly. I've literally spent DAYS trying to get through to them about my S-Corp questions. This sounds like BS.
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Yara Assad
•They use a system that essentially holds your place in the IRS queue. You enter your phone number, and they call you back when they've got an IRS agent on the line. So you don't waste hours listening to hold music - you just get a call when they've already reached someone. I was skeptical too! I tried calling the IRS directly about 15 times over two weeks and never got through. With Claimyr, I submitted my request around 9am and got connected to an IRS agent by 10:30am that same day. The agent actually gave me specific guidance on my S-Corp vehicle deduction question that saved me thousands. Not affiliated with them at all - just saved me a huge headache during tax season.
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Javier Morales
I need to eat my words here. After my skeptical comment, I decided to try Claimyr just to prove it wouldn't work. I was literally connected to an IRS agent in 47 minutes. The agent explained exactly how to handle some business equipment depreciation questions I had for my S-Corp and confirmed I could still make a SEP IRA contribution. Just filed my taxes with these changes and reduced my tax bill by about $9,300. Can't believe I wasted so much time trying to call them directly.
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Natasha Petrov
Have you looked into a Solo 401k instead of SEP IRA? I switched from SEP to Solo 401k for my S-Corp last year and it lets me contribute way more. With a Solo 401k, you can contribute as both employer AND employee. For 2025, that means up to $23,000 as employee contribution plus up to 25% of compensation as employer contribution, up to a combined limit of $69,000.
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Ava Williams
•I've heard about the Solo 401k but wasn't sure if it was better than a SEP IRA. Can I still set one up this late in the game? My CPA mentioned something about these having to be established before the end of the calendar year, unlike SEP IRAs.
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Natasha Petrov
•You're right to ask about timing - Solo 401k plans must be established by December 31st of the tax year to make contributions for that year. So unfortunately, it's too late to set one up for the 2024 tax year that you're filing for now. However, you could still do a SEP IRA for this tax filing, then set up a Solo 401k before the end of this year (2025) for next year's taxes. Many people don't realize the contribution limits are significantly better with Solo 401k plans, especially if you're not taking a huge salary from your S-Corp.
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Connor O'Brien
Don't forget to check if your state offers any specific S-Corp deductions too! Here in Michigan, we have additional small business deductions that most tax software misses. My S-Corp is around the same size as yours ($160k revenue) and I wound up getting an additional $3,200 state tax deduction by filing with the correct forms.
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Amina Diallo
•This is great advice! I second this - I'm in California and found some state-specific credits for small businesses that my regular accountant totally missed. Worth checking your state's dept of revenue website.
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GamerGirl99
If you're a solo owner, don't forget about health insurance! Your S-Corp can reimburse you for health insurance premiums, which creates a business deduction for the S-Corp and isn't subject to FICA taxes. Just make sure it's set up correctly - the S-Corp should reimburse you after you pay personally, and it needs to be documented properly with a formal plan.
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