Budgeting is imperative if you're going to own and operate a home based business.

Much like budgeting your personal finances, budgeting for your home based business can make or break you. If you don't plan for emergencies and unexpected expenses, your business will not operate efficiently or effectively.

Here are some key points to remember when setting up the budget for your business:

When establishing your budget, things to keep in mind are normal monthly or yearly expenses such as Occupational Licenses, Self Employment Taxes, Insurance and of course, Local, State and Federal Income Tax.

If your home based business is conducted from a room in your house, you may be able to allocate some money for improvements to the home, but remember, you must be able to fully explain and prove your claims if these expenses are used for tax deductions.

Basic Budgeting tips for your business:

Like any personal budget, you need to allocate your income and determine your expenses. On a personal level, most people pay themselves first by putting a certain percentage of their income into savings. Then they budget in things like Tithes, House Note or Rent, Car Payments, Insurance, Groceries, Entertainment, Clothing, etc.

You should do the same when budgeting the income and expenses for your home-based business.

The best thing to do is to sit down with pen and paper and figure what you initial set up fees are: Licenses, Office Supplies, Furniture, and Advertising. After initial set up fees, figure whether or not you're going to draw a salary and how much that will be. Do you need to take money out of the business to help with personal bills, etc., if so, how much? Once you've figured out your expenses, you'll have a better idea of how much you need to make monthly or yearly to meet your budget needs.

If you already have some things in place such as computer and office furniture, when deciding to work at home, you're already one step ahead of the game.

Once you have initial expenses figured out then you can successfully budget your income. Like with your personal finances, allocate a percentage (say 10%) to savings then another 10 or 20% for Self-Employment and Income tax. Make sure you allow for all of your monthly or yearly expenses so that when that time rolls around, you're not scrounging around for the money. Also, if you tithe, put that aside into a separate account.

Software is available to help you set up your budget. Microsoft Money is one option but other accounting software packages such as Quicken and Quick Books offer a budget option. However, if you haven't figured in new software, budgeting can be done with a simple spreadsheet.

Set up a column or sheet for income and one for expenses. List all of your annual as well as reoccurring monthly expenses. Also set up columns for savings and taxes. Each time you receive income, expense it out accordingly and write yourself checks to deposit into the appropriate account or subtract it from your bank register and do not show it in your balance.

Budgeting is not always easy, but it is imperative if your work-at-home business is to succeed!

Learn more about this author, Pamela S Thibodeaux.
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