Tax
Basis Tracking
Recording and updating each owner's adjusted basis in a passthrough entity — necessary to determine taxable gain on distributions, deductible losses, and exit-event tax.
Basis is the owner's after-tax investment in the business: cash contributed, plus allocated income (taxed when earned, regardless of distribution), minus distributions, plus the owner's share of entity debt.
Distributions exceeding basis trigger capital gain — even though no economic event occurred. Losses can be deducted only to the extent of basis.
Many SMB owners don't track basis until they sell, take a large distribution, or experience a loss year — by which time the records are gone and rebuilding basis is painful or impossible.
Common pitfalls
- Not updating basis annually as income is allocated — every K-1 changes basis
- Treating loans from the owner as capital contributions (or vice versa) — they have different basis effects
- Failing to track separate inside basis (entity's basis in its assets) vs outside basis (owner's basis in the entity) — both matter at sale
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