Tips on Paying Yourself

1.Don’t pay yourself so much that you cripple your company or so little that you trigger IRS scrutiny and penalties.

2.Understand how your company’s legal structure affects your compensation and taxes. Your salary and bonuses are taxed one way; distributions to you as a shareholder are taxed another.

3.Find out what the market rates are for CEOs in your industry and your size of business. Your trade association can help.

4.Seek advice from the best accountant and lawyer you can find.

5.If you were paid little or nothing in the first years of your business, don’t be ashamed of compensating yourself well when the business is successful. You’ve earned it.