If you run a small business in Lewisburg, PA, a federal tax checklist alone won’t cut it. You’ve also got Pennsylvania state taxes and Lewisburg’s own local taxes to sort out: Earned Income Tax, Local Services Tax, and a Business Privilege Tax that most generic checklists never mention. This tax preparation checklist covers all three layers, so nothing catches you off guard in April.

And that matters here more than most places. Lewisburg and Union County have their own local tax rules on top of state and federal ones. Miss one, and you’re not just late; you might owe a penalty to a taxing office you didn’t know existed.

Start With Your Business Basics

Before you touch a single receipt, get these on hand:

• Your EIN (Employer Identification Number)
• Your business structure, sole proprietorship, LLC, partnership, S-corp, or C-corp
• Your NAICS code (your preparer can look this up if you don’t know it offhand)
• Last year’s business tax return

Your entity type decides everything else on this list. A sole proprietor’s checklist looks different from an S-corp’s. So know which one you are before you go further.

Organize Your Income Records

Pull together:

• Total gross receipts and sales for the year
• Any 1099-NEC or 1099-K forms you received
• Sales reports from your POS system or invoicing software
• Records of other business income, interest, refunds, and so on

If you use QuickBooks or a similar tool, most of this is a few clicks away. If you’re still tracking sales in a notebook or a spreadsheet with gaps, that’s worth fixing next tax season, not just this one.

Review and Categorize Your Expenses

This is where clean bookkeeping services in Lewisburg pay for themselves. Have categorized totals ready for:

• Advertising and marketing
• Supplies, materials, and inventory
• Rent, utilities, and insurance
• Software subscriptions and professional fees
• Vehicle mileage or actual vehicle expenses
• Home office costs, if you qualify
• Contractor payments

Messy expense records don’t just slow down your preparer. They cost you money: deductions get missed because nobody can find the receipt, or a purchase gets lumped into the wrong category and the write-off gets smaller than it should be. If gathering this list feels like a scramble every year, that’s usually a sign your books need help, not just your taxes.

Payroll and Contractor Documents

If you have employees or paid a contractor $2,000 or more this year, you’ll need W-2s and 1099-NECs ready, generally due to recipients by January 31. Have on hand:

• Annual payroll summary reports
• Copies of W-2s issued
• 1099-NECs and the W-9s you collected from contractors

Running payroll services in Williamsport in-house and always chasing down a missing W-9 in February? That’s one of the more common reasons small businesses in Williamsport and Lewisburg end up filing late.

Asset Purchases and Depreciation

Buy any equipment, a vehicle, furniture, or other big-ticket items this year? Have the purchase dates and amounts ready. Some assets can be fully deducted the year you buy them. Others get depreciated over several years, and which one applies can meaningfully change what you owe. Don’t guess on this one; it’s worth a real conversation with your preparer.

2026 Federal and Pennsylvania Tax Deadlines

Deadlines depend on your entity type:

• Partnerships and S-corporations: March 16, 2026 (March 15 falls on a Sunday)
• Sole proprietors and C-corporations: April 15, 2026
• W-2s and 1099-NECs to recipients: January 31, 2026

Quarterly estimated tax payments, if you owe them:

• Q1 2026: April 15, 2026
• Q2 2026: June 15, 2026
• Q3 2026: September 15, 2026
• Q4 2026: January 15, 2027

Pennsylvania has a flat 3.07% personal income tax rate, and it applies the same way whether you’re filing as a sole proprietor or a pass-through owner. C-corporations pay Pennsylvania’s Corporate Net Income Tax separately, due the same day as the federal C-corp deadline.

Lewisburg, PA Local Tax Considerations

Here’s the part most tax checklists skip entirely, because most of them aren’t written for Pennsylvania, let alone for Lewisburg specifically.

• Earned Income Tax (EIT): The Borough of Lewisburg levies a 1% Earned Income Tax, split between the Borough and the Lewisburg Area School District. This applies to earned income and net profits for both residents and nonresidents working within Borough limits.

• Local Services Tax (LST): Lewisburg Borough levies an LST on anyone working within its limits, up to $52 per year, the maximum allowed under Pennsylvania state law. If you or your employees work inside Borough limits, this applies to you.

• Business Privilege Tax: Lewisburg Borough imposes a Business Privilege Tax on gross receipts for businesses operating within Borough limits: 0.5 mill for wholesale dealers and vendors, and 0.75 mill for all other business activity.

These local taxes are collected on the Borough’s behalf by Berkheimer Associates, not the Borough office directly.

Whether each of these applies to you depends on your specific setup, where you’re located, where your employees work, and how your business is structured. That’s exactly the kind of thing our team sorts out for you as part of tax preparation, so you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Printable Small Business Tax Preparation Checklist

• ☐ EIN, entity type, and NAICS code confirmed
• ☐ Last year’s business tax return on hand
• ☐ Income records and 1099s gathered
• ☐ Expenses categorized and totaled
• ☐ Payroll and contractor records (W-2s, 1099-NECs) ready
• ☐ Asset purchases documented
• ☐ Federal and Pennsylvania deadlines noted on your calendar
• ☐ Local Lewisburg tax obligations checked with a preparer

Trimmed the first paragraph and worked in the brand name for authority:

How IACS Helps Lewisburg Businesses With Tax Preparation

Most tax preparers stop at the federal return. That’s not enough here; Lewisburg businesses owe tax at three levels: federal, Pennsylvania state, and Borough-level. Miss the local piece, and a penalty notice shows up from an office you didn’t know was watching. At IACS, a firm offering accounting and consulting services in Lewisburg, PA, we handle all three together, backed by over 25 years of combined local experience in Tax Preparation for Lewisburg, PA businesses.

That matters most when your records aren’t in great shape by tax season. Here’s what we actually do:

• Sort out what’s federal, what’s Pennsylvania, and what’s Lewisburg Borough-specific so nothing gets missed
• Clean up bookkeeping that’s fallen behind, so your preparer isn’t reconstructing a year from scratch
• Get payroll records and contractor filings in order before W-2 and 1099 deadlines hit
• Flag deductions and asset treatment most owners miss on their own

You don’t need to walk in with everything perfect. That’s the point of having a local team that’s done this before. Book a free consultation with IACS, and we’ll tell you exactly what applies to your business no guessing, no generic advice pulled from a national checklist that’s never heard of Union County.

Final Thoughts

Tax season in Lewisburg isn’t just about the IRS. Between federal, Pennsylvania, and Borough-level obligations, it’s easy to miss a piece, and that’s usually when small businesses end up paying more than they should, or paying late. Use this checklist to get organized early, and you’ll walk into filing season with fewer surprises.

Not sure what applies to your business? Book a free consultation with IACS, and we’ll walk you through it.

FAQs

1. What documents do I need for small business tax preparation? 

You’ll need income records (gross receipts, 1099s), categorized expense totals, payroll and contractor filings, your prior-year return, your EIN and entity type, and records of any asset purchases during the year.

2. When are business taxes due in Pennsylvania in 2026? 

Partnerships and S-corporations file by March 16, 2026. Sole proprietors and C-corporations file by April 15, 2026. Quarterly estimated payments are due April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15.

3. Does Lewisburg have local business taxes besides federal and state? 

Yes. Lewisburg Borough imposes an Earned Income Tax (1%), a Local Services Tax (capped at $52/year), and a Business Privilege Tax on gross receipts, in addition to federal and Pennsylvania state taxes.

4. How is tax preparation different from tax planning? 

Tax preparation is filing an accurate return based on what already happened during the year. Tax planning happens throughout the year to reduce what you owe before the year closes.

5. Can bad bookkeeping delay my tax filing? 

Yes. Disorganized records are one of the most common reasons small business tax filing gets delayed or costs more, since your preparer has to reconstruct information instead of just reviewing it.

6. Where can Lewisburg small businesses get professional tax preparation help? 

IACS offers tax preparation services built for Lewisburg and Williamsport small businesses, covering federal, Pennsylvania, and local Borough tax requirements.