Is Your Business Leaving a Tip to Uncle Sam?
Tax season sharpens focus.
As returns are finalized and payments calculated, many business owners ask: Is there anything we could be doing to lower our tax burden?
For many small and mid-sized businesses, the answer is yes.
Not through aggressive strategies or gray-area positions, but through statutory tax savings programs built directly into federal and state law. These incentives reward businesses for activities they already do: hiring employees, training staff, investing in equipment, improving processes, and offering competitive benefits.
Yet many companies overpay each year simply because no one has taken a focused look at these niche programs.
Georgia: A Leader in Business Tax Savings
Georgia ranks among the top states in the country for statutory tax savings opportunities for small and mid-sized businesses. Dozens of incentives are tied to everyday business activity.
These are not new programs. The Georgia Retraining Tax Credit has existed since 1994, rewarding companies that train employees on new software, equipment, technologies, and AI. The Georgia Qualified Health Insurance Expense Credit has been available since 2009 to encourage small businesses to offer health coverage.
They are well established yet frequently overlooked.
Georgia is not alone. Many states offer targeted incentives that quietly operate in the background and are easy to miss without a proactive review.
A Real-World Example: 40-Employee HVAC Company
Consider a Georgia-based HVAC company with 40 employees.
In 2025, the company:
- Trained technicians on new OEM equipment and refrigerant standards
- Implemented a new CRM and operating system
- Offered a high-deductible health plan
These were operational decisions, not tax strategies.
However, those investments triggered meaningful savings.
Through the Georgia Retraining Tax Credit, which covers up to 50 percent of eligible training costs and up to $1,250 per employee, the company secured approximately $25,000 in state tax savings.
Because it offered a high-deductible health plan and had fewer than 50 employees, it also qualified for the Georgia Qualified Health Insurance Expense Credit, generating another $7,500.
Together, these programs eliminated nearly half of the company’s Georgia income tax liability, allowing reinvestment into vehicles, technology, and team development.
It Is Not Too Late
Many programs allow businesses to go back at least one prior tax year to claim missed savings. For most companies, that means 2025, and potentially 2024, may still be eligible for review. Even if returns have been filed, amended filings can unlock credits that were never captured.
Manageable with the Right Advisor
These programs can seem complex due to eligibility and documentation requirements. With an advisor focused specifically on statutory tax savings, the process becomes structured and efficient. Most state-level programs require only two to three hours of time from the business once eligibility is identified.
Trove Consultants works alongside business owners and their tax preparers to identify overlooked savings and manage the technical process, helping small businesses gain access to programs often pursued by large corporations.
The goal is not to pay less than what is owed. The goal is to ensure you are not paying more than you should or leaving a tip to Uncle Sam along the way.
We would like to thank contributing author,
Adam Kess of Trove Consultants for writing this article.
Zero (or Low)-Balance Operating Account
When you provide bank account information to customers for payments, that account is naturally more exposed. If the same account is also used to hold cash balances, it increases security risk and overall exposure.
A best‑practice approach in these situations is to use a zero‑balance (or low‑balance) operating account for daily activity. Customer payments continue to flow into this account as usual; however, as funds are received, they are regularly swept into a separate holding account. Importantly, the holding account’s banking details are not shared with customers, which strengthens security.
In this structure:
- The operating account is used for incoming payments and day‑to‑day transactions
- Excess funds are swept/transferred into a separate holding account
- The holding account is not externally shared, reducing risk while keeping funds accessible
Overall, this approach limits unnecessary exposure, strengthens account security, and supports strong cash management practices without disrupting daily operations.
Twenty years ago, I started with a simple goal: help small businesses keep clean, accurate books. What I didn’t anticipate was how much the journey would stretch me, professionally, strategically, and personally.
The path from bookkeeping to Controller-level leadership was anything but straight, and the lessons learned along the way have shaped not just my business, but the way I think about growth altogether.
Here are the three that have stayed with me most.
