An owner’s draw is a withdrawal of business funds by a business owner for personal use. It’s recorded as a reduction in the owner’s equity on the balance sheet, not as an expense on the income statement.
What Is an Owner’s Draw and How to Record It?
This article is part of a larger series on Bookkeeping.
To record it, debit the Owner’s Draw account while crediting the Cash or Bank account from which you took the owner’s draw. It’s essential to track all draws throughout the year for accurate financial records and, at the fiscal year’s end, transfer the total in the Owner’s Draw account to the Retained Earnings account. This reduces Retained Earnings for the amounts withdrawn and resets the Owner’s Draw account for the new year.
Key Takeaways:
- An owner’s draw generally refers to distributions made to a Schedule C owner. It is similar to distributions or dividends to partners and shareholders.
- Owner’s draws are flexible, and you can adjust the amount based on cash flow and personal needs.
- There is no tax effect with owner’s draws—Schedule C income is taxable regardless of draws.
How an Owner’s Draw Works
When you file a Schedule C, you’re reporting the company’s total income and expenses. There’s no separate line item for an owner’s draw because it’s not an expense; thus, it’s not deducted on Schedule C.
Here’s a breakdown of how it works:
- Track business income and expenses: Throughout the year, you track all of your business income (including sales and fees) and expenses (including rent and supplies).
- Calculate net profit or loss: Subtract your total business expenses from your total business income. This results in your net profit (if positive) or net loss (if negative) for the year.
- Take owner’s draw: You withdraw money from the business for personal use throughout the year. This money is a distribution of profits and not an expense.
- Determine tax implications: The net profit figure is what you report on your Schedule C and doesn’t change based on any owner draws. You’ll then owe income tax and self-employment tax on this net profit amount.
- Exclude owner’s draw from income: Just as an owner’s draw is deductible by the business, it is excluded from income by the owner. The tax paid by the owner is based on the revenue and expense of the business—as reported on Schedule C—and is not affected by how much cash is actually drawn from the company.
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Owner’s Draw vs Salary
You can better understand what an owner’s draw is by comparing and contrasting it with a salary. A Schedule C business owner is not allowed to pay themselves wages or salaries—the only way they can permanently withdraw money from a business is by making an owner’s draw.
Owner’s Draw | Salary or Wages | |
|---|---|---|
Purpose | Withdrawing business profit for personal use | Payment for services performed by an employee |
Business Tax Treatment | Not a business expense | Deductible business expense |
Recipient Tax Treatment | Draw not taxable to the owner; owner pays income tax on business income regardless of the amount withdrawn | Taxable to employee |
Amount Paid | Flexible | Equal to the value of services provided |
Required For | Sole proprietors (Schedule C owners) | Employees, including shareholder-employees of corporations |
The key difference between an owner’s draw and a salary boils down to how the money is treated by the business and how it affects your taxes.
An owner’s draw is a distribution of the company’s profits, while salary and wages are paid in exchange for services performed regardless of current profits. Owner’s draws also offer flexibility in how much you take out, but wages and salaries must be in the amount of the value of the services performed.
How to Record a Journal Entry for Owner’s Draw
When an owner’s draw is made, the journal entry should reflect the withdrawal of funds from the business account. It would look like this:
- Debit: Owner’s Draw
- Credit: Cash
Let’s say you take a draw of $5,000 on February 1. Here’s how to record the transaction:
Date | Account | Debit | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|
Feb. 1 | Owner’s Draw | 5,000 | |
Cash | 5,000 |
At the end of the fiscal year, the total amount recorded in the Owner’s Draw account should be transferred to the Retained Earnings account. This step resets the Draw account for the new fiscal year and reflects the reduction in the Retained Earnings and total owner’s equity. The journal entry would look like this:
- Debit: Retained Earnings
- Credit: Owner’s Draw
Suppose you have taken a total of $60,000 in owner’s draws for the fiscal year. Here’s how to close the Owner’s Draw account at the end of the year:
Date | Account | Debit | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|
Dec. 31 | Retained Earnings | 60,000 | |
Owner’s Draw | 60,000 |
How Does an Owner’s Draw Affect Payroll?
An owner’s draw doesn’t directly affect payroll. There are two main reasons for this.
- It is separate from salaries: Payroll is the process of paying employees, which includes withholding taxes and Social Security contributions. Since an owner’s draw isn’t considered a salary, there aren’t any payroll taxes associated with it.
- It reduces owner’s equity: When you take an owner’s draw, you’re essentially taking money out of your ownership stake in the company, which reduces your overall equity. This doesn’t go through the payroll system.
What are the Tax Implications of an Owner’s Draw?
In the context of a sole proprietorship, which files taxes using a Schedule C, an owner’s draw is not subject to income tax or self-employment tax when withdrawn.
However, your company’s net profit is subject to income tax and self-employment tax. This is the amount reported on the Schedule C. Sole proprietors may also need to make quarterly estimated tax payments to cover both income tax and self-employment tax obligations.
Example of Tax Treatment
Let’s say your business generates $100,000 in revenue and has $60,000 in business expenses, resulting in a net profit of $40,000. During the year, you take a $30,000 owner’s draw.
- Income reporting: The $40,000 net profit is reported on your Schedule C. The net profit is transferred to Form 1040, where it is included in the owner’s total taxable income.
- Self-employment tax: The $40,000 net profit is also subject to self-employment tax, calculated on Schedule SE. The resulting self-employment tax is added to the owner’s tax liability on Form 1040.
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Tax Reporting for an Owner’s Draw
Owner’s draws are not reported anywhere on the tax return. There is also no informational reporting on Form 1099 for an owner’s draw. While not required to be shown on the return, the owner’s draw should be reflected in the Schedule C’s books in the owner’s equity section.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
While an owner’s draw itself isn’t directly taxable, the underlying business profits from which the draw is taken are subject to taxation. As a sole proprietor, you pay income tax on the net profits of the business, not on the draws. This means that regardless of how much you withdraw from the business, you are taxed on its total profit as reported on your Schedule C.
Determining whether it’s better to take an owner’s draw or a salary depends on several factors, including your business structure, tax implications, and financial goals. Sole proprietors and partners, or those filing a Schedule C for their business, typically use owner’s draws as salaries aren’t allowed. With corporations, owners often take a reasonable salary that is subject to payroll taxes.
Owner’s draws offer flexibility because, unlike a fixed salary, they allow you to adjust how much you take out based on your company’s cash flow and your personal needs. They can be a helpful tool for managing cash flow; if you need to hold onto cash for upcoming expenses or reinvest in the business, you can take a smaller draw. For sole proprietors and partners, owner’s draws are the primary way to access your company’s profits.
No, the owner’s draw is not an expense on either your income statement or your tax return. It’s a distribution of equity to the owner(s) of a business. Expenses are the costs a business incurs to operate, like rent and office supplies. The owner’s draw reduces a company’s equity, rather than its income.
Bottom Line
An owner’s draw is a method by which business owners (like sole proprietors) take money from their business for personal use. It’s not a salary, so it doesn’t affect payroll taxes. You record it by debiting the Owner’s Draw account (a business equity account) and crediting the account the money came from, usually a bank account. It is important to keep good records of these transactions for tax purposes.
