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The City of Los Angeles has its own business tax, and plenty of creative freelancers, photographers, videographers, and production companies do not find out until a penalty letter shows up. In this episode, Anastasia and Myiesha break down who has to file, how the $100,000 general exemption and the $300,000 creative exemption work, and why one late day can turn a $0 bill into hundreds or even thousands of dollars. They explain gross receipts in plain English, which is just your income before…
Let’s Get Fiscal is the money podcast for creative entrepreneurs who want to keep more of what they earn and grow their business with confidence. Hosted by CPA and tax strategist Anastasia, each episode makes taxes, bookkeeping, and money management simple, practical, and even fun. We cover topics like tax deductions, small business finances, creative business strategies, and how to avoid costly mistakes—without boring jargon. Whether you’re a filmmaker, designer, artist, or small business owner, you’ll get actionable tips, real-world examples, and a few laughs along the way. If you want to stress less about money and focus more on doing what you love, this is the podcast for you.
[00:00] speaker_0: If you are a creative freelancer in LA, federal income taxes may not be the only thing you need to worry about.
[00:07] speaker_1: In today's episode, we'll be talking about the city of LA business tax rules, regulations, and all things creatives need to know. Let's get fiscal. [upbeat music] Mm-mm. Let's get fiscal. Make it make sense. Money moves smarter. When the numbers click. Hey, guys. Welcome back. Um, today, I thought it would be fun to talk about creatives in Los Angeles, and different tax things that can relate to being a creative in one of the, like, most creative cities of the, you know, US. Yeah.'Cause it comes with some fun stuff that m- most of the time when I'm talking to new clients, they had no idea about.
[00:52] speaker_0: Uh, you know.
[00:53] speaker_1: Yeah.
[00:53] speaker_0: Yep. So there is, the city of LA has its own tax. So when you file your tax return, normally you're like,"Okay, let me get my, you know, the return for the IRS. Let me send a return to the state of California." But you might not know that if you have a business, you also need to file some stuff with the city of LA-
[01:15] speaker_1: Mm-hmm
[01:16] speaker_0: ... which is completely outside of all of your regular tax workflow.
[01:20] speaker_1: Yeah.
[01:20] speaker_0: It's just, like, this extra compliance piece. Um, and yeah, like you said, a lot of people are just,"I've never heard of this before."
[01:28] speaker_1: Yeah.
[01:28] speaker_0: That's fine. They'll find you. [laughs]
[01:31] speaker_1: They will. They come at us with a letter later like,"Hey, we saw you filed your tax return, and it looks like you should have been doing this this whole time."
[01:39] speaker_0: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
[01:39] speaker_1: So they do send out little, like, are they, like, highlighter color postcards, I think, to people.
[01:44] speaker_0: Yeah, yes, reminders.
[01:44] speaker_1: And a lot of time people think they're spam.
[01:46] speaker_0: Mm-hmm.
[01:46] speaker_1: Like, doesn't really take it legitimately, but it is, like, a real thing. [laughs]
[01:50] speaker_0: I know. And, uh, and the, like, the most annoying part is that if you have a business and you work more than three days within the limits of the city of LA, which is not only just Los Angeles, there's also other jurisdictions.
[02:07] speaker_1: Mm-hmm.
[02:07] speaker_0: So it's, they're more looking at, like, the incorporated area of the city-
[02:11] speaker_1: Mm-hmm
[02:11] speaker_0: ... of Los Angeles, um, and you work more than three days in that location, they will tax you. But if you make under $100,000 and you file this return on time, then you don't have to pay anything.
[02:25] speaker_1: Yeah.
[02:26] speaker_0: So a lot of times what ends up happening is we have business owners that maybe they've been making, like, $20,000.
[02:33] speaker_1: Yeah.
[02:33] speaker_0: And, like, it's really hasn't been a big thing, but they are still filing it as a true business, not as a hobby or anything like that.
[02:43] speaker_1: Mm-hmm.
[02:43] speaker_0: So even though they earn $20,000, and they might have lost money-
[02:48] speaker_1: Yeah
[02:48] speaker_0: ... but the city of LA taxes it on your gross receipts. So it's your income before any of your expenses.
[02:55] speaker_1: Mm-hmm.
[02:56] speaker_0: And then they'll just sit there, and they'll wait for them to pile up. And so you think, like,"Okay, I earned $20,000. I spent all of it."
[03:05] speaker_1: [laughs]
[03:05] speaker_0: "There was zero profit." [laughs]
[03:07] speaker_1: Yeah.
[03:08] speaker_0: "And now I have to pay this $50 bill to the city of LA, when if I had known about this and filed it on time, I wouldn't have owed anything-"
[03:17] speaker_1: Anything, mm-hmm
[03:18] speaker_0: ... at all."
[03:19] speaker_1: And they do, do penalties and interest on top of it if you're a couple years behind as well.
[03:23] speaker_0: Right.
[03:23] speaker_1: So it gets more and more expensive when you don't do it. But yeah, the time thing is really what they get them on, because usually-
[03:30] speaker_0: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm
[03:30] speaker_1: ... yeah,'cause you can't, if you file afterward, you can't actually do the exemption. So you have to pay a tax based off of the- The gross income, and, like, there's no workaround.
[03:39] speaker_0: Right.
[03:39] speaker_1: So yeah, yeah.
[03:40] speaker_0: Right.
[03:40] speaker_1: Exemptions are only-
[03:41] speaker_0: Yeah
[03:41] speaker_1: ... available if you do it on time. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. And then so any business, any-
[03:45] speaker_0: Any type of business automatically gets that $100,000, um, um, exemption, and it is looking at worldwide income.
[03:53] speaker_1: Mm-hmm.
[03:53] speaker_0: So that's kind of where they're deciding whether you qualify for the exemption. So they will only tax the income that you earn within the city limits. So if you fly to New York and you, you know, like, shoot a wedding out in New York-
[04:06] speaker_1: Mm-hmm
[04:06] speaker_0: ... they're not gonna tax that money. Um, but they are gonna add it in to see if you qualify for this $100,000 exemption. But if you are in a creative space, then that exemption jumps to $300,000.
[04:22] speaker_1: Which is really nice.
[04:23] speaker_0: Mm-hmm.
[04:24] speaker_1: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
[04:25] speaker_0: So, like, actors, writers, you know, all of those fun, [laughs] uh, you know... [laughs]
[04:31] speaker_1: They have, like, a list online-
[04:32] speaker_0: Right
[04:32] speaker_1: ... what they consider, like, the creatives of it.
[04:34] speaker_0: Right.
[04:35] speaker_1: But yeah.
[04:35] speaker_0: Exactly.
[04:36] speaker_1: Mm-hmm.
[04:36] speaker_0: Exactly. So, um, but again, if you wait one extra day, then that exemption completely goes away, and now you end up having to pay for it.
[04:48] speaker_1: Mm-hmm.
[04:48] speaker_0: Um, and it also kind of goes the opposite way, because once you make, like, $300,000 and $1-
[04:56] speaker_1: Yeah
[04:56] speaker_0: ... like, just $1 over the threshold, that full $300,000 gets taxed.
[05:02] speaker_1: Yeah.
[05:02] speaker_0: So it can be-
[05:03] speaker_1: So knowing that in advance-
[05:04] speaker_0: Right, right. [laughs]
[05:05] speaker_1: ... as well can be like,"You know what? Maybe I won't take that last job." [laughs]
[05:08] speaker_0: Yeah. [laughs]
[05:08] speaker_1: Just on the specific.
[05:09] speaker_0: I know.
[05:09] speaker_1: Yeah.
[05:10] speaker_0: Yeah, because it is, you know-
[05:11] speaker_1: Yeah
[05:11] speaker_0: ... like, 290, you don't have to pay anything.
[05:13] speaker_1: Mm-hmm.
[05:13] speaker_0: But once you get to 301, then, like, now you have a $3,000 tax bill-
[05:18] speaker_1: Yep
[05:18] speaker_0: ... over to the city of LA. And like I said, what makes it even more confusing is that, I mean, really you have to go onto their website and search your address to confirm where you actually are.
[05:32] speaker_1: Yeah.
[05:32] speaker_0: Because what I've learned, kind of like in my history with property management is, so they'll give you all of the zip codes, but zip codes generally tie you to the local post office.
[05:44] speaker_1: Mm-hmm.
[05:45] speaker_0: And so the local post office could be in, you know, in Venice, but you could actually be in, you know, like, in a completely different town.
[05:56] speaker_1: Mm-hmm.
[05:56] speaker_0: And so we'll see that split happen, like, especially in Beverly Hills.
[05:59] speaker_1: Yeah.
[05:59] speaker_0: Because the city of Beverly Hills has their own, um, their own tax.
[06:04] speaker_1: Separate kind, yeah.
[06:04] speaker_0: So it's not even just, like- Within the city, there's also other little cities that have compliance, like City of Santa Monica has their own thing.
[06:14] speaker_1: Mm-hmm.
[06:15] speaker_0: City of Pasadena has their own thing. You know, like, a lot of these cities have their own compliance requirements. Um, and when you look up s- the ZIP code, it might say,"Oh, yes, you are part of LA." But if you look at your address itself, it would say,"Hey, actually, it's part-
[06:34] speaker_1: Mm-hmm
[06:34] speaker_0: ... you're part of Beverly Hills, and you need to go and speak with the City of Beverly Hills instead of the City of Los Angeles."
[06:42] speaker_1: Yep.
[06:42] speaker_0: And it can get to be kind of a whole mess. Um [laughs]
[06:47] speaker_1: Yep. Well, also, the due date for it is the last day of February, and-
[06:51] speaker_0: Mm-hmm
[06:51] speaker_1: ... or is it every four years? When are leap years? Are those four-
[06:54] speaker_0: Mm-hmm
[06:54] speaker_1: ... or is it every other year? Like, knowing when they is [laughs]
[06:56] speaker_0: Four years.
[06:56] speaker_1: Yeah. [laughs]
[06:57] speaker_0: Yes.
[06:57] speaker_1: Like, when are leap years? Yeah. [laughs] So, like-
[06:59] speaker_0: Leap four years
[07:00] speaker_1: ... gov- but you forget, and you think,"Oh, this is the year that there's a 29," and then you end up on the 28th. So it's like, why did we pick the one month that, like, occasionally changes-
[07:09] speaker_0: Right
[07:09] speaker_1: ... how many days there are?
[07:10] speaker_0: Days, yeah.
[07:10] speaker_1: Yeah, yeah.
[07:11] speaker_0: Mm-hmm.
[07:11] speaker_1: Just, like, they're tricky.
[07:12] speaker_0: Mm-hmm.
[07:12] speaker_1: They're out there, man.
[07:14] speaker_0: Mm-hmm. Right.
[07:14] speaker_1: Mm-hmm.
[07:14] speaker_0: And it's not something that they will necessarily... Like, they, I don't think they advertise it too much.
[07:20] speaker_1: No.
[07:21] speaker_0: And because it's, you know, it's very easy for you to just get a 1099-
[07:25] speaker_1: Mm-hmm
[07:25] speaker_0: ... and say, like,"Okay, I, you know, like, here's $2,000 or something-
[07:30] speaker_1: Yeah
[07:30] speaker_0: ... that I got on a ten- a 1099." You put it on that Schedule C to claim it as a business, you know, and you claim your expenses and everything, and then you don't think about it again. The City of LA goes through, and they search all of their addresses, and they'll send you a letter.
[07:47] speaker_1: Mm-hmm.
[07:47] speaker_0: So the number of times that people are saying, like,"Hey, is this real? Is this real?" And what they'll do, too, is they basically assign a dollar amount to you-
[07:57] speaker_1: Yeah
[07:57] speaker_0: ... because they know all of it.
[07:58] speaker_1: They just make an estimate. Yeah, yeah.
[07:58] speaker_0: And then so now you're getting calls from collection agencies-
[08:02] speaker_1: Mm-hmm
[08:03] speaker_0: ... asking for you to pay this dollar amount, and you don't even know where-
[08:08] speaker_1: [laughs] Where did that come from?
[08:08] speaker_0: What is this?
[08:09] speaker_1: Yeah. [laughs]
[08:10] speaker_0: What is this? Is this even real? How do-
[08:12] speaker_1: Mm-hmm
[08:12] speaker_0: ... you know? So, um, so that's where you really, really want to be careful, and it just kind of goes to show that you do wanna look into the city that you're living in because a lot of the cities, they will have different ordinances, so either this, like, fully fledged business tax, where you have to file a return every single year, or maybe they have, like, a home occupation license that you have to do. So every city is going to be a little bit different. Some of them will only say, like,"Okay, just register your business, and then you're perfectly fine."
[08:46] speaker_1: Mm-hmm.
[08:46] speaker_0: Um, but it's definitely one of the ways where cities can kind of come back and penalize you later on.
[08:53] speaker_1: Yep.
[08:54] speaker_0: And that's really where they can, like, generate a decent amount of money.
[08:57] speaker_1: Mm-hmm.
[08:57] speaker_0: So, um, just being, like, really super hyper aware of these things because it's one of the ways, I mean, again, uh, you know, if, if, if you filed it on time, you owe nothing. But if you're delayed, you could owe, like, a couple hundred dollars.
[09:13] speaker_1: Yep.
[09:13] speaker_0: And it just feels kind of dumb to-
[09:15] speaker_1: Yeah
[09:15] speaker_0: ... like, just throw away money like that.
[09:17] speaker_1: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
[09:18] speaker_0: Yeah.
[09:19] speaker_1: I think the other thing to also be careful is if the, um, you're signing up for it, making sure that you're picking the right category-
[09:27] speaker_0: Right
[09:27] speaker_1: ... for what you are. So, like, that has been something that's been tricky, especially with people within, like, the film industry because, like, with the production, they have a completely different type of setup-
[09:37] speaker_0: Mm-hmm
[09:38] speaker_1: ... than, um, if you were just, like, a freelancer, and you're just, you know, you get your 1099 at the end, and, like, that's that. Um, so yeah, definitely that part'cause-
[09:46] speaker_0: Right. Yeah, yeah, because-
[09:47] speaker_1: Even me, I do it, and I, like, still read through every single option to make sure that I am picking the correct-
[09:52] speaker_0: They have, like, a whole chart.
[09:53] speaker_1: Yeah.
[09:53] speaker_0: A map, and it's-
[09:54] speaker_1: Yeah, yeah
[09:54] speaker_0: ... like, weird.
[09:55] speaker_1: Yeah.
[09:56] speaker_0: Yeah.
[09:56] speaker_1: With the codes that are on the tax return.
[09:58] speaker_0: Mm-hmm.
[09:58] speaker_1: Yeah, it's like a whole thing. So just, like, be careful. Go slow. Don't skim [laughs] -
[10:02] speaker_0: Yeah
[10:02] speaker_1: ... while you're reading it and-
[10:03] speaker_0: And, I mean, like, they are very kind.
[10:06] speaker_1: Mm-hmm.
[10:06] speaker_0: They will help you. They will give you lots of information, but if you call them, like, it'll just say, like,"Okay, you are number 1,457-
[10:15] speaker_1: [laughs]
[10:16] speaker_0: ... in line, and we'll call you back when we can."
[10:18] speaker_1: It's where they have, like, a team of 20-
[10:19] speaker_0: You know? Right
[10:19] speaker_1: ... for the whole thing. Yeah.
[10:20] speaker_0: [laughs]
[10:20] speaker_1: It's, like, so little. [laughs] Yeah.
[10:23] speaker_0: I don't know. And then, and, like, even their emails, they will answer emails.
[10:26] speaker_1: Mm-hmm.
[10:27] speaker_0: It's just, um, they just get assigned out in, like, these random batches. So-
[10:32] speaker_1: Yeah
[10:32] speaker_0: ... even, like, there's, you know, you could email them one week and then e- follow up the next week, and then the second one will get answered before the first one will get answered, just depending on, like, how they were batched up and whose queue and what they were-
[10:45] speaker_1: Mm-hmm
[10:46] speaker_0: ... also dealing with. And that is a good point because, like, it's really... it can be difficult to get ahold of them during the busy season.
[10:54] speaker_1: Mm-hmm.
[10:54] speaker_0: So, like, right at the end, if you're trying to set up your account, it doesn't always happen automatically, so then you can't go-
[11:01] speaker_1: You can't file online
[11:01] speaker_0: ... through the online system if you don't have the number and all of these different things. But what you need to do is you still have to notify them.
[11:10] speaker_1: Mm-hmm.
[11:10] speaker_0: So that's why they give you the paperwork so that you can fill it out and just mail it to them, or you can also send them an email and say, you know, like,"This is my business. I created an account," or,"Here's my account number. I'm having problems with the online system, but this is-" This is my information, and here's how much I made.
[11:29] speaker_1: Mm-hmm.
[11:30] speaker_0: And then that way you can still keep that zero dollar-
[11:33] speaker_1: Yeah
[11:33] speaker_0: ... exemption.
[11:34] speaker_1: Do it by the due date. You have to send that email-
[11:35] speaker_0: Right
[11:35] speaker_1: ... by the due date.
[11:36] speaker_0: Right.
[11:36] speaker_1: Yeah, yeah.
[11:36] speaker_0: Because if you say like,"Oh, hey, I'm gonna wait because, you know, like, the, their system broke down, or I didn't get all the information-
[11:43] speaker_1: Yeah
[11:43] speaker_0: ... that I needed, so I didn't file it on time," like, that's not sufficient. Um, because again, like I said, they have the things where you can print it out online. You have to notify them-
[11:53] speaker_1: Mm-hmm
[11:53] speaker_0: ... whether or not their online system is working. So, um, that's another way where, you know, like, we'll kind of grab people and say,"Okay, you know, we know it's gonna take, you know, seven days to get you an account, and we're on, like, the 27th."
[12:08] speaker_1: [laughs]
[12:08] speaker_0: But we're still going to, like, give them all of your information. Send them an email. Make sure they are notified because once we have that, like, receipt of them knowing it, then they, they can backtrack, and they can honor that zero dollar. But-
[12:22] speaker_1: Yep
[12:22] speaker_0: ... if you just kind of don't do anything, and you wait for them to give you the information, then they're gonna, they're gonna pull that exemption for you.
[12:30] speaker_1: Yep.
[12:30] speaker_0: Mm-hmm.
[12:31] speaker_1: Um, another thing to be wary of is because it's due in February, it means that you have to have all of your prior year financials done.
[12:38] speaker_0: Right.
[12:38] speaker_1: You have to be able to know what is that-
[12:40] speaker_0: Yep
[12:40] speaker_1: ... gross income number.
[12:41] speaker_0: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
[12:41] speaker_1: So, like, knowing that you have to file this thing means knowing that you also need to make sure that you have all your Ps and Qs. Like, you have everything set up because-
[12:49] speaker_0: Right, right
[12:49] speaker_1: ... yeah.
[12:49] speaker_0: And you also said, like, something really important about production companies.
[12:53] speaker_1: Mm-hmm.
[12:53] speaker_0: Because if this is based on gross receipts, and production companies are bringing in the production budget-
[12:58] speaker_1: Mm-hmm
[12:58] speaker_0: ... that's not profit.
[12:59] speaker_1: Exactly.
[12:59] speaker_0: That's just them doing a pass-through. So not only does a production company need to be able to provide their income level, but they also need to provide cost of goods.
[13:10] speaker_1: Mm-hmm.
[13:10] speaker_0: What did they actually spend on production out of all of the money that they brought in?
[13:15] speaker_1: Mm-hmm.
[13:15] speaker_0: So, um, it definitely means you wanna be fairly quick on getting your-
[13:20] speaker_1: Yeah
[13:20] speaker_0: ... financials sorted.
[13:22] speaker_1: Yeah,'cause it's-
[13:23] speaker_0: Um
[13:23] speaker_1: ... due in February, so that means you had one month after December, basically, to make sure that everything is good. [laughs]
[13:28] speaker_0: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
[13:29] speaker_1: So yeah. So if you're-
[13:30] speaker_0: Mm-hmm
[13:30] speaker_1: ... if you're being intentional, and you're doing your stuff every month or every six months, like, then you'll probably be in a good spot. But, like, if you're one where you're like,"Oh, we'll look at that later," this could trip you up because it'll be difficult to figure out what that, what that amount-
[13:42] speaker_0: Right
[13:42] speaker_1: ... actually is.
[13:43] speaker_0: Yep, yep, yep. And I think, too, we've seen where people are using, like, the wrong tax ID number for their account.
[13:51] speaker_1: Yeah.
[13:51] speaker_0: So, like-
[13:52] speaker_1: Mm-hmm
[13:52] speaker_0: ... where they were a freelancer beforehand, and then they opened up an LLC, and then they're like,"Okay, it's the same business. I'm gonna keep filing," or, you know, because you, the City of LA will let you use a DBA. So then, you know-
[14:06] speaker_1: Mm-hmm
[14:06] speaker_0: ... if you have a DBA that's this name and then you convert it to an LLC, it's still the same business name, same everything, but you wanna be very specific about that tax ID number because they'll send you... Again, they get the tax return. They'll match up that tax ID number and that income to their system, and so they're seeing, like, a tax ID number that has income that's never filed because it's all filing under your personal Social still. So just really, really making sure that the information that you're giving them matches up because otherwise they are going to audit it. They are going to send you a letter, and it's just gonna cause, like, more money and more paperwork for your tax professional to be able to coordinate with them. And, like, that whole process can take a few months to get through.
[14:54] speaker_1: For sure.
[14:55] speaker_0: Mm-hmm.
[14:55] speaker_1: I, I remember some clients where we had that happen-
[14:57] speaker_0: [laughs]
[14:57] speaker_1: ... where like, ah, okay.'Cause then you have to basically prove, like, I was filing, and I did do the thing.
[15:02] speaker_0: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
[15:02] speaker_1: It's just all under this personal Social instead of through the EIN, and then making sure that that gets all updated. But yeah,'cause you need to have the Social or your EIN and then also, like, your address that you set up the account with-
[15:15] speaker_0: Mm-hmm
[15:15] speaker_1: ... to even use the online system.
[15:16] speaker_0: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
[15:16] speaker_1: So you have to have, like, certain information that matches whatever your original information was to even, like, move forward. So keeping track-
[15:24] speaker_0: Mm
[15:24] speaker_1: ... of things like that. Like, where did you live-
[15:26] speaker_0: [laughs]
[15:26] speaker_1: ... five years ago? Like, if you haven't changed, so you haven't done a change of address, you gotta remember those things'cause, yeah-
[15:31] speaker_0: Mm-hmm
[15:31] speaker_1: ... that's how you're gonna get in.
[15:33] speaker_0: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
[15:33] speaker_1: So nope, that makes sense.
[15:34] speaker_0: Yeah, have a collection agency calling you-
[15:36] speaker_1: Yep
[15:37] speaker_0: ... and all that fun stuff. So-
[15:39] speaker_1: Yep.
[15:39] speaker_0: Um, so yeah. I mean, it's just another big piece where we wanna make sure that we are filing this on time. We're filing it correctly. It's super nice and easy and straightforward. The biggest issue is just knowing that it exists.
[15:55] speaker_1: Mm-hmm.
[15:55] speaker_0: Because it's just, like, really not 100% common knowledge.
[15:59] speaker_1: It's really not.
[16:00] speaker_0: Right. Mm-hmm.
[16:00] speaker_1: Most of my clients, they had no idea, so-
[16:02] speaker_0: Mm-hmm
[16:02] speaker_1: ... yep, yep.
[16:03] speaker_0: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
[16:04] speaker_1: So yeah.
[16:05] speaker_0: Yeah.
[16:05] speaker_1: It's a fun, uh, it's a fun thing.
[16:06] speaker_0: Mm-hmm.
[16:06] speaker_1: And they, like, the account number when you get it, it's only the shortened version of it.
[16:10] speaker_0: Oh, yeah.
[16:10] speaker_1: And then there's a longer account number-
[16:12] speaker_0: Yeah, yeah
[16:12] speaker_1: ... afterwards. [laughs]
[16:13] speaker_0: Yeah, yeah.
[16:14] speaker_1: Like, there's some fun things. You know, hire a professional maybe. [laughs]
[16:17] speaker_0: [laughs]
[16:17] speaker_1: Just at least make sure you're all set up. I mean, you can probably handle it from there, but... [laughs]
[16:20] speaker_0: Right, right.
[16:21] speaker_1: Yeah.
[16:21] speaker_0: They do have offices.
[16:23] speaker_1: Yeah.
[16:23] speaker_0: And, you know-
[16:23] speaker_1: Mm-hmm
[16:23] speaker_0: ... you can go down there and meet with them and everything. So like I said, they're not, they're not trying to create a difficult process. It's just they have a lot of things.
[16:33] speaker_1: Yeah.
[16:33] speaker_0: A lot of businesses, a lot of people come through there, so it's just, like, such a high volume-
[16:39] speaker_1: Mm-hmm
[16:39] speaker_0: ... of stuff that, um, you know, it can, it, it can be a little bit tricky-
[16:44] speaker_1: Yeah
[16:44] speaker_0: ... to get their attention, um, just because they're dealing with, like, literally tens and hundreds of thousands of people and all that fun stuff, so.
[16:51] speaker_1: Super fun. [laughs]
[16:53] speaker_0: Yep, yep, yep. So while they are not in the busy season, it is the best time to reach out to them.
[16:59] speaker_1: 100%.
[17:00] speaker_0: Um, do not call them in February.
[17:02] speaker_1: No.
[17:02] speaker_0: They will not answer.
[17:03] speaker_1: They will not answer.
[17:04] speaker_0: [laughs]
[17:04] speaker_1: They're not gonna email you back probably either.
[17:05] speaker_0: [laughs]
[17:05] speaker_1: Like, you're just gonna get that, like, receipt that you sent an email-
[17:09] speaker_0: [laughs]
[17:09] speaker_1: ... but, like, yep.
[17:09] speaker_0: Mm-hmm.
[17:10] speaker_1: Nope.
[17:10] speaker_0: Mm-hmm, yep. Go through, make sure you're in compliance, get that account, and, um, you know, just, again, while your business is growing, make sure that you're not, you know, wasting money on these, like, you know, silly mistakes.
[17:24] speaker_1: Yep.
[17:25] speaker_0: All right. Well, that was it for the City of LA business tax. Hopefully, you have a few more questions. You can put a comment below or reach out to us, and we are more than happy to help you sort out all of that city, uh-
[17:43] speaker_1: Funness
[17:44] speaker_0: ... funness. [laughs]
[17:47] speaker_1: Bye.
[17:47] speaker_0: Bye, guys.
[17:48] speaker_1: That's it for this episode of Let's Get Fiscal. If this helped you see your business differently, follow or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so the next episode is already waiting for you, and if a specific money question came up while you were listening, send it through the link in the show notes. Real listener questions help shape future episodes. You can also follow Let's Get Fiscal on social media for more tax tips, business finance breakdowns, and clips from the show. Until next time, keep building the business behind the work.