Taxes can sometimes be difficult to understand when it comes to the personal ones you have to file every year, but then they become even more complicated and convoluted when it comes to trying to do business taxes, and then that gets even more obtuse when dealing specifically with business property taxes.

Depending on your industry and your situation, follow through these five tips to help you understand where all of the financial pieces fit together – consider specific industries while gathering data, compare and contrast with personal tax laws, work with a tax advisor, install automated tax software, and take an online class to brush up on the info you need.

Consider Specific Industries While Researching

Different industries have different laws when it comes to something as specific as property taxes. For instance, healthcare property tax laws can be very different depending on if there’s non-profit status involved. Restaurants might have different regulations when it comes to property taxes. Businesses that deal with weapons might have a different set of rules associated with the financing of property taxes. So really, the first step in understanding business taxation in that category is knowing that there’s an intersection of general law vs. specific regulation on a case-by-case basis.

Find Resources That Explain Personal Taxes

One way to better understand business property taxes is by comparing them with personal property taxes. If you can find a resource that lists how and why businesses are different from people, you’ll have a better base of understanding regarding how state and local governments came up with the numbers they did. A good place to start researching taxes is through the official IRS website.

Have a Tax Advisor Go Through Your Numbers With You

By hiring a tax consultant to go over the numbers with you, you can learn a lot about how business property taxes work in general, and how your situation specifically fits into the overall picture.

Find an Automated Software Program that Explains Points Clearly

There are many automated software packages that people use these days to do their own taxes. There are both personal and business versions of many of these packages. If you find one that clearly illustrates all of the major point of business property tax law, that might be just good enough to get you the information you need to carry on smartly.

Take An Online Certificate Class In Tax Law

There are also plenty of online free tax software and classes that you can take about taxes, and some of them even offer a certificate at the end if you complete the course and achieve a certain level of accuracy on a final test. Though online classes may be generally geared more toward students, adult who just want the knowledge are also welcomed.