Leading accountant Pauline Ho founder of Laus Consulting Services LLC in Orlando, FL, explains how Florida businesses can prepare for storm damage by documenting assets, backing up records, understanding insurance coverage, and taking advantage of available disaster-related tax relief. For more information please visit https://lausconsult.com
-- Living and working in Florida means carrying a risk that businesses in most other states rarely have to plan for, and Orlando CPA Pauline Ho says the time to prepare for storm damage is long before a storm is ever on the map.
For more information please visit https://lausconsult.com
Ho, founder of Laus Consulting Services, LLC in Orlando, said the most common mistake she sees after a hurricane is people trying to prove what they owned once it is already gone. “The paperwork is what turns a loss into a deduction,” she said. “If it washed away with everything else, the claim becomes far harder to support.”
Her first recommendation is simple and free: document what you have now. That means photographing or filming the inside and outside of a property, major equipment and high-value belongings, then storing those files somewhere they will survive in the cloud, or on a drive kept well away from the property. Receipts for significant purchases and improvements should be backed up the same way, along with copies of insurance policies, tax returns and bank records.
Ho explained that after a federally declared disaster, the IRS routinely postpones filing and payment deadlines for people and businesses in the affected area, including quarterly estimated payments. Florida has seen this happen repeatedly in recent years. “You don’t have to request it,” she said. “If your address sits in the disaster zone, the extension usually applies automatically but you still need to know it exists, so you aren’t paying penalties you don’t actually owe.”
She also walked through the casualty loss rules, which have changed in ways worth understanding. For individuals, a personal casualty loss is generally only deductible if it stems from a federally declared disaster, a limit that is now permanent. From 2026, that door opens a little wider: losses tied to a state-declared disaster can also qualify — which matters in Florida, where serious storms sometimes cause heavy damage without meeting the federal threshold.
The mechanics matter too. A deductible loss is first reduced by any insurance reimbursement, then by a set dollar amount per event, and for personal property by a further 10 percent of income. “That’s why insurance always comes first,” Ho said. “You can’t deduct a loss you expect to be paid for. The deduction is only for what’s left uncovered.”
One provision she said owners often miss: when a loss happens in a federally declared disaster area, taxpayers can choose to claim it on the prior year’s return instead of the current one. Filing an amended return for the earlier year can bring a refund in sooner - often at exactly the point when cash is tightest.
For business property, the rules differ from those for personal property, and Ho recommends keeping business and personal records clearly separated so that damaged inventory, equipment and premises can each be documented and valued on their own terms.
Her broader point is that recovery is far smoother for those who prepared. “After a storm, people are dealing with insurers, contractors and their own families all at once,” Ho concluded. “The clients who came through it best were the ones who had already backed up their records and knew what relief was available. An afternoon of preparation now can save weeks of stress later.”
Source: http://RecommendedExperts.biz
Contact Info:
Name: Pauline Ho
Email: Send Email
Organization: Laus Consulting Services LLC
Address: 879 Outer Rd B, Orlando, FL 32814
Phone: 407-401-9768
Website: https://lausconsult.com
Release ID: 89203754
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