S‑Corp Salary & Distribution Strategy

S-Corporations come with a hidden tax trap most owners walk right into: paying yourself too little salary and loading up on distributions. The IRS has a name for that — and it comes with back taxes, penalties, and audits. In this episode, we break down exactly how reasonable compensation works, how to benchmark a defensible salary, and how to structure your distributions to stay compliant while keeping more of what you earn. We walk through a real case study where one owner saved $31,400 annually after getting this right — and avoided a costly audit in the process. If you run an S-Corp, this is the episode that pays for itself.