Does it tell me my reasonable salary number?
No. It does not set, suggest, or validate any salary amount, and it does not guarantee any IRS outcome. It organizes the documentation behind your figure.
Spreadsheet & Workbook · For S-corp owner-employees
S-Corp Reasonable Salary Workbook
Organize the documentation behind an S-corp owner salary.
$59 · one-time
Excel workbook (.xlsx) + Word templates + quick-start guide (PDF)
Available soon
Sold and fulfilled by Gumroad, Inc. as merchant/seller of record. Content authored by ExpertEngine LLC d/b/a ProAxis Templates — built by the licensed CPAs at ProAxis Tax & Accounting Services.
What it is
S-corp owners have to pay themselves reasonable compensation — wages before distributions — and most either guess or lean on the "60/40 rule" they saw online. That rule is a myth; no safe-harbor percentage exists in the Code, the regulations, or case law. What the IRS and courts look at is documentation: your real duties, your real hours, and real market wage data.
This workbook helps you organize that documentation. It does not set, suggest, or validate any salary amount, and it does not guarantee any IRS outcome — no product can. It gives you a structured place to gather duties, hours, and market data, plus memo and board-minutes templates. Built by a licensed CPA firm; review your figures with your own CPA before relying on them.
What's included
- Reasonable-compensation documentation workbook (Excel)
- Duties, hours, and market-wage-data worksheets
- Officer-compensation memo template (Word)
- Board-minutes template (Word) — sample form; have your attorney review before adopting
Who it's for
- S-corp owner-employees documenting their compensation
- Owners preparing for a reasonable-comp conversation with a CPA
- Bookkeepers assembling year-end S-corp documentation
How you get it
After checkout you receive an instant digital download — excel workbook (.xlsx) + word templates + quick-start guide (pdf). There is no physical item and nothing ships. You can start using the file the same day.
Tax-year note: Figures are current for tax year 2026 and cite primary IRS/state sources inside the file. Tax law changes — verify at irs.gov before acting.
Setting it up
This workbook is designed to be usable the day you download it, whether or not you have used a spreadsheet like it before. Open the Excel file, start on the guide tab, and enter your own numbers where indicated. The structure does the organizing; you just keep it current.
- Download and open the workbook in Microsoft Excel (it also imports into Google Sheets if you prefer).
- Read the short quick-start guide (PDF) included with your purchase — it explains each tab in plain language.
- Enter your data as it happens through the year, rather than reconstructing it all at tax time.
- Use the summary views to see where things stand and to hand a clean file to your tax preparer.
The workbook records and organizes your numbers. It does not file anything, does not prepare a tax return, and does not decide the judgment calls that depend on your specific facts — those stay with you and the professional you engage.
Why buy a template built by a CPA firm
Most bookkeeping templates sold online are built by spreadsheet marketers to look good in a listing. This one was built by the licensed CPAs at ProAxis Tax & Accounting Services (New Jersey and New York) around how the return actually reads. That difference does not show up in a screenshot, but it shows up the first time you reconcile: the accounts are grouped the way your situation reports, the categories line up with the tax form, and the structure holds when the numbers get real.
Every product is reviewed by a licensed CPA before it is published, and any figure it references is cited to a primary IRS or state source and dated inside the file. The goal is an honest, professional starting point — not an optimistic one. If you later decide you would rather hand the work to a CPA than do it yourself, ProAxis does bookkeeping setup, cleanup, and ongoing accounting for businesses across NJ, NY, and PA. The template makes that conversation shorter; it does not depend on it.
Related resources
More CPA-built bookkeeping workbooks
- Small Business Tax Deduction Tracker → Track expenses by write-off category all year, not in April.
- Nonprofit Donation Tracker & Giving Statement Kit → Track donations and mail-merge every year-end giving statement in one sitting.
- Small Business Budget & Cash-Flow Forecast Template → Budget vs. actual plus a 13-week cash-flow forecast in one workbook.
Frequently asked questions
Is the "60/40 rule" reliable?
No. No safe-harbor percentage exists in the Code, regulations, or case law. What the IRS and courts look at is documentation of duties, hours, and market wages.
What are the Word templates for?
A compensation memo and a sample board-minutes form. The minutes are a sample — have your attorney review before adopting.
Important — please read before buying
Educational template — not advice. This is a do-it-yourself template. It is general educational material, not tax, accounting, or legal advice, and is not written tax advice under Treasury Circular 230. Your purchase does not create a CPA-client, engagement, or advisory relationship. Figures reflect the law as of the date shown for the tax year noted and are not updated after purchase — verify at the primary source before acting. Consult a professional you separately engage about your specific situation. Results vary; no specific tax, refund, deduction, or compliance outcome is promised.
Refunds: Digital products are delivered instantly and are non-refundable once downloaded. We will refund or replace any file that is corrupt, materially not as described, or not delivered, within 30 days of purchase.
Purchases are governed by the Digital Product License & Terms of Sale. Sold and fulfilled by Gumroad, Inc. as merchant/seller of record. Content authored by ExpertEngine LLC d/b/a ProAxis Templates — built by the licensed CPAs at ProAxis Tax & Accounting Services.
Want a CPA to set up your books, not just a template?
ProAxis Tax & Accounting Services does bookkeeping setup, cleanup, and ongoing accounting for NJ, NY, and PA businesses. Book a free consultation to talk through your situation.