Posted by MaryP/PA on 8/28/06 8:39am
Msg #141416

cell phones

How many of you use your cell phone for your business phone? I have a business line w/a fax line and DSL and pay $125 a month. I decided I'd get a regular cell phone (was using prepaid before) and use that as my business line. Now I got a national plan for $40 a month with 1000 minutes. When I called my phone company to cancel all my extras apparently I'd be paying the same price as before if I did away with all the bells and whistles that I had. I had a package. Right now I have caller ID, call forwarding, call waiting, etc. with the two lines and the DSL.

Anyway, I'm seriously wondering if I need the business line. The only thing that I would get is my # in the phone book to do basic notarizing which I doubt I would have time for beings I work during the day and do closings at night. I have to admit having the cell has brought me more work. If they can't get me at work or at home they find me on my cell. I thought just get the fax line and the DSL separately. I got the business line because I could write that off. Anyway, how many of you just use a cell phone for your business phone and write that off as a business line? I was told by my accountant I couldn't write that off because like anyone else you'd also be using that for personal use - I am advertising just my cell number from here on out as well as my daytime work #.

Reply by ananotary on 8/28/06 8:49am
Msg #141419

I only use my cell phone as my business line. It's the only number I am at 100% of the time. If the company can not reach you right away, they will move on to the next notary. I pay for my DSL with my phone service. I have a regular fax machine. The reason, I don't receive enough faxes to justify a land line or a monthly service fee. Most everything that can be faxed can also be emailed.

Good Luck!

Reply by Jersey_Boy on 8/28/06 8:49am
Msg #141420

I use my cell phone as my business line and I would be COMPLETELY LOST without it.

Ooo... I just got a chill thinking about it.

Reply by MaryP/PA on 8/28/06 8:50am
Msg #141421

do you guys write off your cell phone bill 100% when you do your taxes?

Reply by jojodatura on 8/28/06 8:53am
Msg #141423

I use my cell phone as my business phone. I would have to say 80% of my calls are business, either mine or my husband's. And you CAN write it off just the % of use for business. Like depreciation on a car. As I recall, you can even write off the price the phone
would have cost you if you didn't get a contract that gave you a deal on the price.

Reply by Stamper_WI on 8/28/06 10:50am
Msg #141441

I have no land lines. It seems I am always driving somewhere when I get requests for signings. I to shudder to think of the work missed if I didn't do it this way!

Reply by Life Saving Services - Doug on 8/28/06 11:53am
Msg #141461

My cell # is in all of my advertising and I have a land line that is not used for business or should I say advertised. So I ride off 100% of my cell. It is a ligitimate ride off as I have other lines dedicated to personal. If someone personally calls my business line that is ok. After all haven't you ever had a friend call you at work. By the way they call that networking in business so 100% write off here.

Reply by Charm_AL on 8/28/06 10:59am
Msg #141447

I have a biz and fax line and I carry a cell phone. I would never rely totally on the cell, as I'm in areas all the time with no reception.

Reply by MaryP/PA on 8/28/06 11:19am
Msg #141453

Re: cell phones v. land line

Charm and the others that have land lines too - do you get a lot of business from having your business line listed in the phone book. mine should be going in the book coming out next month. I really can't do basic notarizations during the day because i am at work and don't want to have people meeting me here at work.

Reply by sue_pa on 8/28/06 11:48am
Msg #141458

Re: cell phones v. land line

Mary, if it's like here, that Yellow Page is going to be a huge pain. I removed mine this year as I couldn't stand the calls any longer. You will have more people than you can imagine wanting title service - all hours of the day and night - when you tell them you don't do PennDOT work, they then want to know who does and what the contact number is or they say, "well just answer this ..." . Also, I can't tell you how many people call for a spouse who needs something done and has 'good and bad' days.

Reply by Korey Humphreys on 8/28/06 11:00am
Msg #141448

I do. I use my Verizon cell phone as my primary business line. I like the idea that I can go anywhere and will always recieve my important business calls.

Reply by ME/NJ on 8/28/06 11:23am
Msg #141454

We have a corporate Nextel act with up to 10 lines available to us. 100% deduction

Reply by Gary_CA on 8/28/06 12:09pm
Msg #141469

Cell phone / land line 1-2 punch

My cell phone number is the ONLY number I give out. I do Real Estate, and when possible I don't even use my office number, just the cell phone.

KISS

However, I live up in the hills with no cell reception... so I have programmed my cell for No Answer Fowarding to my landline. My landline has a voice mail that I can check from my cell.

It's a great solution for me. Never have to worry about someone calling my cell when it's off or my landline when I'm out. (I don't give my land line number to anyone, have to work to remember it myself.)

Bonus... when the call transfers no charge for cell minutes.

I have a seperate fax number I share with my dad and his business (construction) but if I get an efax I might just can that number and send outgoing faxes on the main line.

Cell phone, land line, fax, DSL (in my case by sattelite @ $103 / month), laptops, pda's, printers, scanners, cameras...

have you noticed how all this crap gets expensive? (And how you have to replace it every so often even though it works just fine???)

Reply by Blueink_CA on 8/28/06 1:20pm
Msg #141491

Re: Cell phone / land line 1-2 punch

**(And how you have to replace it every so often even though it works just fine???)**

This is so true, Gary.

I just HAD to get a bluetooth. Whenever I was riding and my phone rang, my horsey would start 'dancing' (maybe it was the Jimmy Buffett MargaritaVille ringtone?) and I would drop my phone or the reins, or both. So a bluetooth was the answer. However since my old phone (which wasn't THAT old) was not compatible with a bluetooth, I had to purchase a new phone also.

...wasting away again in MargaritaVille.....

Reply by MelissaCT on 8/28/06 12:29pm
Msg #141477

Re: cell phones/write off

I have a family plan for myself & hubby. I do write off my portion of the cell bill as well as any toll calls (for faxes) from my regular house phone bill. My DSL is also written off 100% as business expense. Cell is the only published number for business. 1000 minutes are included, so it would be very difficult (if not impossible) to break out the business portion of used minutes (both incoming & outgoing).

Just my 2 cents on this question...not legal/accounting advice.

Reply by BarbaraL_CA on 8/28/06 12:54pm
Msg #141486

I have a land line phone that I use as my primary number for my business. I have that number forwarded to my cell phone, so I always receive my business calls on my cell phone if I'm away. The land line # I use is listed and billed as a residential number (it cost more to list as a business).