2018 – 10/10 Higher-income earners must be wary of the 3.8% surtax on unearned income. The surtax is 3.8% of the lesser of net investment income (NII) or the excess of modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) over a threshold amount. As year end nears, your approach to minimizing or eliminating the 3.8% surtax will depend…
2018- 10/10 Beginning in 2018, many people who claimed itemized deductions year after year will no longer be able to do so. That’s because the standard deduction has been increased and many itemized deductions have been cut back or abolished. Some taxpayers may be able to “bunch” discretionary expenses into the year when they’ll do…
In today’s tightening job market, to attract and retain the best employees, small businesses need to offer not only competitive pay, but also appealing fringe benefits. Benefits that are tax-free are especially attractive to employees. Let’s take a quick look at some popular options. Insurance Businesses can provide their employees with various types of insurance…
2018 – 10/04 Is that still deductible? The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act generally eliminated the business deduction for entertainment expenses but not meal expenses. As long as certain conditions are met, taxpayers can still deduct 50% of the cost of business meals. The IRS issued Notice 2018-76 spelling out the five conditions. The expense…
It’s easy to understand why more and more businesses are taking a “bring your own device” (BYOD) approach to the smartphones, tablets and laptops many employees rely on to do their jobs. BYOD can boost employee efficiency and satisfaction, often while reducing a company’s IT costs. But the approach isn’t without risk for both you…
The medical expense deduction threshold rises to 10% of adjusted gross income (AGI) in 2019.
The simplified per-diem rates are increasing for post-9/30/18 business travel. The IRS issued a notice of the “high-low” simplified per-diem rates for post-9/30/18 travel. The high-cost area per-diem increases to $287 (from $284) and the low-cost area per-diem increases to $195 (from $191). Under the high-low substantiation method, there’s one uniform per-diem rate for all…
2018 – 10/01 In general, married taxpayers who file joint tax returns are jointly and individually liable for the tax due on them. But spouses may be eligible for “innocent spouse” relief if they can prove they didn’t know about a tax understatement. In one new case, the U.S. Tax Court ruled that a disabled…
Businesses that acquire, construct or substantially improve a building — or did so in previous years — should consider a cost segregation study. It may allow you to accelerate depreciation deductions, thus reducing taxes and boosting cash flow. And the potential benefits are now even greater due to enhancements to certain depreciation-related breaks under the…
Like many business owners, you probably created a business plan when you launched your company. But, as is also often the case, you may not have looked at it much since then. Now that fall has arrived and year end is coming soon, why not dig it out? Reviewing and revising a business plan can…
2018 – 09/24 The IRS announces that employer reimbursements in 2018 for qualifying pre-2018 employee moves are tax-free. Clarifying the effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), the IRS states that employer payments in 2018 for employee moving expenses incurred prior to 2018 are excluded from the employee’s wages for tax purposes. The…
2018 – 09/25 Tax Reform 2.0 may move forward in the U.S. House this week. The House Rules Committee on 9/26 is scheduled to consider the three bills composing the Republicans’ tax package. The bills are titled the “Protecting Family and Small Business Tax Cuts Act of 2018,” the “Family Savings Act of 2018,” and…
Tax identity theft may seem like a problem only for individual taxpayers. But, according to the IRS, increasingly businesses are also becoming victims. And identity thieves have become more sophisticated, knowing filing practices, the tax code and the best ways to get valuable data. How it works In tax identity theft, a taxpayer’s identifying information…
You’ve no doubt heard the old business cliché “cash is king.” And it’s true: A company in a strong cash position stands a much better chance of obtaining the financing it needs, attracting outside investors or simply executing its own strategic plans. One way to ensure that there’s always a king in the castle, so…
2018 – 9/14 The House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday passed a “Tax Reform 2.0” bill along partisan lines. The full U.S. House is expected to take up the tax measures at the end of September or sometime in October. It’s not expected that the Senate will vote on the three bills that comprise…
