Educate yourself about the revised tax benefits for higher education
If you or your child attends (or plans to attend) college, you may be eligible for tax breaks to help foot the bill. The new Consolidated Appropriations Act made some changes. The law repeals the Tuition and Fees Deduction for 2021 and later years. In addition, for 2021 and beyond, the new law aligns the income phase-out rule for the Lifetime Learning Credit (LLC) with the more favorable phase-out rule for the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC). The LLC can be worth up to $2,000 per tax return annually while the AOTC can be worth up to $2,500 per student each year. Talk with us about which tax credit is the most beneficial in your situation. Each has its own requirements.
Can your business benefit from the enhanced Employee Retention Tax Credit?
COVID-19 has caused widespread furloughs and layoffs. Fortunately, employers that keep workers on their payrolls are eligible for a refundable Employee Retention Tax Credit, which was extended and enhanced in the latest law. Under the CARES Act, the credit only covered wages paid between March 13, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2020. The new law extends the covered wage period to include the first two calendar quarters of 2021. In addition, for the first two quarters of 2021 ending on June 30, the new law increases the overall covered wage ceiling to 70% of qualified wages paid during the applicable quarter (versus 50% under the CARES Act). These are just some of the changes. Contact us with questions.
New “PPP2” Funding Opens Today for Special Targeted Applicants
Opening to Remaining Applicants Expected Very Soon Application and Guidance Have Been Released Applications for a new fresh round of Paycheck Protection Program funds have now officially opened today. Initially this is only for targeted community lenders who specialize in working with women-led and minority-owned small businesses. Although we have not heard a definite timeline […]
Need another PPP loan for your small business? Here are the new rules
One item of interest for small business owners in the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) is the availability of a second loan from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The recently enacted CAA permits some small businesses who received a PPP loan to take out a “PPP Second Draw Loan” of up to $2 million. To qualify, you must employ no more than 300 employees per physical location, have used or will use the full amount of your first PPP loan, and demonstrate at least a 25% reduction in gross receipts during any quarter of 2020 (as compared with the same quarter in 2019). Additional rules apply. Contact us with any questions you might have about PPP loans.
New law doubles business meal deductions and makes favorable PPP loan changes
The COVID-19 relief bill, signed into law on December 27, 2020, contains numerous favorable tax breaks for businesses. For example, the new law includes a provision that removes the 50% limit on deducting business meals provided by restaurants and makes those meals 100% deductible. This rule applies to expenses paid or incurred in calendar years 2021 and 2022. The law also authorizes more money towards the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and extends it to March 31, 2021. In addition, it provides for the deductibility of PPP expenses paid with the loan proceeds. These are just a couple of the business-related provisions in the new law. Contact us if you have questions about your situation.
Your taxpayer filing status: You may be eligible to use more than one
For tax purposes, Dec. 31 is more than just New Year’s Eve. It will affect the filing status box that will be checked on your tax return. When filing a return, you do so with one of 5 tax filing statuses. The box checked on your return generally depends in part on whether you’re unmarried or married on Dec. 31. Here are the statuses: Single, married filing jointly, married filing separately, head of household and qualifying widow(er) with a dependent child. Head of household status can be more favorable than filing as a single person, but special rules apply. You must generally be unmarried, have a qualifying child (or dependent) and meet certain rules involving “maintaining a household.”
The right entity choice: Should you convert from a C to an S corporation?
The best choice of entity can affect your business in several ways, including the amount of your tax bill. Although S corporations can provide substantial tax advantages over C corporations in some cases, there are potential tax problems to assess before deciding to convert from C to S status. One issue to consider is last-in, first-out (LIFO) inventory. A C corporation that uses LIFO inventory must pay tax on the benefits it derived by using LIFO if it converts to an S corporation. Other issues to consider are the built-in gains tax, passive income tax and unused net operating losses. Contact us if you’re interested in an entity change. We’ll explain your options and the tax implications.
Prevent and detect insider cyberattacks
Dishonest workers can initiate a cyberattack by stealing valuable information from your company’s computer network and using it for personal gain. They could be working for a competitor, seeking revenge for perceived wrongs or they may need money to pay gambling debts. You can prevent insider cybercrime by monitoring IT use, removing network access as soon as an employee is terminated and always treating workers fairly. And don’t neglect to protect physical assets such as paper records and computer hardware. Restricting your office’s Wi-Fi to those with special passwords is also a good idea. Contact us with questions.
The President’s action to defer payroll taxes: What does it mean for your business?
President Trump has signed a Presidential Memorandum to defer the employee portion of Social Security taxes for some people. The action only defers the taxes, which means they must be paid in the future. However, the action directs the U.S. Treasury Secretary to explore ways to eliminate the obligation to pay the taxes deferred. Employers have questions and concerns. For example, will employers have to withhold more taxes from employees’ paychecks in the future to pay the taxes back? Without a law to forgive the taxes, will employers be liable to pay them? What if employers can’t change their software by the Sept. 1 start of the deferral? Is the deferral required? Contact us with questions.
New COVID – 19 Relief Bill Now Signed into Law by the President
Includes New PPP Funding for Previous PPP Recipients that Qualify New Simplified PPP Forgiveness Application for up to $150K Loans After much discussion regarding various elements of the bill (including the dollar amount of stimulus payments and various funding initiatives mainly in the omnibus spending portion of the bill) President Trump did eventually sign the […]
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