Take advantage of the gift tax exclusion rules
As we head toward gift-giving season, you may be considering giving cash or securities to your loved ones. Taxpayers can transfer amounts free of gift taxes to their children or others each year through the use of the annual federal gift tax exclusion. For 2019, the exclusion is $15,000 to each person. If you’re married, gifts made during a year can be treated as split between you and your spouse. By “gift-splitting,” up to $30,000 a year can be transferred to each person by a married couple, because two annual exclusions are available. If you give appreciated assets to loved ones in lower tax brackets, they may be able to pay a 0% long-term capital gains tax rate. Contact us with questions.
The chances of an IRS audit are low, but business owners should be prepared
As a business owner, are you worried about an IRS audit? The good news is that the odds against being audited are in your favor. The IRS audited 0.6% of individuals in fiscal year 2018. Businesses and high-income people are more likely to be audited, but audit rates are historically low. However, some tax return items may raise red flags with the IRS, such as major inconsistencies between previous years’ filings and the current one, profit margins or expenses markedly different from those of similar businesses, and unusually high deductions. If the IRS selects you for an audit, we can help you understand what it’s disputing, gather the needed documents, and respond to the inquiries effectively.
Does your team know the profitability game plan?
Right now, football teams are trying to put as many wins on the board as possible to make this a special season. Sports can highlight important lessons for business owners about profitability. One is that companies must learn from their mistakes and adjust their profitability game plans accordingly. Typical fumbles include poor customer service, ineffective pricing strategies and a broken-down supply chain. After identifying profit fumbles, fortify your offensive line by defining (or redefining) a feasible profit game plan, appointing team leaders to champion each initiative and communicating the plan clearly to build consensus. Contact us for help.
When is tax due on Series EE savings bonds?
Do you have Series EE U.S. savings bonds that were bought many years ago, and you now wonder how the interest on them is taxed? EE bonds don’t pay interest currently. Instead, the accrued interest is reflected in their redemption value. (However, owners can elect to have the interest taxed annually.) EE bond interest isn’t subject to state income tax. And using the money for higher education may keep you from paying federal income tax on the interest. Unfortunately, the law doesn’t allow for the tax-free buildup of interest to continue indefinitely. When the bonds reach final maturity, they stop earning interest. Contact us if you have questions about the taxability of savings bonds.
How to treat your business website costs for tax purposes
Most businesses have a website. But determining the proper tax treatment for the costs involved in developing a website isn’t easy. The IRS hasn’t yet released official guidance, so you must apply existing guidance that’s available on other costs to the issue of website development costs. The exact treatment of website design costs depends on whether they’re software or hardware and whether they’re part of a start-up business. If you hire third parties to set up and run your website, payments are currently deductible as ordinary and necessary business expenses. Contact us if you have questions or want more information about planning for website costs.
Uncle Sam may provide relief from college costs on your tax return
We all know college is expensive. Fortunately, there are two sizable federal tax credits for higher education costs that you may be able to claim. The American Opportunity credit generally provides the biggest benefit to most taxpayers. It offers a maximum benefit of $2,500. But it phases out based on modified adjusted gross income (MAGI). For 2019, the MAGI phaseout ranges are between $80,000 and $90,000 for single taxpayers, and between $160,000 and $180,000 for married joint filers. There’s also the Lifetime Learning credit, which equals 20% of qualified education expenses for up to $2,000 per tax return. There are requirements to qualify for both credits. Contact us for more information.
How to research a business customer’s creditworthiness
Extending credit to business customers can be an effective way to establish goodwill and nurture long-term buyers. But customer credit also brings financial risks. For this reason, it’s critical to thoroughly research a customer’s creditworthiness. Start by contacting the potential customer’s trade references to get background on its payment history. Also check its banking info to ascertain financial stability. Order a credit report to obtain its business credit score. To glean some insights beyond dollars and cents, explore traditional media (newspapers, magazines, trade publications) and social media to get a better sense of the company. Contact us for additional tips.
5 ways to withdraw cash from your corporation while avoiding dividend treatment
Do you want to withdraw cash from your closely held corporation at a low tax cost? The easiest way is to distribute cash as a dividend. However, a dividend distribution is taxable to you as a shareholder but it’s not deductible by the corporation. But there are several alternatives that may allow you to withdraw cash from a corporation and avoid dividend treatment. For example, you might be able to receive capital repayments, or obtain reasonable compensation for you (or family members), as well as certain fringe benefits. If you’re interested in discussing these or other ideas, contact us. We can help you get the maximum out of your corporation at a minimum tax cost.
For best results, start your strategic planning early
Although it’s probably too early to start chilling a bottle of bubbly for New Year’s Eve, it’s not too early for business owners to start their strategic planning for next year. Begin with your financial statements. They’ll tell you whether to be strategically ambitious or cautious. Calculate key performance indicators such as gross profit and current ratio. Also look at certain areas of your company, including human resources, sales and marketing, and production and operations. High turnover, slumping sales or too many dissatisfied customers is each a red flag that should shape strategic goals for the year ahead. We can help you crunch the numbers and put together a solid plan.
Getting a divorce? There are tax issues you need to understand
In addition to the difficult personal issues that divorce entails, several tax concerns need to be addressed to ensure that taxes are kept to a minimum and that important tax-related decisions are properly made. For example, if you sell your personal residence or one spouse remains living there while the other moves out, you’ll want to make sure you’ll be able to avoid tax on up to $500,000 of gain. You also must decide how to file your tax return for this year (single, married filing jointly, married filing separately or head of household). There are several other issues you may have to deal with. We can help you work through all of the financial issues involved in divorce.