by Pete McAllister | Accounting News, IRS, News, Tax, Tax Planning
Filing taxes puts stress on small business owners, because most know that mistakes on business tax returns can affect your business’s success. Here are some common tax mistakes to avoid.
Mixing Business and Personal Expenses
Be sure not to report personal expenses on your small business’s tax return. It’s always a good idea to have separate credit cards, bank accounts, and filing folders for each. Sometimes an expense isn’t as cut-and-dry and you may have difficulty determining if it is indeed business or personal. In this case, turn to the IRS’s Publication 535 at www.irs.gov, which provides an overview of expenses that are and are not deductible.
Being Disorganized with Recordkeeping
This may seem like second nature to some business owners, but staying on top of tax documents, receipts, and copies of bank and credit card statements will go a long way toward avoiding overwhelm at tax time. While you don’t need to submit receipts or other proof of tax deductions to the IRS, you will need them on hand if the IRS decides to probe into your taxes further. If you get audited and you don’t have required documentation on hand to prove any claimed deductions, your tax bill could increase significantly.
Filing the Wrong Tax Forms
There are different types of tax forms required for different types of businesses (C corporations, S corporations, etc.), and if you have employees, you’ll need to fill out additional forms that document their payment through the year. Simply put, it can be a lot to track. A tax advisor can help you determine which forms you should be filling out.
Taking Too Many Deductions
Simply stated, taking deductions means that you get money back for certain purchases that assisted your business. Just keep in mind that too many deductions could raise a red flag for the IRS. If you’re unsure, a tax advisor can ensure that you’re adhering to deduction limitations and only claiming expenses that qualify.
Forgetting or Underestimating Your Tax Payments
Many small business owners are required to make quarterly estimated tax payments. Typically, the deadlines for these payments are the 15h of April, June, September, and January of the following year. How much you owe is based on your income. If you miss a payment, or if your payment falls short of your actual tax liability for the year, the government could saddle you with penalties, thereby increasing your tax liability. Furthermore, if the IRS suspects an intention to defraud it, the fine can be as high as 75%, and you could face criminal tax fraud charges.
by Jean Miller | Accounting News, IRS, News, Tax, Tax Planning, Tax Planning - Individual, Uncategorized
The IRS wants American taxpayers to be prepared for a potentially smaller tax refund in 2023. There are a few contributing factors that prompted the warning from the IRS in a recent statement, and we go over those below.
Economic Impact Payments
In a recent statement, the IRS cited the lack of Economic Impact Payments in 2022 as the main factor in lower tax refunds for next year. In 2020 and 2021, many taxpayers received additional refunds due to Economic Impact Payments (also known as stimulus payments), which were issued in response the financial impact Americans experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The final stimulus payment was distributed in March 2021. With no stimulus payment issued in 2022, taxpayers won’t see the additional money in their refunds.
Charitable Contribution Deductions
Additionally, in 2020 and 2021, taxpayers who take the standard deduction could claim a tax deduction of up to $300 for cash donations to charity. This pandemic-era exception hasn’t been extended for 2022. In order to write off gifts to charity, taxpayers must once again itemize. Almost 90% of taxpayers use the standard deduction, which means most Americans won’t be able to deduct charitable contributions.
An Additional Hurdle for Side Hustles and Small Gigs
The American Rescue Plan enacted a new rule that will affect those who rely on side hustles using third-party payment services like PayPal or Venmo – or sell on sites like eBay, Etsy, and Facebook Marketplace. Taxpayers who used these platforms to sell more than $600 worth of goods or services will be receiving a 1099-K form from whichever platform they used. Prior to the American Rescue Plan, the threshold that would trigger the need for a 1099-K form was either 200 transactions or $20,000. With this new requirement, many Americans will be filing taxes on their side hustles for the first time in 2023, which could also contribute to a lower tax refund for some filers. Note that money received from friends or family via a third-party app as a gift or reimbursement for personal expenses is not taxable.
NOTE: On Dec. 23, 2022, the IRS announced that calendar year 2022 will be treated as a transition year for the reduced reporting threshold of $600. For calendar year 2022, third-party settlement organizations who issue Forms 1099-K are only required to report transactions where gross payments exceed $20,000 and there are more than 200 transactions.
by Jean Miller | Estate / Trust Tax - Individual, Estate Planning - Individual, News, Tax Planning - Individual
Before 1997, once a homeowner reached the age of 55, they had the one-time option of excluding up to $125,000 of gain on the sale of their primary residence. Today any homeowner, regardless of age, has the option to exclude up to $250,000 of gain ($500,000 for married couples filing jointly) on the sale of a home.
What Is Capital Gains Tax?
When you sell property for more than you originally paid, it’s called a capital gain. You need to report your gain to the IRS, which will then tax the gain. Home sales can be excluded from this tax as long as the seller meets the criteria.
Who Qualifies for Capital Gains Tax Exemption?
In order to qualify a seller must meet the minimum IRS criteria:
- You’ve owned the home for at least two years.
- You’ve lived in the home as your primary residence for at least two years.
- You haven’t exempted the gains on another home sale in the last two years.
How to Calculate Gains and Losses
By keeping records of the original purchase price, closing costs, and improvements put into the home (you’ll need to present records and receipts when submitting your taxes), you can avoid being taxed on a significant amount of the profit you make when selling your property.
If, for example, you buy your home for $150,000 and put $20,000 into qualifying upgrades, your cost basis would be $170,000. If you sell the home ten years later for $300,000, the ‘gain’ on your house would be $130,000 (sale price – cost basis), which would have no tax implications because you’d have met the required criteria.
What If You Have More than $250k ($500k for married couples) of Gains?
You’ll be taxed for the amount of gains above $250,000 or $500,000 for married couples filing jointly. To help reduce this amount, keep detailed records of any improvements you put into the home as some improvements can be added to your cost basis, and will thus lessen the amount that needs to be reported.
by Jean Miller | Accounting News, News, Retirement, Tax, Tax Planning - Individual
According to a 2017 study from Career Builder, nearly 78% percent of people live paycheck to paycheck, with little to no money left over after financial obligations are paid. This means that nearly 8 out of 10 workers may not be able to handle even a $500 emergency. Here’s how to break the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle.
Build a Budget
Yes, this tired old budget thing is rearing its head again, but every financial plan needs to start here. You simply must know where your money is going. Start by creating a simple spreadsheet in Google Docs, which can be shared if you have dual contributors to your household income. If you’re ready for something a bit more sophisticated, Mint.com is a great online tool for budgeting. It will even send you notices and alerts, creating a more personal budgeting experience.
In order to know where your money is going, you need to also track your spending. Document every single purchase for two to four weeks. You’ll be surprised at how seemingly insignificant purchases can quickly add up. Typically, this exercise helps consumers to be more mindful of how they’re spending.
Establish and Emergency Fund
If you approach saving by promising to set aside whatever’s leftover after your financial obligations are paid, you’ll never make a dent in creating an emergency fund, let alone heftier savings goals. Funds intended for saving should come before any other spending. Aim to initially save the equivalent of one month’s paycheck.
Quick fix: put saving on autopilot. If your company offers a 401(k) plan, make sure you’re participating in it. You can also set up an automatic transfer on paydays to have some money automatically transferred from your checking account into a savings account.
Pay Down Debt
Nothing perpetuates the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle like having debt looming over your head. Control and monitor your spending by discontinuing the use of credit cards until you’ve paid them off. To streamline this process, you can consolidate your debt by transferring all your credit onto one card. While you’re focused on paying off debt, avoid taking out any kind of loan. If you can chip away at your debt while simultaneously building up an emergency fund, you can use that fund to pay for any unexpected expenses that may crop up instead of relying on credit cards.
Examine Your Lifestyle
Sometimes fixing the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle is as simple as taking a hard look at your lifestyle and making adjustments where necessary. Is your monthly car payment too high? Does your monthly mortgage payment exceed 28% of your monthly gross income? Are you paying for subscriptions or memberships you don’t use? You get the idea. Examine your monthly costs and find ways to scale back.
Stop Treating Raises and Bonuses as Fun Money
If you’re stuck in the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle, upticks in earnings such as raises, bonuses, and tax returns should be stashed away in savings, not spent on wants and splurges. Likewise, you shouldn’t rely on bonuses as part of your budget. These earnings should be used to increase your emergency savings or retirement funds.
If you have questions or would like to talk about how the information in this article may impact you personally, please reach out to me at [email protected] and we’ll schedule a time to talk.
by Stephen Reed | Accounting News, CPA, IRS, News, Professional Services, Tax, Tax Planning - Individual, Tax Preparation - Individual
What happens when you file your taxes and discover that you owe money to the IRS? What are your options? What about when the amount owed is greater than you can afford at the moment? Luckily, there are several options for both scenarios.
Before we get into the different options for making payments to the IRS, remember that your payment has to be received by the IRS no later than the April 15th tax deadline, or be prepared for IRS-issued tax penalties and interest. This deadline applies to those who filed for a tax extension as well.
Below are the different payment options available to pay the IRS.
Automatic Withdraw
If you have the funds available when you file, you can have them automatically withdrawn from your bank account when you e-file and choose the e-pay option. This is available whether you use tax preparation software or an accounting professional to do your taxes.
Direct Pay
The IRS has a “Direct Pay” service through its website, where you can pay from your checking or savings account at no cost. In order to track your payment, use the “Look Up a Payment” tool on the website or enable email notifications.
Credit or Debit
The IRS provides three third-party payment processors on its website through which you can pay your balance using a credit or debit card either online or by phone. They do charge a small service fee, which may be tax-deductible, and your credit card company may charge a fee as well.
Check or Money Order
Make checks payable to the United States Treasury and include your social security number or employer identification number, phone number, related tax form or notice number, and the tax year in the memo field. Send your check with a Form 1040-V, which is a payment voucher found on the IRS website, but don’t paperclip or staple your check to the voucher. You’ll find the correct mailing address for your check on page two of Form 1040-V.
Pay in Person
If you want to be absolutely sure that your payment is getting to the IRS on time, you can pay in person at your local IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center, which can be located on the IRS website. You will need to schedule an appointment before you go.
Wire Service
Check with your bank to see if they offer same-day wire transfer payable to the IRS. Be sure to ask about cut-off times and fees for this service.
What if you don’t have the full amount now? Luckily, the IRS offers two installment plans – a short-term plan and a long-term plan – which you can apply for online with the Installment Agreement Request (Form 9465). Which plan you qualify for depends on how much you owe and your specific tax situation. There is an application fee, and once approved the IRS can void the agreement if you don’t stay on schedule with payments.
Another option is to request a temporary delay from the IRS. You might have to fill out a Collection Information Statement and provide transparent information on your personal finances, and penalties and interest will factor in until the amount is paid in full.
Finally, you can offer to settle for a smaller amount than what’s owed, but the IRS encourages taxpayers to consider all other options before submitting an offer to settle. If you decide to go this route, you will need to be current on your tax filings and not involved in an open bankruptcy proceeding. To determine if you qualify, the IRS will take into account your income, expenses, ability to pay, and asset equity.
