When we start tax planning with a new client, the first thing people often ask is why the accountant or CPA they are using doesn’t think or act the way we do in discussing the hunt for possible tax savings. After all, the current CPA is smart, trustworthy, running a successful accounting business and trusted in the community. So, why are we telling them all these wonderful new tax savings ideas that their CPA has never mentioned? There are many explanations, but the simplest is how the accountants themselves view the job that they do. Often, accountants think that the profession of accounting in its simplest form is the job of telling the story of money that has already come[…]
People often struggle with record keeping and are typically so busy that they are simply unaware of tools or services that have been developed that could greatly improve the recording of tax deductible expenses, mileage, etc. Many topics we could cover here, but two that are universal. If you are in business, you have a phone and a car. Cell phones are pretty typical for smaller companies. What we usually see is a personal cell phone bill of about $150-250 a month, and of course the business owner wants to deduct it all. When you start asking questions however, it’s almost always a family plan with the spouse and kids on it, so 80% of the cost and use is[…]
We use the term “tax planning” often, but we are aware that many people are not sure what it really is. Some people think “That means off shore accounts and citizenship shell games ending with jail time. No thank you!”. That’s not tax planning; that’s tax evasion, and it’s not at all what we recommend. Others think only the wealthy need a tax planner, and for regular folks it can mean paying a 30 year mortgage off 12 years early or having a college fund with enough in it to actually pay for college. It’s not just for the wealthy, though. Tax planning can be a useful tool for anyone who is aware of the opportunities. Our tax code[…]
The Washington Post reports the following and its breathtaking (not in a good way). The Internal Revenue Service on Thursday scrapped plans to close one of its three remaining tax processing centers amid a backlash over an unprecedented accumulation of unprocessed tax returns that threatens to derail the 2022 tax filing season. IRS leaders announced plans in 2016 to close the Austin facility to cut costs at the long-underfunded agency and redirect resources to online tax-filing services. Nearly 90 percent of tax filers submit their returns online, a number the agency is trying to boost to improve efficiency and accuracy. But that still leaves tens of millions of paper returns for the IRS to process at centers like Austin. And[…]
If you own any size business, now is the time to review your business return to make sure you are receiving the maximum allowable “QBI” deduction. The public and many preparers still don’t have their arms wrapped around how this deduction works and many mistakes are being made! Whether you file as a sole proprietor, S corp, partnership or PLLC; if your business income ends up flowing through to your 1040, you should be paying attention to this. Some trust returns and C corporations have different tax rates and they pay their entity taxes directly, but the majority of businesses in the U.S. are eligible to at least try to receive a qualified business income (QBI) deduction. There are more[…]
People try, but “adulting” is hard! Kids, pets, job, relatives, friends, bills, medical problems, car problems, work problems all in the last day, so when I have time I will start tax planning. Same as….so when I have time I will start estate planning, it’s just so too far down on most peoples’ day to day list of things to do that all the other issues just cycle in some complex order that nobody understands and the last two items never seem to bubble up to the top…UNTIL THEY DO! If you are a business owner, thoughts of tax planning might bubble to the surface a couple times a year, perhaps March 15th and April 15th (or later if you[…]
Many people think of the IRS filing deadline as April 15th. Simple right? In fact, there are deadlines all year long, something different every month. IRS Publication 509 has the outlines, if you want a quick search to look something up. If you are in certain industries, you likely know you have different deadlines; like farmers and fisherman who have not paid their estimated tax by January 15th must file by March 1st (yes, next week). The deadline for pass-through business entities is March 15th. If you think about it, that deadline makes sense, as an S Corporation or a Partnership return is prepared so that a K-1 from the entity can be issued to the owners, with enough time[…]
Sometimes “Tax Planning” can be easy: “Open an IRA and it reduces your taxable income.” Other times it can be quite complex: “Cost segregation” on a building means hiring an engineering firm and having a structure broken down into its many components on paper, with each value separately listed; the frame, wiring, heating systems, etc., and taking write-offs, generally much faster than simply taking a standard approach. These are both ways to lower federal or state taxes. For the people who have made large amounts of money or have larger estates, the year to year tax bill is not as much of a concern as the “Death Tax Bill.” Planning for them can be simple or complex as well,[…]
People who are worried about the 10 year rule, requiring beneficiaries of inherited IRAs to withdraw the entire balance within 10 years, can double that time with a CRT beneficiary in front of inheritors. What if you really have a big IRA and the 10 year rule just isn’t enough of a stretch to help your beneficiary stay out of the top tax bracket? Or any other reason you care about reducing the negative tax impact from the 10-year rule? You could use other remaining tax rules to your benefit by setting up a charitable trust. A charitable trust allows the retirement assets to continue growing tax-deferred, even once the assets are distributed from the retirement account into the CRT.[…]
As weather interrupts some parts of the country and business owners have to scramble and fill in the gaps of employees, supplies, deliveries and the like, it’s easy for them to worry about taxes later, after all, there’s “plenty of time.” That often comes back to bite them though, sometimes hard. If they run their business as a sole proprietorship then yes, they have until mid-April to file, and until mid-October if they file an extension. However, the majority of small businesses under pay tax estimates, if the pay them at all, and the first filing date (mid-April) is when the taxes are due, even with an extension to file. The penalties and interest are based on what’s owed and[…]
We talk a lot about people not doing tax planning and not spending more time creating the tax outcomes they want. We urge people to understand that it’s within their own control and that tax outcomes can be legally and ethically manipulated. We go on and on about the benefits. BUT…we understand why it’s so rarely done! It is because almost nothing in people’s lives has more constant change than taxes, and keeping up with all the changes can be an overwhelming challenge. What if every four years your banking rules changed, “Oh I’m sorry John, we no longer pay you interest, now you pay us interest to keep money here.” Or “Now you have to send in your mortgage[…]
A recent headline in Tax Analysts reads: “Reasonable IRS Appraisal Triggers Conservation Easement Settlement.” The article describes a long battle involving what the IRS calls “syndicated” conservation easement transactions. Hale E. Sheppard Esq. an Atlanta Georgia based Attorney stated in review of the ruling: “after the IRS was unable to win the case on technical issues by filing a Motion for Summary Judgment, after the partnership provided proof that any post-donation improvements would not materially change the value, and after the partnership submitted a Qualified Offer, the IRS agreed to settle the case before a Tax Court trial, allowing the partnership to claim 85 percent of the original tax deduction.” It is interesting to note that the IRS was insistent that[…]
There are many ways a tax return can be done that are all OK with the IRS, but only one of those ways nets the largest refund! People need to understand this across America, and we talk about tax planning constantly. We blog, tweet, post, email and on and on, yet we as an industry are not even getting 10% of the public to take on tax planning! The clients who do are often thrilled at the outcomes, and yet it’s just hard to get people to want to spend half the time that they spend planning their vacations on planning their own tax outcomes, even though larger refunds would pay for those vacations! Tax planning offices often don’t look like[…]
Tax filing season is looming again, with the IRS saying they will begin accepting returns between January 24th and 30th. However, it is possible that the IRS will delay the start of tax season a week or so beyond that, and returns containing Earned Income Tax (EITC) or Child Tax (CTC) credits may have refunds delayed until March so that credits can be verified. Pass-through business returns will begin being accepted soon as well and will have a filing deadline of March 15th, which allows time for K-1s for owners and investors to be issued in time for the April personal filing deadline. This year that deadline will fall on April 18th for most, due to Good Friday falling on[…]
Photo by mehrab sium on Unsplash
Photo by Isabela Kronemberger on Unsplash
The IRS as Santa Claus? A gift under the tree that every business owner should want to open! Often the IRS makes new tax rules in reaction to a natural disaster, such as extending the filing deadline for Kentuckians after devastating tornadoes struck. Other rules are put in place to deal with changing financial dynamics, as with crypto currency. They have rushed to make tax rules for this new form of currency. Those new rules inadvertently gave crypto owners an advantage, in that they could harvest losses without a “wash rule” by re-buying the same “coin” two seconds after selling it, but still taking the loss on their taxes. Over time they tend to be good at detecting these “errors”[…]
Many people have the intention of doing a better job of “tax planning” in order to start having more favorable outcomes, but busy lives and life interruptions can leave them little time. If this is you, you’re not alone. Time flies even in normal times, but with the current stressful environment, everyone is scrambling even more, so you look at the calendar and think, “I can go see my accountant or financial advisor, or I can get my shopping done”, and the next thing you know its Dec 18th and the end of the year is upon us. Most advanced tax planning requires communication about concepts, takes reams of paperwork and time to submit to custodians, so it would be[…]
At the end of the year the Salvation Army red kettles come out, the bells ring and the charitable organizations turn up their activities for fundraising, hoping to appeal to the holiday spirits of people, and in some cases the tax planning needs of businesses and corporations as well! Speaking of charitable giving and tax planning, there is one very useful tool that many senior citizens are not aware of that can help with both; the “QCD” or Qualified Charitable Distribution. This allows someone who is required to take money from their IRA (due to their age) the ability to have it go directly from the IRA custodian to the charity and have it essentially “skip” their tax return, while still[…]
From our family to yours, have a safe and happy holiday weekend!
Many investors have had success this year, which might mean that capital gains tax reporting is on it’s way to their 2021 tax returns. If you own stocks you love and you didn’t sell this year, then you have no tax issues, so no problem for the direct buy and hold group. However, many people own mutual funds and or have money management strategies that cause them to buy and sell securities throughout the year. Even if the investor did not sell or take a redemption, others in their collective group did, so every investor in the group will share in the tax burden. That said, it’s not too late to deploy a tax saving countermeasure. It’s a limited window[…]
The Journal of Accountancy has released these 2022 tax rates from the IRS: The 2022 standard deduction will be $12,950 for single taxpayers (and married individuals filing separate returns), $25,900 for married taxpayers filing jointly, and $19,400 for heads of household, which for 2021 are $12,550, $25,100, and $18,800, respectively. Other changed amounts for 2022 (arranged by Code section order) include: Unearned income of minor children (“kiddie tax”): For tax years beginning in 2022, the amount used to reduce the child’s net unearned income is $1,150. Maximum capital gains 0% rate: $83,350 taxable income for married couples filing jointly, $41,675 for single taxpayers and married individuals filing separately, $55,800 for heads of household, and $2,800 for an estate or trust. Maximum capital[…]
In the “old days”, you went to the general store for your dry goods, the blacksmith for your horseshoes or tool repair and likely had your own cow and chickens for milk and eggs. Fast forward, you went to a lawyer to get a will, an insurance rep to get a policy and an accountant to get your taxes done. There was no internet, so information was something you had to gather and organize yourself. You would talk to a few co-workers, a family member, a mentor and then take actions based on the limited intel. Back then, you would sit with a financial advisor, and if they were a big deal they might have a stock ticker pumping out tape[…]
The events of the past few years have brought significant changes to the lives of almost everyone, and our financial future as a country is tenuous as a result! As Fall takes hold, there is still time to at least make one glass of lemonade from all the lemons, but people need to put time on their calendar in November to focus on their own opportunities, or risk not discovering the one benefit they might receive from a global pandemic. There are many categories and levels of financial affects that have taken place, but for simplification in this case we will separate everyone into two groups. People negatively affect (many ruined or greatly wounded) and those on the other side,[…]
In a few months the U. S. will begin filing tax returns again, and at tax firms all over the country people will be making the “E-Trade” Shocked Baby Face (remember him?) when they see they are being charged penalties and interest for under paying their taxes due. Even if they made a 941 payment in the last quarter to cover ALL the tax due for the year, they can still find themselves fined by Uncle Sam as a penalty for not paying equally over the four quarters of the year. A last quarter over payment simply means they underpaid for three quarters and overpaid for one quarter, and no, it’s not “good enough” for the IRS. People also argue[…]
In October, as Halloween approaches, the fall wrap up begins around the house. Any remaining lawn chairs, storm windows and etcetera, all go into place ahead of the first storm. Sure, for some places, like Arizona, winter is just a nice break from the heat. But, for a majority of the country that lives in the snow belt, November means batten down the hatches. The same is true for finance and tax planning. People start looking at their holiday shopping budgets and looking at their end of year projections (if they’re financial goal setters) to see where they are at. We often talk about tax planning, but the 911 calls start in early December, and there’s a lot that still[…]
With fall in the air, it’s time to start thinking about things that need to be done to prepare for winter. The garden harvests are rolling in, fresh vegetables are everywhere and it’s really, really great. Time to fill up your oil tanks before the price change, and at least know where those snow tires are in the back of the garage. It’s also time for tax planning. There are so many things in the tax code that have time limitations. It’s really time to check in with yourself if you want to actually participate in your bill with the IRS. Taxes can be very much within people’s control, even though they don’t feel that way. If you’re still out on extension, heads up — you[…]
That’s a reference to an old cartoon where Bullwinkle the moose was about to do a magic trick and would push up his fur, as if it was a shirt, and say “nothing up my sleeves, PRESTO” and pull a rabbit out of a hat. It would never be a rabbit that came out of his hat, of course. The trick always went wrong and instead he would pull out Rocky the flying squirrel, his cartoon partner in adventures. Sometimes, when the IRS is defining (or more so not fully defining) tax policy and rules, they do something that has an unexpected “presto” result, and something else comes out of the hat. Normally those “unintended consequences” are exploited right away[…]
The real tax filing deadline is less than three weeks away (Christmas is less than 100 days away but that’s another blog)! There are many reasons people find themselves needing to delay their tax filing. Sometimes there is no reason, it’s just their least favorite thing to do. “The IRS allows for extensions and for a path to get to October 15th at 11:59 PM before I have to file them. Why not wait until then?” For many, it’s because they don’t have the money to pay what is due, so they feel like until they send the paperwork in, the IRS doesn’t know. This is unfortunately not really helping anyone, as the tax payments were due on April 15th,[…]
Every new president makes changes to the tax code, so why is this time so different? The short answer is because our “books” as a country have never been in worse shape, not even during World War II. COVID related spending is only icing on the already giant cake of our current federal debt that is the result of the mishandled US financial affairs of the past several decades! The total national debt as of a week ago was 28.4 trillion dollars, and more importantly, that amounts to 128.5% of the entire GDP of the country. The previous high was 119% of the GDP in 1946.* In 1941 the two lowest tax rates for Married Filing Jointly (MFJ) were 10%[…]