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Documentation is the key to business deductions
If you have incomplete or missing records and get audited by the IRS, your business will likely lose out on valuable business deductions. Here are two recent U.S. Tax Court cases that help illustrate the rules for documenting your business expenses. Case 1:...
Why you should donate appreciated stock instead of cash
If you’re charitably inclined, making donations is probably one of your key year-end tax planning strategies. But if you typically give cash, you may want to consider another option that provides not just one but two tax benefits: Donating long-term appreciated stock....
Don’t roll the dice with taxes on your gambling winnings
For anyone who takes a spin at roulette, cries out “Bingo!” or engages in other gambling activities, it’s important to be familiar with the applicable tax rules for gambling winnings and losses. Otherwise, you could be putting yourself at risk for interest or...
Are frequent flyer miles ever taxable?
If you recently redeemed frequent flyer miles to treat the family to a fun summer vacation or to take your spouse on a romantic getaway, you might assume that there are no tax implications involved. And you’re probably right — but there is a chance your miles could be...
One SIMPLE Retirement Plan Option for your Small Business
Has your small business procrastinated in setting up a retirement plan? You might want to take a look at a SIMPLE IRA. SIMPLE stands for “savings incentive match plan for employees.” If you decide you’re interested in this type of retirement plan, you must establish...
What you need to know about estimated tax payments
Paying the proper amount of tax by the annual federal income tax filing deadline isn’t always enough to avoid penalties and interest; you must also meet requirements for paying tax throughout the year through withholding and/or quarterly estimated tax payments. If you...
Take payroll tax withholding seriously
Employers must withhold income and employment taxes (including Social Security) on wages paid to their employees. The taxes must then be paid over to the IRS according to a payroll tax deposit schedule. Some business owners and executives facing a cash flow crunch may...
S-Corporation shareholders: Establish reasonable compensation
If you run your business as an S corporation, you’re probably both a shareholder and an employee. As such, the corporation pays you a salary that reflects the work you do for the business — and you (and your company) must remit payroll tax on some or all of your...
C-corporation shareholder-employee: Find the right balance
The IRS may object to the compensation of a C corporation shareholder-employee. If it’s deemed too high — or not “reasonable” under the circumstances — the IRS could force you to make adjustments that increase taxes. This can be particularly troublesome for C...
Employee or Independent Contractor?
Many businesses use independent contractors to keep payroll taxes and fringe benefit costs down. But using outside workers may result in other problems. The IRS often questions businesses about whether a worker should be classified as an employee or independent...
Know Your Higher Education Tax Benefits
Last week, we discussed applying for financial aid to help defer the cost of college. Besides financial aid, specific higher education tax benefits can reduce the net cost of sending a child to college. Among the three major tax breaks—American Opportunity Tax Credit,...
Make the Most of College Financial Aid
As we reported in our last article, the net price of higher education will depend on the amount of financial aid that’s received. The greater the financial aid, the lower the net cost of college. In order to obtain financial aid, a key step is filling out the Free...
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