Employer Tax Breaks for Student Loan Assistance
COVID-era repayment and interest moratoriums on student loans are ending. If you’re an employer, you no doubt have employees who are affected (you may be personally affected as well). Here are some insights on how employers can help while receiving tax breaks in the process. Acknowledge the Situation Repayment requirements start in October, but interest […]
You Can’t Beat the IRS with a Dead Horse
Some people seem to think the IRS will overlook just about anything. But a dead horse? That’s hard to miss. When a California-based horse enthusiast and IT business owner’s last horse died in 2008, being horseless didn’t stop her from continuing to claim business deductions for her horse-related endeavors. The IRS noticed and took a […]
What Is Reasonable Compensation?
Business owners and shareholders have some leeway on their compensation structures, to a point. The IRS has long held a standard called “reasonable compensation” that it uses to determine if, like Goldilocks, you got it just right. The trick to acing reasonable compensation, however, involves the same inherent challenge as many other IRS rules: it’s […]
Crypto Tax Investigations Ramp Up
The IRS claims its Criminal Investigation (CI) division can trace any crypto transaction and has used those capabilities to double crypto seizures. Among those cases, about half are tax related. Things started to heat up in 2022 when the IRS announced it was building “hundreds” of cases. For the first time, the IRS began using […]
IRS Can Peek at Certain Bank Accounts Without Notice
The U.S. Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that the IRS can, without notice, review the bank accounts of third parties associated with delinquent taxpayers. The decision was part of Polselli v. Internal Revenue Service, a case involving an underpayment of more than $2 million in federal taxes over several years. After failed attempts to receive […]
Alternative Cost Method Updated with Easier Tax Advantages
The IRS recently updated the optional rules for real estate developers to determine when common improvement costs may be included in the cost of individual units held for sale. It’s known as the Alternative Cost Method (ACM), and it was modified with Revenue Procedure 2023-9, effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2022. The […]
Petitioning the IRS, Beyoncé Style
You have the right to disagree with the IRS, and superstar performer and business mogul Beyoncé Knowles-Carter is serving up some high-profile proof. Knowles-Carter is contesting nearly $2.7 million in IRS taxes and penalties that were recently accessed by the IRS. The Notice of Deficiency claims she still owes $805,850.00 for 2018 and $1,442,747.00 for […]
New IRS Warnings on Employee Retention Credit
Just when you thought COVID-era tax breaks were in the past, you get a call from a “tax advisor” who tells you that you may have overlooked a beneficial Employee Retention Credit (ERC) opportunity. But don’t worry, it’s not too late! For an upfront fee or a fee contingent on the amount of the refund, […]
Are Texas Business Inventory Tax Changes Ahead?
We’ll soon find out if Texas lawmakers are on board with lowering the state’s notable inventory tax bill for small businesses. Texas lawmakers are contemplating a record-breaking budget surplus of nearly $33 billion. Most agree that tax cuts are in order—but now they must decide where those cuts should be focused. (Of course, they’re at […]
Don’t Leave R&D Tax Breaks on the Table
If you’re a business owner, there’s no doubt you’ve spent time and money creating better processes, materials, or solutions for your customers. Those activities can lead to big tax breaks, but the IRS won’t go out of its way to spell that out for you. For whatever reason, research and development (R&D) tax breaks are […]