Facing a Future Emergency? Two New Tax Provisions May Soon Provide Relief

Perhaps you’ve been in this situation before: You have a financial emergency and need to get your hands on some cash. You consider taking money out of a traditional IRA or 401(k) account but if you’re under age 59½, such distributions are not only taxable but also are generally subject to a 10% penalty tax. There are exceptions to the 10% early withdrawal penalty, but they don’t cover many types of emergencies. Good news: Beginning in 2024, there will be new relief for some taxpayers facing emergencies. The SECURE 2.0 law, which was enacted late last year, contains two different relevant provisions: Pension-linked emergency savings accounts. Employers with 401(k), 403(b) and 457(b) plans can opt to offer these emergency savings accounts to non-highly compensated employees. For...

The Social Security Wage Base for Employees and Self-Employed People is Increasing in 2024

The Social Security Administration recently announced that the wage base for computing Social Security tax will increase to $168,600 for 2024 (up from $160,200 for 2023). Wages and self-employment income above this threshold aren’t subject to Social Security tax. Basic details The Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) imposes two taxes on employers, employees and self-employed workers — one for Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance, which is commonly known as the Social Security tax, and the other for Hospital Insurance, which is commonly known as the Medicare tax. There’s a maximum amount of compensation subject to the Social Security tax, but no maximum for Medicare tax. For 2024, the FICA tax rate for employers will be 7.65% — 6.2% for Social Security and 1.45% for Medicare (the same...

How Some Taxpayers get Snared by Tax-Avoidance Scams

Although most tax preparers are ethical and help ensure their clients file timely and accurate tax returns, a small percentage abuse their position of trust. They may, for example, engage in fraudulent activities that harm taxpayers. The IRS has warned about tax “promoters,” which the agency defines as entities that “undermine voluntary compliance by marketing improper methods to reduce the amount of taxes legally owed.” Such promoters can expose businesses and individuals to financial and legal risk. Wide variety of schemes Some shady tax preparers and promoters encourage clients to submit fraudulent returns and engage in aggressive tax-avoidance schemes. Some tax schemes that you should be aware of include: Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) claims. In September, the IRS announced an immediate moratorium through at least the end...

Are Scholarships Tax-Free or Taxable?

With the rising cost of college, many families are in search of scholarships to help pay the bills. If your child is awarded a scholarship, you may wonder about how it could affect your family’s taxes. Good news: Scholarships (and fellowships) are generally tax-free for students at elementary, middle and high schools, as well as those attending college, graduate school or an accredited vocational school. It doesn’t matter if the scholarship makes a direct payment to the individual or reduces tuition. Requirements for tax-free treatment Despite this generally favorable treatment, scholarships aren’t always tax-free. Certain requirements must be met. A scholarship is tax-free only if it’s used to pay for: Tuition and fees required to attend the school, and Fees, books, supplies and equipment required of all...

Assessing Lost Business Value as a Source of Economic Damages

The survival of many companies depends on relationships between key customers or vendors (or both). When one of these relationships is disrupted, for whatever the reason, one party may incur financial damage — perhaps even leading to its demise. And business valuation professionals often evaluate this lost value as a source of economic damages. Going, going, gone . . . In many cases, valuators will present a company’s alleged damages as lost past and/or future profits. For instance, if a vendor breaches a contract to sell materials at a contracted price, the business may be forced to pay a higher price to the vendor, assuming no immediate alternatives are available. If it takes six months to secure a new vendor at the originally contracted price, the company will...

Business Automobiles: How the Tax Depreciation Rules Work

Do you use an automobile in your trade or business? If so, you may question how depreciation tax deductions are determined. The rules are complicated, and special limitations that apply to vehicles classified as passenger autos (which include many pickups and SUVs) can result in it taking longer than expected to fully depreciate a vehicle. Depreciation is built into the cents-per-mile rate First, be aware that separate depreciation calculations for a passenger auto only come into play if you choose to use the actual expense method to calculate deductions. If, instead, you use the standard mileage rate (65.5 cents per business mile driven for 2023), a depreciation allowance is built into the rate. If you use the actual expense method to determine your allowable deductions for a passenger...

Tax Implications of Renting Out a Vacation Home

Many Americans own a vacation home or aspire to purchase one. If you own a second home in a waterfront community, in the mountains or in a resort area, you may want to rent it out for part of the year. The tax implications of these transactions can be complicated. It depends on how many days the home is rented and your level of personal use. Personal use includes vacation use by you, your family members (even if you charge them market rent) and use by non-relatives if a market rent isn’t charged. Short-term rentals If you rent the property out for less than 15 days during the year, it’s not treated as “rental property” at all. In the right circumstances, this can produce revenue and significant tax...

How IRS Auditors Learn About Your Business Industry

Ever wonder how IRS examiners know about different industries so they can audit various businesses? They generally do research about specific industries and issues on tax returns by using IRS Audit Techniques Guides (ATGs). A little-known fact is that these guides are available to the public on the IRS website. In other words, your business can use the same guides to gain insight into what the IRS is looking for in terms of compliance with tax laws and regulations. Many ATGs target specific industries, such as construction, aerospace, art galleries, architecture and veterinary medicine. Other guides address issues that frequently arise in audits, such as executive compensation, passive activity losses and capitalization of tangible property. Issues unique to certain taxpayers IRS auditors need to examine all different types...

How Job-Juggling Remote Workers Can Threaten Your Company

Although some businesses now require employees to work full-time in the office, many others allow employees to work remotely one or more days a week. The popularity of remote positions can make attracting and retaining employees easier. However, some workers may be tempted to take on multiple remote jobs without informing their employers. In addition to affecting employee productivity, this can lead to leaks of intellectual property (IP) and proprietary knowledge to competitors. Or employees may use what they’ve learned working for you to run side businesses that directly compete with yours. Here’s how to minimize such risks. Provide solid oversight The same technology that makes it easy for companies to offer remote positions can also enable workers to juggle multiple jobs simultaneously. Some employees may feel they...

Casualty Loss Tax Deductions May Help Disaster Victims in Certain Cases

This year, many Americans have been victimized by wildfires, severe storms, flooding, tornadoes and other disasters. No matter where you live, unexpected disasters may cause damage to your home or personal property. Before the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), eligible casualty loss victims could claim a deduction on their tax returns. But currently, there are restrictions that make these deductions harder to take. What’s considered a casualty for tax purposes? It’s a sudden, unexpected or unusual event, such as a hurricane, tornado, flood, earthquake, fire, act of vandalism or a terrorist attack. Many unable to claim a tax break  For losses incurred from 2018 through 2025, the TCJA generally eliminates deductions for personal casualty losses, except for losses due to federally declared disasters. Note: There’s an exception to...