Determining the "Basis"in your Residence

The housing market in many parts of the country is strong this spring. If you’re buying or selling a home, you should know how to determine your “basis.” How it works You can claim an itemized deduction on your tax return for real estate taxes and home mortgage interest. Most other home ownership costs can’t be deducted currently. However, these costs may increase your home’s “basis” (your cost for tax purposes). And a higher basis can save taxes when you sell. The law allows an exclusion from income for all or part of the gain realized on the sale of your home. The general exclusion limit is $250,000 ($500,000 for married taxpayers). You may feel the exclusion amount makes keeping track of the basis relatively unimportant. Many homes...

Keep Fraud Out of your Law Firm

As counterintuitive as it may seem, law firms aren’t immune to criminal activity. Because some firms place enormous pressure on attorneys to produce billable work, they may be particularly vulnerable to fraud. Your firm needs to know what to look for and how to protect itself from potential schemes perpetrated by partners, associates and support staff. Hold everyone to high standards A firm’s accounting department — payroll and accounts payable and receivable — is where fraud often occurs. But even trusted partners should adhere to your firm’s internal controls and fraud-prevention processes. All prospective employees, regardless of level, need to complete an employment application with written authorization permitting your firm to verify information provided. Then, call references and conduct background checks (or hire a service to do it)....

Simple Retirement Savings Options for Your Small Business

Are you thinking about setting up a retirement plan for yourself and your employees, but you’re worried about the financial commitment and administrative burdens involved in providing a traditional pension plan? Two simple retirement savings options to consider are a “simplified employee pension” (SEP) or a “savings incentive match plan for employees” (SIMPLE). SEPs are intended as an alternative to “qualified” retirement plans, particularly for small businesses. The relative ease of administration and the discretion that you, as the employer, are permitted in deciding whether or not to make annual contributions, are features that are appealing. Uncomplicated paperwork If you don’t already have a qualified retirement plan, you can set up a SEP simply by using the IRS model SEP, Form 5305-SEP. By adopting and implementing this model...

Being More Productive with the 80/20 Rule

As posted to the FightMediocrity YouTube Channel on 10/24/14 (Run time: 3 min, 52 sec) In this thought provoking clip, FightMediocrity provides a quick review and recommendation of "The 80/20 Principle" by Richard Koch. The unspoken corollary to the 80/20 principle is that little of what we spend our time on actually counts. But by concentrating on those things that do, we can unlock the enormous potential of the magic 20 percent, and transform our effectiveness in our jobs, our careers, our businesses, and our lives. (This is Blog Post #1020) FightMediocrity is dedicated to fighting mediocrity through big ideas. The artist picks some of his favorite books in self-improvement and self-help that he has found useful on his personal development journey, animates them, and shares them with his...

Revisiting Californias Worker Classification Law AB 5

In 2019, AB 5 was signed into law with an effective date of 1/1/2020. Under AB 5, most workers are presumed to be employees for purposes of the Labor Code, the Unemployment Insurance Code, and for most wage orders of the Industrial Welfare Commission unless a hiring entity satisfies a three-factor test, referred to as the ABC test. This means that many workers previously classified as independent contractors are now employees under California law and you must withhold California income and payroll taxes, and meet California’s minimum wage and overtime requirements. The ABC test Under the ABC test, all three of these conditions must be met in order to treat the worker as an independent contractor: The worker is free from the control and direction of the...

Who Qualifies for Head of Household Tax Filing Status

When you file your tax return, you must check one of the following filing statuses: Single, married filing jointly, married filing separately, head of household or qualifying widow(er). Who qualifies for "head of household" tax filing status, which is more favorable than single? To qualify, you must maintain a household, which for more than half the year, is the principal home of a “qualifying child” or other relative of yours whom you can claim as a dependent (unless you only qualify due to the multiple support rules). A qualifying child? A child is considered qualifying if he or she: Lives in your home for more than half the year, Is your child, stepchild, adopted child, foster child, sibling stepsibling (or a descendant of any of these), Is under...

Small Businesses, Big Fraud Risks

It’s not always easy being small. For one thing, small businesses (with fewer than 100 employees) experience higher occupational fraud losses: a median $150,000 vs. $140,000 for larger companies, according to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. That’s because they don’t always have the staffing or financial resources to implement fraud-prevention programs. Small businesses are also much more likely to fall victim to certain types of fraud — including check tampering and payroll schemes. Ask your advisor Private companies aren’t required to have annual audits, but your small business can still work with your CPA to determine where you might be at risk. He or she can train you to recognize the warning signs and help you reduce opportunities for fraud by, for example, segregating duties in...

Tax Advantages of Hiring Your Child at your Small Business

As a business owner, you should be aware that you can save family income and payroll taxes by putting your child on the payroll. Here are some considerations.  Shifting business earnings You can turn some of your high-taxed income into tax-free or low-taxed income by shifting some business earnings to a child as wages for services performed. In order for your business to deduct the wages as a business expense, the work done by the child must be legitimate and the child’s salary must be reasonable. For example, suppose you’re a sole proprietor in the 37% tax bracket. You hire your 16-year-old son to help with office work full-time in the summer and part-time in the fall. He earns $10,000 during the year (and doesn’t have other earnings). You...

What if You're Not Ready to File Your 1040 by 5/17/21?

“Tax day” is just around the corner. This year, the deadline for filing 2020 individual tax returns is Monday, May 17, 2021. The IRS postponed the usual April 15 due date due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you still aren’t ready to file your return, you should request a tax-filing extension. Anyone can request one and in some special situations, people can receive more time without even asking. Taxpayers can receive more time to file by submitting a request for an automatic extension on IRS Form 4868. This will extend the filing deadline until October 15, 2021. But be aware that an extension of time to file your return doesn’t grant you an extension of time to pay your taxes. You need to estimate and pay...

Reasonable Compensation for C Corporation Business Owners

Owners of incorporated businesses know that there’s a tax advantage to taking money out of a C corporation as compensation rather than as dividends. The reason: A corporation can deduct the salaries and bonuses that it pays executives, but not dividend payments. Thus, if funds are paid as dividends, they’re taxed twice, once to the corporation and once to the recipient. Money paid out as compensation is only taxed once — to the employee who receives it. However, there are limits to how much money you can take out of the corporation this way. Under tax law, compensation can be deducted only to the extent that it’s reasonable. Any unreasonable portion isn’t deductible and, if paid to a shareholder, may be taxed as if it were...