Is Your Business Protected from Tax Identity Theft?

Tax identity theft can victimize businesses as well as individuals. Perpetrators might file fraudulent returns using your organization’s employer identification number. Or they may impersonate your executives to steal employee W-2 data and create new, “synthetic” identities to file returns and apply for credit. To help prevent financial losses and the inconvenience of repairing your […]

A Smarter Way to Give to Charity

Qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) let traditional IRA owners age 70½ and older make tax-free distributions directly to eligible charities. QCDs also can count toward required minimum distributions (RMDs). Because QCDs don’t increase reportable income, they can reduce or eliminate the risk that RMDs will trigger income-based reductions of various tax breaks. For example, the $6,000 […]

Taking a strategic approach to price increases

Rising labor, materials and operating expenses continue to pressure margins across industries. To relieve that pressure, you might consider a price increase. The prices of your products and services should evolve with your business and market conditions while reflecting customer demand. Adjusting prices can protect profitability, but poorly timed or overly aggressive increases can erode […]

Hiring Seasonal Employees? Don’t Overlook These Tax Rules

Hiring seasonal employees can help businesses meet peak demand, but it also comes with important tax responsibilities. Employers must verify work eligibility, properly classify workers as employees (not independent contractors), withhold payroll taxes and report wages on the appropriate tax forms. Seasonal employees are generally subject to the same federal payroll tax rules as year-round […]

How the FTC handles fraud complaints

The Augusta Rule: A Little-Known Tax Break for Homeowners

If you rent out your primary or secondary residence for no more than 14 days this year, you may be eligible for a tax break known as the “Augusta rule.” The rule allows eligible homeowners to temporarily rent out their homes without reporting the rental income on their personal tax returns. Homeowners typically take advantage […]

Received IRS Notice CP53E? Here’s What You Need to Know.

The IRS has turned to the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) for help identifying taxpayers who may have received IRS Notice CP53E in error. CP53E asks taxpayers to provide or update their bank account information for direct deposit of a tax refund. Millions of taxpayers received these mailed notices, causing confusion about refund processing and […]

IRS did better than expected on refunds despite job cuts: Watchdog

IRS did better than expected on refunds despite job cuts: Watchdog https://bit.ly/4wnmgGx

Selling Items This Summer? Here’s What to Know About Form 1099-K

Summer often brings yard sales, storage cleanouts and online sales of unwanted items. If you receive payments through third-party payment apps or online marketplaces such as PayPal, Venmo or eBay, you may receive a Form 1099-K reporting your total payments. This form is required if the payments you receive via the platform during the year […]

Can Your Business Deduct Pet Expenses? It Depends.

Pets can provide business tax advantages. It’s true! Your business may be able to deduct the cost of “employing” cats and dogs, so long as the animals serve a bona fide business purpose. Working animals that generally qualify include guard dogs and cats that protect facilities from rodents. If these workers are also part-time pets, […]