The IRS recently released its annual list of "Dirty Dozen” tax scams to watch out for in 2017. Here is a rundown gleaned from the IRS’ summary. 1. Phishing: Be on guard against fake e-mails or websites looking to steal personal information. Do not click on e-mails claiming to come from the IRS. 2. Telephone scams: [...]
Reap tax rewards for travel and entertainment What are your plans for the summer? If you have a business trip scheduled for a place you would like to visit personally, you might decide to combine a little pleasure with your business. Similarly, you may invite some of your best clients to your home for a [...]
How to maximize the tax benefits The summer rental season is about to kick off. If you own a vacation home in a resort area that you rent out while your family is not using it, you may be in line for valuable tax deductions. In fact, you might even qualify for a tax loss [...]
Are you pulling your hair out right now trying to figure out a tax deduction from a credit? Or worse, do I need file a separate business tax form for your new LLC? According to a recent NerdWallet survey, you are not alone. Out of eight questions about IRS rules for common deductions, retirement, and [...]
The IRS, the nation’s tax collection agency, has identified a select group of four private contractors that will begin collecting federal tax debts during the 2016 tax return filing season. Background: Under the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act of 2015, a highway spending measure, the IRS can assign private companies to collect taxes on [...]
The IRS pays close attention to deductions claimed for business travel expenses. Both employers and employees must meet strict recordkeeping requirements or face the consequences. Fortunately, you can obtain some relief by using IRS-approved per diem allowances in lieu of accounting for every expense. Now the IRS has updated its per diem rates for [...]
It is now 2017. Do you know where your business budget is? This is the traditional time to draw up a budget for the coming year. Perhaps the way you previously developed the budget for your business has not been overly successful. Or maybe you have found as the year goes along that certain key [...]
The Surface Transportation and Veterans Health Care Choice Improvement Act of 2015 changed the due date for filing FinCEN Form 114 (Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts; commonly known as FBARs) to April 15 of the following calendar year, with a six-month extension to October 15 allowed. (Previously, the due date was June 30 [...]
Do you need an influx of cash to launch a business venture devoted to your personal passion? You can do things the old-fashioned way and issue an initial public offering (IPO) for review by prospective investors. Although IPOs remain viable for some types of businesses, especially larger ones, they can cost time and money, not [...]
For years that begin after December 31, 2015, taxpayers will have new filing deadlines for many tax returns. The most significant changes are as follows: 2017 Tax Deadlines There are penalties for Form 1099 for incorrect filings, late filings and failure to file. If Form 1099 is filed within 30 days of the [...]