CURRENT EDITION
Navigating IRS Penalty Relief and Forgiveness
Yes, the IRS does forgive some tax penalties. The IRS refers to this forgiveness as penalty abatement. Abatement is the act or process of reducing or removing something. In this case it is removing or reducing a penalty. But penalty forgiveness is not a blanket offer that everyone qualifies for the way the radio ads make it seem. There is a process that the IRS has for requesting and granting abatement. It is up to the taxpayer to prove that they qualify for abatement. That’s where you come in.
READ MOREFive Tax Reduction Strategies for the Casual Cryptocurrency Owner
With so many people looking for more ways to make money outside their 9 to 5 jobs, many are turning to money making methods using technology including trading in cryptocurrency. For tax purposes, the IRS considers cryptocurrencies property, not as currency. Just like other property types, stocks, investments, or real estate, when you sell, swap, or otherwise dispose of your cryptocurrency for more or less than you acquired it for, you incur a tax reporting obligation. As an example, there would be a $1,000 capital gain if 0.1 bitcoin is bought for $2,000 in June of 2020 and then sold for $3,000 two months later. This profit must be reported on the tax return and a certain amount of tax is due on the gain, depending on the tax bracket of the taxpayer. In this example, the gain would be short term requiring the profit to be taxed at the filer’s ordinary tax rate. These rates range anywhere from 0-37%.
Read MoreQuick Guide to Claiming Work-From-Home COVID-19 Expenses to Reduce Your Tax Bill
This information is particularly important if you are the owner/shareholder of your own corporation – C or S corp. You can set up payroll and designate tax-free reimbursements for you to be working at home – as well other tax-free money for you and for your employees. (We will discuss employees momentarily. Yes, it’s essential.) If being an employee is your main source of income – watch out! The short answer to employees claiming an office in home deduction this year is... There is no deduction!
Read MoreMy Client Stuck with a Mistaken C Corporation Election?
My client formed three limited liability companies (LLCs) to hold his rental properties. Without consulting me, he filed Form 8832, Entity Classification Election, to elect C corporation treatment, effective January 1, 2020, for these LLCs. I want the LLCs to be disregarded entities, which is the most tax-efficient structure for his situation. What is the best way to undo these elections?
Read MoreGOFUNDME & KICKSTARTER: TAXABLE? DEDUCTIBLE?
Millions of taxpayers in the United States are using crowdfunding websites like GoFundMe and Kickstarter to raise money for important needs, such as paying medical bills, paying legal fees, or funding a new business venture. Both the IRS and the courts have been surprisingly silent on the tax consequences of crowdfunding platforms. The good news is that established tax law provides a clear road map for answering most tax questions created by raising money from a crowdfunding website. By knowing these rules, taxpayers can use crowdfunding to raise cash and minimize their overall tax exposure.
Read MoreHow Business Owners Can Boost Income by Avoiding the $10,000 SALT Cap
Taxpayers have been whipsawed by confusing rules for the $10,000 limit on deducting state and local taxes (SALT), the most politically charged piece of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017. The cap has caused nearly 11 million individuals to lose an annual deduction worth $323 billion. But many owners of private businesses known as passthroughs can avert that financial pain. If you own your company and thus report your business income on your personal federal income tax return, here’s what you need to know.
Read MoreAvoiding Passive Loss Limitations Through Short-term and Alternative Rentals
Short-term rentals like AirBnb are becoming increasingly popular with taxpayers who invest in real estate. For many taxpayers, the appeal of these properties is the flexibility and cash flow potential. However, there may be an overlooked third tax benefit. In many situations these short-term rentals may not qualify as a rental activity to the IRS, and that may offer a big tax break. While many rental activities generate losses, this can leave taxpayers facing the frustrations of not always getting to deduct those losses right away due to the passive activity limitations.
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CURRENT EDITION
Navigating IRS Penalty Relief and Forgiveness
Yes, the IRS does forgive some tax penalties. The IRS refers to this forgiveness as penalty abatement. Abatement is the act or process of reducing or removing something. In this case it is removing or reducing a penalty. But penalty forgiveness is not a blanket offer that everyone qualifies for the way the radio ads make it seem. There is a process that the IRS has for requesting and granting abatement. It is up to the taxpayer to prove that they qualify for abatement. That’s where you come in.
From The Government And Not There To Help You
The story of James J. Maggard has some interesting and possibly valuable lessons. The one that strikes me as particularly important is that it makes it crystal clear that disproportionate distributions contrary to a corporation’s governing documents will not blow its S election. That does not mean that disproportionate distributions are just fine and that you don’t need to address them. There is a practical lesson about being careful who you take on as fellow shareholders. And there is another slightly odd lesson, that almost makes me want to create a new law of tax planning: Don’t deliberately involve the IRS in your business disputes. Their job is not to help you.
Tax Policy and Reform Considerations for the Next President and 119th Congress
Something we never have a shortage of are proposals to change our tax systems. When it’s election time, we hear even more proposals, as well as how various parts of our tax system are flawed, usually due to actions or inactions of the opposing party. We also hear lots of incomplete statements, promises of tax changes too costly to be enacted, and ideas that will be replaced by the time the winner gets down to crafting a real set of tax and budget proposals. This article describes some of the tax proposals of the two presidential candidates along with suggestions on how we should analyze them against principles supporting effective tax systems, with highlights of some important facts seemingly missing from current tax discussions. These proposals are also relevant to members of Congress as to whether they support any of them and how they align with tax changes that the member would like to see enacted.