Feature Article

In society, bankruptcy no longer carries the humiliating stigma of failure ; which is why there are hundreds of thousands of bankruptcy filings each year. Interestingly enough, filings have been dropping dramatically since 2018. The total individual and business filings for fiscal year 2022 are nearly half of those from 2018. The statistics don’t include specific information about how much tax debt was extinguished in bankruptcy. Filing bankruptcy is not for everyone. It can be a viable option for those people whose tax debt meets certain criteria. The following is a basic overview of the concept...

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (P.L. 117-169; 8/16/22) could easily have been named the Energy Incentives Act of 2022. Over 20 provisions in the Act provide tax credits or special deductions to encourage the production and use of clean energy. The cost of these energy provisions over ten years is about $271 billion. In contrast, the ten-year revenue projection for the corporate AMT and one percent excise tax on certain stock buybacks is about $296 billion. Most of the energy credits are for businesses and are specialized such as for the production of clean hydrogen or sustainable aviation fuel or zero-emission nuclear power production. Four credits are designed for individuals including three revised credits and one entirely new one (§25E, Previously-owned clean vehicle credit). This article highlights key aspects of the credits and special energy provisions as a whole, offers tips for dealing with the complexities that exist in these IRA 2022 rules, and provides suggestions to help individuals obtain the greatest tax savings from the new and revised energy credits and rebates. A few charts are included to aid in understanding these credits.

As a financial expert, I know that 2022 has been a roller coaster year for investors. With only days left in the year, the Dow is down and the S&P 500 is down . On the high-risk crypto side, Bitcoin has fallen 64 percent and former Top 10 coin Solana has fallen more than 92 percent thanks to Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX. While the markets may be down, taxpayers can still come out ahead through careful tax planning. By taking the time to assess your financial situation and make strategic decisions, you can minimize their tax burden and potentially save money. It's important to consult with a tax planning professional to ensure that you’re taking advantage of all available tax savings opportunities. Here are a few of the things to do before the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve.

When United States Tax Court Judge Paris issued the opinion in the case of Ryan Fleischer in 2016 , it caused quite a stir in the tax blogosphere. And from what I have been able to gather off the record it remains of interest. The Fleischer decision makes it very difficult, if not impossible for some financial professionals to use S corporations to mitigate self-employment tax. Rather than attack on reasonable salary, the IRS took an assignment of income approach, which succeeded throwing planners for financial professionals like Fleischer into a bit of an uproar...

Tax professionals must take measures to prevent unauthorized access to customer information. For example, you should limit access to customer data to only those employees who need it for their jobs. Also, outsourcing tax preparation in your firm can impact this security. In October 2019, the IRS added a new question about data security responsibilities to the form to obtain or renew a PTIN. As a tax professional, it’s important to understand what the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act requires and how you can comply. Keep reading to learn what steps you can take to help protect the confidential information of clients and ensure GLBA compliance.

Get $7,500 when you buy your Telsa with this new tax credit. President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) on August 16th, 2022, and the misinformation started circulating almost immediately. I’ve seen it, you’ve seen it, and this means that our clients have seen it as well. It’s our job to help them navigate these new laws to help them maximize their tax savings. Taxpayers have been able to save on their taxes by buying an electronic vehicle (EV) since 2008 . So, the tax savings are nothing new. How the tax savings work has been completely revised under the IRA. That’s where you come in as an expert advisor. The maximum credit for all clean vehicles is now $7,500. A new credit was even added under the IRA to make used EVs eligible for a tax credit. But here is the thing, battery size no longer matters. The assembly, production, and taxpayer income does matter. Not understanding the changes made to Section 30D can cost you and your client. Your client can pay an unexpected additional $7,500 at tax time and you lose a client. Or you can stay the hero, saving them $7,500. I want you to stay the hero so let’s look at the qualifications for the $7,500 under the Inflation Reduction Act.

It's 4th quarter, soon taxpayers will be reaching out to their trusted advisors. They will want to see what they can do last minute to save on taxes. There isn't much you can do at the end of the year. Still, these taxpayers will reach out expecting you to wave a magic wand and save them a few thousand dollars. Well, this year you may be able to do just that. Even if they have already maxed out their retirement accounts. Taxpayers are not restricted from using this strategy by income or self-employment. Are you ready to add this triple tax advantaged savings tool to your bag of resources?

The rules for noncash charitable contributions defy easy summary. On the other hand, they are not rocket surgery. Moving on from the humor, if you want to sum them up in a sentence you can use Reilly’s Seventh Law of Tax Planning: Read the instructions. Specifically, you want to read the instructions to Form 8283 Noncash Charitable Contributions. There is, of course, more to it than that, but you will find a remarkable number of disallowed deductions from not following those instructions. To be fair, sometimes there are other shenanigans going on and the instruction failures are the easiest way for the IRS to attack. Nonetheless, there is nothing to say that the IRS will not use the precedents set in those cases on your client even though they are not trying to get away with anything. To get a simplified list of what to know and implement, continue reading.