Guest Article

Four keynote speakers headline the 38th Annual UCLA Tax Controversy Institute this year. It was a terrific opportunity to hear from the top IRS executives, get their perspectives on the past year – and coming policies and programs. And, even, to be able to ask them questions. Keep reading for the in-person account!

Charlie Sheen’s tax woes seem to be at an end. I mainly remember Sheen as the star of Two and a Half Men, but there is a lot more to his career and fame than that. As I related back in January, IRS has been trying to collect on Mr. Sheen’s 2015, 2017 and 2018 returns. Many people have the impression that failure to send in the balance due with your return. will result in 87,000 agents willing to use deadly force knocking on your door, but it really doesn’t work that way. There is a lot of process. In some circles I think the return balance due is viewed as the sticker price on cars used to be or full tuition at a well-endowed university that wants to have a sprinkling of representation from the 99% attending…

First, you need to get an EIN, then get an LLC, establish business credit, and then you can buy a car in your business name. That process may get you a new car but that does not make it a business expense or eligible for a credit. Friends, that is not how this works; that is not how any of this works. I’ve noticed a recent obsession in the online business world with writing off car expenses. Especially clean vehicles since President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act in August. There is a correct way to do so, and then, there are a variety of ways to do it incorrectly. If you don’t believe me, just scroll through TikTok and Instagram, it will make your head hurt. Misinterpretations of Section 179 have set the internet ablaze. That is why I want to make sure we set the record straight on how the clean vehicle credit can benefit businesses. That is if your client follows the guidelines set by the IRS. *Hint, hint: It requires more than buying the car in your business name using your business credit. Let’s look at the amendments and additions to the IRC that make this credit valuable to business owners too. You have an opportunity to help your clients save $7,500 to $40,000 when they buy a qualifying clean commercial vehicle from now until December 31, 2032.

Many of the same tax advantages perceived as being only available with entity taxation are also available to Schedule C sole proprietors and that includes funding retirement plans. It’s perfectly OK to start and continue to run a business as a sole proprietorship filing a Schedule C for when it makes financial and administrative sense to do so. There are a number of advantages to having a retirement account. Of course, when you contribute to a retirement account, you can deduct your contributions from your taxable income. This can result in significant savings come tax time. Additionally, the money in your retirement account grows tax-free. This means that you can potentially earn a lot more on your investment than you would if it were subject to taxation. A retirement account gives you the peace of mind that comes with knowing you have a cushion to fall back on in retirement. No matter what happens in the markets, you will always have access to your retirement savings. This can provide a great deal of security during uncertain economic times. While retirement accounts can be a great way to save for the future, there are also some potential drawbacks to consider. For one thing, retirement accounts often come with strict penalties for early withdrawal. This means that if you need to access your savings before retirement age, you may be subject to significant fees. Additionally, retirement accounts can be complex and confusing, making it difficult to keep track of your progress. While retirement accounts can be a helpful tool for saving, it’s important to be aware of the potential drawbacks before you decide as a sole proprietor whether or not to open one. Click here to explore the different types of retirement plans available to sole proprietors and the pros and cons of each.

The IRS is deploying technology and big data to combat compensation under-reporting. What does this likely mean for you and your S Corps? That Reasonable Compensation challenges will likely occur outside the traditional exam process. A challenge may come from the ongoing Employment Tax Program or the recently launched CIP. From our polling, we find most tax advisors and their S Corp clients are dangerously unprepared for an IRS reasonable compensation challenge. If you are working with S corps, here’s the news you need to know...

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) mission statement is to "provide America's taxpayers top quality service by helping them understand and meet their tax responsibilities and enforce the law with integrity and fairness to all." The IRS provides forms and instructions, publications, robust web-based resources, and other tools to help taxpayers prepare and file their tax returns – an exercise relished by few. But what happens after you file your tax return? For many, the IRS accepts their tax returns as filed and processes them quickly, which is the end of the process. Others get "post-filing" correspondence from the IRS. The IRS may need additional information to process your tax return or, worse, may examine your tax return (asking you to document some or all parts of the return). There's a middle ground where the IRS adjusts your tax return without the "courtesy" of requesting documentation first. These are the math error notices. Read on to discover more (including that it's not always about math).

Evie and I withdrew from active tax practice in 2018, but she maintains a sort of family and friend's freebie practice using Drake. I help a little. We have been struggling with difficulty getting the information for one of our “clients” as we watch the ultimate October 15 deadline creeps up on us. She is in Florida in one of the counties covered by President Biden’s disaster declaration relative to Hurricane Ian. So it was sort of a relief to find out that we have another three months to get the return done. In this case it is not a huge benefit since interest will still clock if there turns out to be a balance due, since the payment was due on April 18. “Certain deadlines” falling on or after September 23, 2022 and before February 15, 2023 are postponed through February 15, 2023. Read on to learn more!

Self-directed IRAs (SDIRAs) have long been a vehicle for less traditional investments that can't be held in a normal IRA, such as precious metals, real estate, or tax liens. Cryptocurrency is the newest addition to that list of alternative retirement savings and has exponentially grown in popularity in recent years. The rules governing SDIRAs are complex, and taxpayers can easily and unknowingly violate the rules, resulting in the entire IRA being deemed distributed and potentially subject to tax. As the famous adage says, "with great [investment] power comes great responsibility." Keep reading to learn more!