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ERC Rebellion: A CPA’s Toolkit for Dealing with Disregarded Advice
Question: I have several long-term clients I’ve advised they didn’t qualify for ERC under the requirements. I’ve discovered over time that all three were sold by an ERC mill and filed amended tax returns to claim credits. What are the risks they will be audited and what are my responsibilities in representing them? Should I release them as clients because they didn’t listen to me? Answer: You know, the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) might sound like a pretty sweet deal, especially if your business took a hit during the pandemic. It's a tax break designed to help you out. But don’t be fooled. It's not as simple as it sounds. You need to know the ins and outs before you jump in. Some new kids on the block, a bunch of specialist firms, are offering to help businesses claim this ERC. Unless you’ve been trapped in a cave (or under a pile of tax files) you’ve probably seen the mail, heard the commercials, clicked the ads. They make it seem so easy, don’t they? Just let us take care of everything and ignore the rules. This is music to the ears of employers – especially if we’ve already told them based on the rules, they don’t qualify. We want our clients to know they gotta be careful. These mills may promise you the moon and the stars, but the reality is, there's a pretty tight rule book on how and when you can claim the ERC. Misunderstanding these rules could mean you lose out on a potential $26,000 tax credit per employee. Worse, you could be tricked into claiming money you're not actually entitled to and end up with a nasty surprise later. And when you factor in the steep fees charged by these fly-by-nights, often up to 30% of promised refunds - there is a real risk of loss should these businesses lose their claims.
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How to Advise on the EV Tax Credit
At one time, a federal tax credit toward the cost of an electric car seemed like a permanent idea to help fight pollution and climate change. Now, a political shift in the U.S. endangers the notion and, more to the point, makes advising clients tougher in a tighter timeframe. How and when can those clients interested in an electric car and the credit still secure a tax break?
Leaving the United States, Part II: Renouncing Your Citizenship
In Part I of this 3-part series, we discussed the tax ramifications of living abroad, becoming an expat. In Part II, we go to the extreme by leaving America and renouncing our citizenship. And as you would guess, there are tax consequences to such an action. Before we step into renouncing our U.S. citizenship, we need to address how we can lose our citizenship.
Is Student Loan Forgiveness Taxable? It Depends…
Is student loan forgiveness taxable? Yes. No. Maybe. Sometimes. It primarily depends on the student loan forgiveness program. But like everything else with student loans, there are a number of other factors at play. Why make it easy when you can thoroughly confuse taxpayers, federal student loan servicers and financial planners for years to come? Keep reading to learn when student loan forgiveness might be tax-free and how to prepare your clients for taxable loan forgiveness.
SIMPLIFIED TAX STRATEGIES &
PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION
Think Outside the Tax Box provides tax reduction strategies along with practical
implementation advice in order to reduce your clients’ federal tax bill with ease.