23 Feb 2022
0

Are You Ready for the 2021 Gift Tax Return Deadline?

Roger Rossmeisl, CPA
Individual Tax Briefs
Are you Ready for the 2021 Gift Tax Return Deadline?

If you made large gifts to your children, grandchildren or other heirs last year, it’s important to determine whether you’re required to file a 2021 gift tax return. And in some cases, even if it’s not required to file one, it may be beneficial to do so anyway. Who must file? The annual gift tax exclusion has increased in 2022 to $16,000 but was $15,000 for 2021. Generally, you must file a gift tax return for 2021 if, during the tax year, you made gifts: That exceeded the $15,000-per-recipient gift tax annual exclusion for 2021 (other than to your U.S. citizen spouse), That you wish to split with your spouse to take advantage of your combined $30,000 annual exclusion for 2021, That exceeded the $159,000 annual exclusion...

23 Feb 2022
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Can You Deduct the Costs of a Spouse on a Business Trip?

Roger Rossmeisl, CPA
Small Business Tax Briefs
Can Your Deduct the Costs of a Spouse on a Business Trip?

If you own your own company and travel for business, you may wonder whether you can deduct the costs of having your spouse accompany you on trips. The rules for deducting a spouse’s travel costs are very restrictive. First of all, to qualify, your spouse must be your employee. This means you can’t deduct the travel costs of a spouse, even if his or her presence has a bona fide business purpose, unless the spouse is a bona fide employee of your business. This requirement prevents tax deductibility in most cases.  A spouse-employee If your spouse is your employee, then you can deduct his or her travel costs if his or her presence on the trip serves a bona fide business purpose. Merely having your spouse perform some...

23 Feb 2022
0

Valuing a Business for Divorce

Roger Rossmeisl, CPA
Valuation Briefs
Valuing a Business for Divorce

When divorcing spouses own a private business interest, it complicates the settlement process. The value of a business isn’t necessarily as straightforward as the values of other marital assets. And it’s often impractical to sell the business and split the proceeds, because there may be other owners who aren’t interested in selling and it takes time to sell a business. Plus, the business’s value might be partially excluded from the marital estate, depending on state law, legal precedent and prenuptial agreements between the spouses. Fortunately, a business valuation professional can help you sort through the issues. Tangible vs. intangible value The value of a business can be broken down into two pieces. First up are tangible (or hard) assets, which include such items as cash, receivables and equipment....

23 Feb 2022
0

Why Would Married Couples File Separate Tax Returns?

Roger Rossmeisl, CPA
Individual Tax Briefs
Why Would Married Couples File Separate Tax Returns?

If you’re married, you may wonder whether you should file joint or separate tax returns. The answer depends on your individual tax situation. In general, it depends on which filing status results in the lowest tax. But keep in mind that, if you and your spouse file a joint return, each of you is “jointly and severally” liable for the tax on your combined income. And you’re both equally liable for any additional tax the IRS assesses, plus interest and most penalties. That means that the IRS can come after either of you to collect the full amount. Although there are “innocent spouse” provisions in the law that may offer relief, they have limitations. Therefore, even if a joint return results in less tax, you may want...

23 Feb 2022
0

Withdrawals from your Closely-Held Corporation that Aren’t Taxed as Dividends

Roger Rossmeisl, CPA
Small Business Tax Briefs
Withdrawals from your Closely-Helf Corporation that arent Taxed as Dividends

Do you want to withdraw cash from your closely held corporation at a minimum tax cost? The simplest way is to distribute cash as a dividend. However, a dividend distribution isn’t tax-efficient since it’s taxable to you to the extent of your corporation’s “earnings and profits.” It’s also not deductible by the corporation. Five alternatives Fortunately, there are several alternative methods that may allow you to withdraw cash from a corporation while avoiding dividend treatment. Here are five areas where you may want to take action: 1. Capital repayments. To the extent that you’ve capitalized the corporation with debt, including amounts you’ve advanced to the business, the corporation can repay the debt without the repayment being treated as a dividend. Additionally, interest paid on the debt can be...

23 Feb 2022
0

Protecting your Company from Cryptocurrency Fraud

Roger Rossmeisl, CPA
Fraud Briefs
Protecting your Company from Cryptocurrency Fraud

According to blockchain data company Chainalysis, cryptocurrency transactions associated with illegal activity topped $14 billion in 2021. That’s almost double 2020 numbers — and the momentum shows no signs of slowing. In addition to outright cryptocurrency theft, these crimes include investment fraud and ransomware scams that affect businesses. Yet cryptocurrency offers several advantages to entrepreneurs and established companies, including instant, low-fee transactions and access to new sources of capital. If you use cryptocurrency — or want to — understanding the risks can help prevent financial losses. The basics Cryptocurrencies use blockchain technology, a shared electronic ledger that records and stores transactions in the nodes of a computer network. Most cryptocurrencies use public blockchains, making it possible for anyone to see a digital wallet’s balance and transactions, including criminals....

21 Feb 2022
0

Make Sure You Have Substantiation For Your Charitable Donations

Roger Rossmeisl, CPA
Individual Tax Briefs
Make Sure you Have Substantiation for your Charitable Donations

If you donated to charity last year, letters from the charities may have appeared in your mailbox recently acknowledging the donations. But what happens if you haven’t received such a letter — can you still claim a deduction for the gift on your 2021 income tax return? It depends. The requirements To prove a charitable donation for which you claim a tax deduction, you need to comply with IRS substantiation requirements. For a donation of $250 or more, this includes obtaining a contemporaneous written acknowledgment from the charity stating the amount of the donation, whether you received any goods or services in consideration for the donation and the value of any such goods or services. “Contemporaneous” means the earlier of: The date you file your tax return, or ...

21 Feb 2022
0

Don’t Discount the Key Person Discount

Roger Rossmeisl, CPA
Automotive, Valuation Briefs
Dont Discount the Key Person Discount

In the fourth quarter of 2021, CEO resignations were up 16% over the prior year, according to executive outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Recent and announced high profile departures include Twitter’s Jack Dorsey, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and American Airlines’ Doug Parker. This trend is expected to continue into 2022 as executives swap high-stress positions for more family time. Would your business survive if its CEO or founder suddenly jumped ship? Large public companies often have deep management structures and succession plans in place. So, they can usually recover from the loss of a C-level executive over time, except in rare instances. It’s more common for smaller businesses to depend heavily on a key person — and the actual, or even the potential, loss of that...

21 Feb 2022
0

Tax Aspects of Operating Your Business as a Sole Proprietor

Roger Rossmeisl, CPA
Small Business Tax Briefs
Tax Aspects of Operating Your Business as a Sole Proprietor

If you’re in business for yourself as a sole proprietor, or you’re planning to start a business, you need to know about the tax aspects of your venture. Here are eight important issues to consider: 1. You report income and expenses on Schedule C of Form 1040. The net income is taxable to you regardless of whether you withdraw cash from the business. Your business expenses are deductible against gross income and not as itemized deductions. If you have any losses, they’re generally deductible against your other income, subject to special rules relating to hobby losses, passive activity losses and losses in activities in which you weren’t “at risk.” 2. You may be eligible for the pass-through deduction. To the extent your business generates qualified business income,...

26 Jan 2022
0

Tips to Speed Tax Return Processing

Roger Rossmeisl, CPA
Individual Tax Briefs
Tips to Speed Tax Return Processing

The IRS began accepting 2021 individual tax returns on January 24. If you haven’t prepared yet for tax season, here are three quick tips to help speed processing and avoid hassles. Tip 1 Contact us soon for an appointment to prepare your tax return. Tip 2 Gather all documents needed to prepare an accurate return. This includes W-2 and 1099 forms. In addition, you may have received statements or letters in connection with Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) or advance Child Tax Credit (CTC) payments. Letter 6419, 2021 Total Advance Child Tax Credit Payments, tells taxpayers who received CTC payments how much they received. Since the advance payments represented about one-half of the total credit, taxpayers who received CTC payments need to file a return to collect the rest of the...

ROGER ROSSMEISL, CPA

Kho & Patel CPAs
160 E. Arrow Highway
San Dimas, CA 91773

(714) 325-0442
roger@khopatel.com

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