What the IRS is Looking for in Corporate Jet Audits

The IRS' recent declaration of a rigorous enforcement against the utilization of corporate jets has attracted widespread attention, as the Biden administration persists in intensifying its examination of affluent individuals and major corporations with intricate tax arrangements. Zeinat Zughayer, a tax controversy manager at Baker Tilly, provided information on the driving force behind the recent wave of audits and the extent of their coverage. The IRS recently declared its intention to commence several audits targeting the apportionment of corporate aircraft usage between business and personal purposes by executives, partners, shareholders, and other individuals for tax-related matters. According to the IRS, the level of personal usage has an effect on the eligibility for specific company deductions. "Utilizing the company jet for personal travel usually leads to the...

IRS Begins Audits of Corporate Jet Usage

As reported in IR-2024-46 Using Inflation Reduction Act funding and as part of ongoing efforts to improve tax compliance in high-income categories, the Internal Revenue Service announced on 2/21/24 plans to begin dozens of audits on business aircraft involving personal use. The audits will be focused on aircraft usage by large corporations, large partnerships and high-income taxpayers and whether for tax purposes the use of jets is being properly allocated between business and personal reasons. The IRS will be using advanced analytics and resources from the Inflation Reduction Act to more closely examine this area, which has not been closely scrutinized during the past decade as agency resources fell sharply. The number of audits related to aircraft usage could increase in the future following initial results and as...

2024 Q2 Tax Calendar: Key Deadlines for Businesses and Employers

Here are some of the key tax-related deadlines that apply to businesses and other employers during the second quarter of 2024. Keep in mind that this list isn’t all-inclusive, so there may be additional deadlines that apply to you. Contact us to ensure you’re meeting all applicable deadlines and to learn more about the filing requirements. April 15 If you’re a calendar-year corporation, file a 2023 income tax return (Form 1120) or file for an automatic six-month extension (Form 7004) and pay any tax due. For corporations, pay the first installment of 2024 estimated income taxes. Complete and retain Form 1120-W (worksheet) for your records. For individuals, file a 2023 income tax return (Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR) or file for an automatic six-month extension (Form...

Coordinating §179 Tax Deductions with Bonus Depreciation

Your business should generally maximize current year depreciation write-offs for newly acquired assets. Two federal tax breaks can be a big help in achieving this goal: first-year §179 depreciation deductions and first-year bonus depreciation deductions. These two deductions can potentially allow businesses to write off some or all of their qualifying asset expenses in Year 1. However, they’re moving targets due to annual inflation adjustments and tax law changes that phase out bonus depreciation. With that in mind, here’s how to coordinate these write-offs for optimal tax-saving results. §179 deduction basics Most tangible depreciable business assets — including equipment, computer hardware, vehicles (subject to limits), furniture, most software and fixtures — qualify for the first-year Sec. 179 deduction. Depreciable real property generally doesn’t qualify unless it’s qualified improvement property...

Bartering is a Taxable Transaction Even if No Cash is Exchanged

If your small business is strapped for cash (or likes to save money), you may find it beneficial to barter or trade for goods and services. Bartering isn’t new — it’s the oldest form of trade — but the internet has made it easier to engage in with other businesses. However, if your business begins bartering, be aware that the fair market value of goods that you receive in these types of transactions is taxable income. And if you exchange services with another business, the transaction results in taxable income for both parties. Fair market value Here are some examples of an exchange of services: A computer consultant agrees to offer tech support to an advertising agency in exchange for free advertising. An electrical contractor does repair work...

Maximize the QBI Deduction Before It's Gone

The qualified business income (QBI) deduction is available to eligible businesses through 2025. After that, it’s scheduled to disappear. So if you’re eligible, you want to make the most of the deduction while it’s still on the books because it can potentially be a big tax saver. Deduction basics The QBI deduction is written off at the owner level. It can be up to 20% of: QBI earned from a sole proprietorship or single-member LLC that’s treated as a sole proprietorship for tax purposes, plus QBI from a pass-through entity, meaning a partnership, LLC that’s treated as a partnership for tax purposes or S corporation. How is QBI defined? It’s qualified income and gains from an eligible business, reduced by related deductions. QBI is reduced by: 1) deductible...

Employee Retention Tax Credit Penalty Relief

We are finding that, all too often, taxpayers that make Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) claims by engaging a so-called “ERTC Mill” are never told of their responsibility to amend their applicable prior year federal income tax return(s), and are shocked to learn that they owe additional taxes, penalties and interest. In order to offset their wage expense for the amount of the credit claimed, taxpayers who file an amended Form 941-X to claim an ERTC refund must simultaneously file an amended income tax return(s) for the tax year(s) in which the ERTC-eligible wages were paid. Because of the resulting lower salary expense, this results in a higher tax burden for taxpayers with sizable ERTC refunds. Reasonable Cause Penalty Relief To the extent an ERTC was retroactively claimed,...

Better Tax Break When Applying the Research Credit Against Payroll Taxes

The credit for increasing research activities, often referred to as the research and development (R&D) credit, is a valuable tax break available to certain eligible small businesses. Claiming the credit involves complex calculations, which we’ll take care of for you. But in addition to the credit itself, be aware that there are two additional features that are especially favorable to small businesses: Eligible small businesses ($50 million or less in gross receipts for the three prior tax years) may claim the credit against alternative minimum tax (AMT) liability. The credit can be used by certain smaller startup businesses against their Social Security payroll and Medicare tax liability. Let’s take a look at the second feature. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has doubled the amount of the payroll tax...

Tax-Wise Ways to Take Cash from your Corporation While Avoiding Dividend Treatment

If you want to withdraw cash from your closely held corporation at a low tax cost, the easiest 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,” but it’s not deductible by the corporation. 5 different approaches Thankfully, there are some alternative methods that may allow you to withdraw cash from a corporation while avoiding dividend treatment. Here are five possible options: 1. Salary. Reasonable compensation that you, or family members, receive for services rendered to the corporation is deductible by the business. However, it’s also taxable to the recipient(s). The same rule applies to any compensation (in the form of rent) that you receive from the corporation...

Taking Your Spouse on a Business Trip? Can You Write Off the Costs?

A recent report shows that post-pandemic global business travel is going strong. The market reached $665.3 billion in 2022 and is estimated to hit $928.4 billion by 2030, according to a report from Research and Markets. 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. Is your spouse an employee? The rules for deducting a spouse’s travel costs are very restrictive. First of all, to qualify for the deduction, 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 an employee of your business. This requirement prevents tax...