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Corporate Business Owners: Is Your Salary Reasonable in the Eyes of the IRS?
Determining “reasonable compensation” is a critical issue for owners of C corporations and S corporations. If the IRS believes an owner’s compensation is unreasonably high or low, it may disallow certain deductions or reclassify payments, potentially leading to penalties, back taxes and interest. But by proactively following certain steps, owners can help ensure their compensation is seen [...]
Arizona Auto Dealer Faces $118k in Penalties for Form 8300 Reporting Failures
In a recent ruling, the U.S. Tax Court upheld over $118,000 in penalties against Dealers Auto Auction of Southwest LLC, a Phoenix-based car dealership, for failing to comply with federal cash transaction reporting requirements in 2016. The case, documented in TC Memo. 2025-38, serves as a stark reminder of the importance of adhering to IRS [...]
The “Wash Sale” Rule: Don’t Let Losses Circle the Drain
Stock, mutual fund and ETF prices have bounced around lately. If you make what turns out to be an ill-fated investment in a taxable brokerage firm account, the good news is that you may be able to harvest a tax-saving capital loss by selling the loser security. However, for federal income tax purposes, the wash [...]
Business Valuation Plays a Critical Role in Buy-Sell Agreements
Whether your company is a family-run operation, a partnership among friends or a multi-owner enterprise, a buy-sell agreement helps protect it in potentially disruptive “what if” scenarios, including death, disability, divorce, disputes or simply a change of heart. These events may trigger ownership transitions that, without proper planning, lead to costly conflicts and financial strain. [...]
An Education Plan Can Pay Off for Your Employees — And Your Business
Your business can set up an educational assistance plan that can give each eligible employee up to $5,250 in annual federal-income-tax-free and federal-payroll-tax-free benefits. These tax-favored plans are called §127 plans after the tax code section that allows them. Plan basics §127 plans can cover the cost of almost anything that constitutes education, including graduate [...]
Understanding the “Step-up in Basis” When Inheriting Assets
If you inherit assets after a loved one passes away, they often arrive with a valuable — but frequently misunderstood — tax benefit called the step-up in basis. Below is an overview of how the rule works and what planning might need to be done. What “basis” means First, let’s look at a couple definitions. [...]
Explore SEP and SIMPLE Retirement Plans for Your Small Business
Suppose you’re thinking about setting up a retirement plan for yourself and your employees. However, you’re concerned about the financial commitment and administrative burdens involved. There are a couple of options to consider. Let’s take a look at a Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) and a Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees (SIMPLE). SEPs offer easy [...]
Beyond the Fraud Risk Assessment: Managing Nuanced Threats
Annual fraud risk assessments can be very effective in finding obvious fraud threats and documenting internal controls that are in place to minimize them. However, these assessments can overlook evolving and behavioral risks that could cause significant financial losses if bad actors exploit them. You can help boost the power of your risk-reduction program by [...]
What Tax Documents Can Your Safely Shred? And Which Ones Should You Keep?
Once your 2024 tax return is in the hands of the IRS, you may be tempted to clear out file cabinets and delete digital folders. But before reaching for the shredder or delete button, remember that some paperwork still has two important purposes: Protecting you if the IRS comes calling for an audit, and Helping [...]
Divorcing Business Owners Can’t Afford to Skimp on Valuation Expertise
Dividing marital assets can be a long, complicated process, especially if a divorce case involves a private business interest. Failure to hire a business valuation professional — whether to try to save money or time — can prove disastrous in court. Complex valuation matters Business valuators can provide answers to five critical financial questions in [...]
Turn a Summer Job into Tax Savings: Hire Your Child and Reap the Rewards
With summer fast approaching, you might be considering hiring young people at your small business. If your children are also looking to earn some extra money, why not put them on the payroll? This move can help you save on family income and payroll taxes, making it a win-win situation for everyone! Here are three [...]
In the News: 3 Updated Fraud Risks
Fraud schemes are always evolving. Once frauds are widely publicized and consumers and businesses learn to spot common scams, enterprising criminals change their tactics. So even if you were able to recognize the red flags of fraud a couple of years ago, you may be vulnerable to new or tweaked scams in 2025. For the [...]
Small Business Alert: Watch Out for the 100% Penalty
Some tax sins are much worse than others. An example is failing to pay over federal income and employment taxes that have been withheld from employees’ paychecks. In this situation, the IRS can assess the trust fund recovery penalty, also called the 100% penalty, against any responsible person. It’s called the 100% penalty because the [...]
Discover if you Qualify for “Head of Household” Tax Filing Status
When you prepare your tax return, you’ll check one of the following filing statuses: single, married filing jointly, married filing separately, head of household or qualifying widow(er). Only some people are eligible to file a return as a head of household. But if you’re one of them, it’s more favorable than filing as a single [...]
FAQs About the Excess Earnings Method in Business Valuation
Valuation professionals use various methods to determine the fair market value of a private business or business interest. One of the more debated techniques is the excess earnings method. Here are answers to some common questions about this controversial method. What’s the excess earnings method? The U.S. Department of the Treasury originally developed the excess [...]
Disclaimer
This blog is designed to provide competent and reliable information regarding the subject matter covered. However, it is being provided with the understanding that the blogmaster is not engaged in rendering investment advice. Laws and practices often vary from state to state and if investment assistance is required, the services of a licensed investment professional should be sought. The blogmaster resolutely encourages the reader/viewer to do their own research and due diligence before acting on any information contained herein. As such, Roger Rossmeisl specifically disclaims any liability that is incurred from the use or application of the contents of this blog. It should also be noted that the views contained in this blog are not necessarily representative of the opinions/beliefs of the other owners, management and/or employees of Kho & Patel CPAs.
