News That We Think Counts

The recently enacted SECURE Act includes a new requirement for employers that sponsor tax-favored defined contribution retirement plans that are subject to ERISA. Specifically, the law will require that benefit statements sent to plan participants include a lifetime income disclosure at least once during any 12-month period. It will need to illustrate the monthly payments that an employee would receive …

The start of the new year ushers in tax season. If you used your home to conduct business, you may qualify to take a home office deduction on your tax return, even if you’re a renter. Here are the basic rules: The home must be your principal place of business, or a place to meet clients in the course of …

Don’t let the holiday rush keep you from taking some important steps to reduce your 2019 tax liability. You still have time to execute a few strategies. For example, are you thinking about purchasing new or used heavy vehicles, heavy equipment, machinery or office equipment in the new year? Buy them and place them in service by December 31, and …

Many temporary tax provisions have expired since the end of 2017. Many more will expire by Dec. 31, 2019. A bipartisan U.S. Senate Finance Committee has been charged with studying the effectiveness of the provisions and identifying options for long-term solutions. In the last of six reports on these provisions, the Employment and Community Development Taskforce examined policies that were …

The Dept. of Labor (DOL) has just issued regulations that will make it easier for small businesses to provide retirement savings plans to their workers. Final regs regarding association retirement plans (ARPs) will allow small businesses to band together to offer 401(k) and other defined contribution plans to their employees. ARPs could be offered by associations of employers in a …

Tax planning is a juggling act for business owners. You have to keep your eye on your company’s income and expenses and applicable tax breaks (especially if you own a pass-through entity). But you also must look out for your own financial future. For example, you need to develop an exit strategy so that taxes don’t trip you up when …

Prepaying property taxes related to the current year but due the following year has long been one of the most popular and effective year-end tax-planning strategies. But does it still make sense in 2018? The answer, for some people, is yes — accelerating this expense will increase their itemized deductions, reducing their tax bills. But for many, particularly those in …

Retirement plan contribution limits are indexed for inflation, and many have gone up for 2019, giving you opportunities to increase your retirement savings: Elective deferrals to 401(k), 403(b), 457(b)(2) and 457(c)(1) plans: $19,000 (up from $18,500) Contributions to defined contribution plans: $56,000 (up from $55,000) Contributions to SIMPLEs: $13,000 (up from $12,500) Contributions to IRAs: $6,000 (up from $5,500) One …

The dawning of 2019 means the 2018 income tax filing season will soon be upon us. After year end, it’s generally too late to take action to reduce 2018 taxes. Business owners may, therefore, want to shift their focus to assessing whether they’ll likely owe taxes or get a refund when they file their returns this spring, so they can …

Tax planning is a year-round activity, but there are still some year-end strategies you can use to lower your 2018 tax bill. Here are six last-minute tax moves business owners should consider: Postpone invoices. If your business uses the cash method of accounting, and it would benefit from deferring income to next year, wait until early 2019 to send invoices. …