Bill Includes a Number of Extenders that Retroactively Apply to 2017 Returns
Needless to say, these last-minute changes may create a problem for taxpayers who have already filed their returns and will need to file amended returns to take advantage of these extenders. The retroactive changes will cause the IRS some headaches as well. Since the 2017 forms do not accommodate some of the extended provisions, the IRS will have redesign and issue updated forms or provide workaround procedures.
New Tax Reform Bill and Business-Related Deductions
The GOP’s tax-reform bill that President Trump signed on December 22nd of last year eliminated the business-related deduction for entertainment, amusement or recreation expenses, effective beginning in 2018. If you are a business owner who is accustomed to treating clients to sporting events, golf getaways, concerts and the like, this is bad news for you.
Modified Withholding Tables for 2018
One of the first trouble spots of the new tax reform is the W-2 withholding for 2018. Passage of the new law in late December hasn’t given the IRS much time to develop new withholding tables. This can be a big issue, as the recent Tax Cuts & Jobs Act (TCJA) substantially altered the tax rates and standard deductions, did away with exemption deductions, and increased the child tax credits—all elements of how the withholding allowances and tables have been structured in the past.
Updated Mileage Rates for Business, Medical Purposes and Charitable Organizations
The Internal Revenue Service recently announced the inflation- adjusted 2018 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable or medical purposes.
Be Aware of Many Tax-Related Issues if You Sold Your Home Last Year
Read About Home Sales and the Home-Sale Gain Exclusion
If you sold your home last year, or if you are thinking about selling it, you should be aware of the many tax-related issues that could apply to that sale so that you will be prepared at tax time and not have to deal with unpleasant surprises. This article covers home sales and the home-sale gain exclusion, particularly when that gain exclusion applies and what portion of it applies. Certain special issues always affect home sales, such as the use of a portion of the home as an office or daycare center, previously use of the property as a rental, and acquisition in a tax-deferred exchange. Other frequently encountered issues are related to the “2 years out of 5” rules for ownership and use, as these rules must be followed to qualify for gain exclusion.
5 QuickBooks Reports You Need to Run in January
Does your accounting to-do list look like a clean slate, or are critical 2017 tasks still nagging?
Getting all of your accounting tasks done in December is always a challenge. Besides the vacation time you and your employees probably took for the holidays, there are those year-end, Let’s-wrap-it-up-by-December-31 projects.
How did you do last month? Were you ready to move forward when you got back to the office in January? Or did you run out of time and have to leave some accounting chores undone?
Not All Interest An Individual Pays is Deductible
The rules for deducting interest vary, depending on whether the loan proceeds are used for personal, investment, or business activities. Interest expense can fall into any of the following categories:
On Friday, December 1, 2017 the Senate was voted on their version of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act. Rumblings out of Washington DC indicate that the GOP leadership has reached an agreement that the House will put the Senate version to a vote without reconciling the differences between the House and Senate versions. As a result, the Senate version would prevail and it would become the new tax law if the President signs the legislation, which he has said he will do. But no one has a crystal ball and we will be following this closely.
Tax is Zero on any long-term capital gains for taxpayers within the 10% or 15% tax bracket
Taxpayers whose top marginal tax bracket is lower than 25% enjoy a long-term capital gain tax rate of zero. That’s correct – the tax on any long-term capital gains for taxpayers within the 10% or 15% tax bracket is zero! This can provide you with the opportunity to sell some of your winner stocks and pay no tax on the resulting gain. Long-term capital gains apply to stocks and other capital assets you have owned for a year and a day or longer.
Scams and Phishing on the Rise
Almost every day the IRS issues notices to taxpayers and tax preparers warning of new scams seeking access to individuals’ financial information and ID information, which the scammers want to use to file fraudulent tax returns, gain access to bank accounts, or steal credit card information to make fraudulent purchases.
