Tax Archives - Wiss & Company, LLC

Key Tax Provisions of the $2 Trillion CARES Act

Written on March 26, 2020. Posted in General Business, Tax, Tax Alerts.

By Mike Bodrato The Senate voted last night, 96-0, to approve the Coronavirus Aid Relief, and Economic Security Act or the CARES Act, which has more than $2 trillion in spending and tax breaks to assist economically and fund a nationwide effort to stop the coronavirus. At this writing, the CARES Act is still awaiting House approval and the President’s signature, which is not expected until tomorrow. The bipartisan legislation includes about $500 billion that can be used to back...

IRS Releases Official Guidance After Treasury Secretary’s Announcement

Written on March 21, 2020. Posted in Tax, Tax Alerts.

by Evan Gernant Following Secretary Mnuchin’s earlier announcement, the Treasury Department released guidance on Friday, which supersedes and expands upon the guidance issued earlier this week that gave taxpayers extra time to pay their taxes but not to file. The new guidance provides for the following relief: The filing of 2019 federal income tax returns and the payment of 2019 federal income tax (including tax on self-employment income) due on April 15, 2020, is automatically...

U.S. Treasury Response to the Coronavirus

Written on March 18, 2020. Posted in Tax, Tax Alerts.

by Evan Gernant The Coronavirus has intruded into all facets of our lives. As we all try to grapple with the uncertainty this situation brings we still find ourselves in the midst of tax filing season, an already stressful time for business owners and other taxpayers. The Treasury Department issued guidance yesterday clarifying Secretary Mnuchin’s announcement on Tuesday that taxpayers can delay income tax payments due April 15, 2020. The guidance provides that for all taxpayers...

Elective Business Alternative Income Tax for Pass-Through Entities to Address Federal Limitation on State and Local Deduction

Written on January 21, 2020. Posted in State & Local Tax Services, Tax, Tax Alerts.

On January 13, 2020, Governor Phil Murphy signed into law Senate Bill 3246 establishing the business alternative income tax, an elective New Jersey business tax for pass-through entities. A corresponding refundable state gross income tax credit is allowed for the owners of the pass-through entities to offset personal or corporate income tax liability. The pass-through entity tax applies to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2020. The intent of the new legislation is to...

Rising to the Challenge: How Wiss Responded to Historic Tax Legislation

Written on January 7, 2020. Posted in Tax.

An interview with Michael LaMotta, Partner-in-Charge, Tax Services at Wiss & Co. LLP On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed into law. It presented the most significant changes to the tax code in over thirty years, and its effects were wide-ranging. Everyone from individual taxpayers and business owners to accountants and financial advisers had to learn the ropes. Now, two years after the bill was passed, many are still playing catch-up. “When the tax reform...

Here’s Why Your Tax Refund Might Not Be What it Once Was

Written on March 6, 2019. Posted in Tax.

Updated 7/30/2019. This 2018 U.S. federal tax filing season, the good news might actually be the smaller refunds seen by many Americans. However, you might be understandably hard to convince if you, your employees or family members fall into this category. At this point in the tax return season, many are dismayed to find their refunds are smaller than expected. Or non-existent, in the case of those shocked to find that they owe more. Spoiler alert: the culprit is most likely to be...

Trust Nexus Tax Case on SC Docket Could Have Wide Ranging Implications

Written on February 22, 2019. Posted in Tax.

By Arfa Scott Following its June 2018 decision in Wayfair, the U.S. Supreme Court continues to focus on cases that deal with how much taxation states can impose and in what circumstances. In January 2019, the nation’s highest court agreed to look at under what circumstances a state can impose its income tax on a trust by granting certiorari in the case of North Carolina Dept. of Revenue v. Kaestner Family Trust. The Kaestner Trust case involves a New York trust whose only contact...

Retirement Savings and Tax Deduction Strategies for 2018 Filers

Written on January 15, 2019. Posted in Tax.

Whether you’re self-employed or working for someone else, tax filing season is a great excuse to start thinking about strategies to lower your taxable income and maximize your retirement savings. You still have time. You have until April 15 to make contributions to your retirement accounts and have it apply to the 2018 tax year. If you file for an extension, your deadline for doing this in 2019 is October 15. The following information will be especially useful if you discover or...

2018 New Jersey Tax Amnesty Program

Written on November 15, 2018. Posted in Tax.

Starting on November 15, 2018 and ending January 15, 2019, the State of New Jersey will hold a 60-day tax amnesty program aimed towards taxpayers who have delinquent taxes owed to the state. This will provide taxpayers an opportunity to file past tax returns and/or pay outstanding taxes due to the state, including a one-half reduction of the interest due as of November 1, 2018. The amnesty program only applies to outstanding filings and payments due for tax returns which were due...

Hardship Withdrawal Rule Changes from the New Tax Code

Written on October 23, 2018. Posted in Tax.

By Laura Zindel, CPA Details of the Trump Administration’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act are so complex that it is easier for businesses to discuss the details and ramifications in smaller pieces. One specific section of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act involves changes to rules affecting hardship withdrawals from your employees’ benefit plan account, most commonly 401(k) and 403(b) plans. The definition of a hardship withdrawal hasn’t changed. If a plan permits, a hardship is an early withdrawal...