IRS Archives - Wiss & Company, LLP

IRS OK’s SALT Cap Workarounds

Written on November 10, 2020. Posted in Tax.

By Azra Khan On Monday, the IRS announced that it will be issuing proposed regulations allowing partnerships and S corporations to deduct state and local income taxes in full. Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, individual taxpayers are currently limited to a state tax deduction of $10,000, annually (otherwise known as the “SALT cap”). Some states, including New Jersey, Connecticut and several others have enacted a so-called “workaround” of the SALT Cap, either mandating or allowing...

IRS Backlog Causing Incorrect Late Payment Notices

Written on August 24, 2020. Posted in Tax.

By Mike Bodrato The Internal Revenue Service, in its most recent update on IRS Coronavirus Tax Relief webpage, has posted information regarding the handling of incorrect late payment notices. The IRS notes that they continue to process returns and issue refunds and are working hard to get through its correspondence backlog. However, the IRS states that it is experiencing delays in processing returns, due to limited staffing. The backlog of correspondence includes checks that have...

Additional Tax Filing Relief from the IRS

Written on April 10, 2020. Posted in Tax, Tax Alerts.

By Michael Bodrato The IRS released yesterday additional tax return filing and payment relief in Notice 2020-23, which applies to all taxpayers that have a filing or payment deadline falling on or after April 1, 2020, and before July 15, 2020, including individuals, trusts, estates, corporations, and other non-corporate tax filers. In addition, Notice 2020-23 provides that this period of time will be disregarded by the IRS in calculating any interest, penalty, or additions to tax...

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...

2019 Maximum Limitations for Retirement Plans

Written on December 11, 2018. Posted in Employee Benefit Plan Audits.

The IRS has announced that the amounts employees can contribute to retirement plans will increase in 2019. Following is a table detailing some of those increases: – Source – Notice 2018-83 (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-18-83.pdf) Provided by Wiss’ Employee Benefit Plan Group Craig R. Erickson – Partner Cindy Sandomenico – Director Laura Zindel – Manager Craig Erickson is the Partner-in-Charge of our Employee Benefit Plan Group where...

The New Partnership Audit Rules Effective January 1, 2018

Written on February 20, 2018. Posted in Tax Alerts.

By Mike Bodrato, CPA, JD As part of the Bipartisan Budget Agreement of 2015, Congress made significant changes in the procedures used by the IRS to conduct partnership audits (including LLCs treated as partnerships) and their partners. Proposed regulations were issued on January 19, 2017, but prior to being released were withdrawn by executive order. New proposed regulations were issued on June 14, 2017. The new partnership audit rules repeal the current regime under the Tax Equity...

Tax Reform Manifesto for the Real Estate Industry – Part 2

Written on January 29, 2018. Posted in Uncategorized.

This posting is a part of a 3-part series. The full article will be available in the coming weeks. Click here to read previous post. By Alexander J. Narcise, CPA and contributions from the entire Wiss and Company LLP Real Estate Team: Michael Kroll, CPA Larry DiPasquale, CPA Steve Warholak, CPA Michael Bodrato, CPA Kyle Pennacchia, CPA James Jenco, CPA Ken Trainor, CPA Phil London, CPA Chris Gati, CPA Charlie Komack, CPA The Internal Revenue Code has historically provided many...

IRS ISSUES NEW UPDATED WITHHOLDING TABLES

Written on January 16, 2018. Posted in Tax.

One of the most often heard Congressional talking points for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) was that millions of workers would see an increase in their take home paychecks. To this end, on Thursday, the IRS issued new wage withholding guidelines. The guidelines are needed so employers can calculate how much tax to withhold from employees’ pay. Employees should begin seeing changes in their paychecks by February 15th (or sooner) since it normally takes about a month to update systems....

IRS Serves Up Savings With the 45(B) Tax Credit

Written on December 11, 2017. Posted in Food & Beverage.

By James Jenco If you own a food and beverage establishment, you might be overpaying the IRS in payroll taxes. That could be the case if you’re not taking advantage of IRC 45(B). This rather little-known federal tax deduction could save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year, depending on the size of your tip-eligible workforce. Here’s how it works. Taxing Issues As you probably know, it’s your responsibility to pay the employer withholding tax on the FICA and Medicare...

IRS Disaster Relief: Relief for Taxpayers Affected by Hurricanes Harvey & Irma

Written on September 20, 2017. Posted in Tax.

By: Evan Gernant The IRS has published various notices granting tax relief to “affected taxpayers” of hurricanes Harvey, impacting Texas beginning August 25, 2017, and Irma, impacting Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Florida and Georgia just a few weeks later. Affected taxpayers are defined as: Individuals whose principal residence is located in a covered disaster area; Businesses whose principal place of business is located in a covered disaster area; Any relief worker affiliated...

New Extended Form 8938 Filing Requirements

Written on September 19, 2017. Posted in International Tax Services.

By: Mary Vasilescu For tax years starting after December 31, 2015, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has expanded the criteria for reporting Specified Foreign Financial Assets, or SFFAs. SFFA’s for this purpose are foreign financial accounts maintained at a foreign financial institution and other foreign financial assets held for investment purposes. Enacted in 2010 as a section of FATCA or the “Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act”, Section 6038D of the Internal Revenue Code requires...

Employment Tax Filings for Nonprofits: How to Ensure Compliance with IRS Rules

Written on July 25, 2017. Posted in Not For Profit.

By Linda Curro Nonprofit organizations frequently form organically, in response to a need in the community. The people who establish and run them are usually concerned citizens and activists, passionate about the cause, but often less knowledgeable about the operational and financial aspects of running a nonprofit organization. However, it is critical for nonprofit leaders to understand business and finance, particularly when it comes to employment tax compliance. Failure to properly...

Launching A Business: What to Consider When Beginning Your Startup

Written on June 13, 2017. Posted in Early Stage.

By Wiss Associate The first step toward launching your own business is having an idea. But even if you have an idea for a business, you may have no idea about the legal and tax obligations that await you should you put that idea into practice. Here are several things to keep in mind before getting your startup off the ground. Separate yourself from the business Running your business through your personal bank account might seem easy and convenient, but unless you keep your business...

Meals and Entertainment: How to Classify Business Expenses for Tax Purposes

Written on February 28, 2017. Posted in Tax.

By Louann Cassano Whether it’s drinks with a client or dinner during a work trip, meals and entertainment are generally tax-deductible business expenses. However, the size of the allowable write-off depends on the circumstances of the expenditure, including the purpose of the meal or entertainment, who the recipient is and where the expense takes place. If you don’t understand the IRS rules that govern these deductions, you may be tempted to lump all meals and entertainment into...

10K Plus in Your Foreign Account? File an FBAR to Avoid a Tax Penalty

Written on February 1, 2017. Posted in Tax.

If you maintain a foreign financial account, which could be a bank account, a mutual fund, a brokerage account, or any other sort of account, that contains a collective value of $10,000, you may be requested by the Bank Secrecy Act to report your account annually to the Department of Treasury through electronic filing. The Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts, FBAR, is a form that must be recorded directly with the office of Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN. Those...

If You’re Self-Employed, You May Qualify for Insurance Deductions

Written on January 27, 2017. Posted in Tax.

By Wiss Associate For myriad professionals, becoming an entrepreneur can be a dream come true. Fortunately, health insurance deductions can make maintaining that dream much easier. The Self-Employed Health Insurance Tax Deduction within the Affordable Care Act can assist in lowering your adjust gross income by your payment quantity in premiums on dental, medical, and qualified long-term care insurance for you and your loved ones. For self-employers unable to access a partner’s insurance...

No Health Coverage? Be Prepared to Pay a Hefty Price

Written on January 25, 2017. Posted in Tax.

As of now, Obamacare’s individual mandate requests that you purchase health insurance. If you can afford the coverage and refuse to acquire it, a big fee could be headed your way. For the tax year of 2016, the Individual Shared Responsibility fine skyrocketed to 2.5 percent of an individual’s complete household adjusted gross income. However, for the new year and beyond, the amount will stay at 2.5 but the flat fee will be regulated for inflation. For each month you do not have coverage,...

Tax Benefits of Charitable Giving

Written on January 20, 2017. Posted in Tax.

By Wiss Associate As the new year is set in motion and you tuck away holiday presents, you may have stumbled upon items that you rarely ever use. Instead of finding additional space for these objects, it can prove to be more beneficial—and profitable—to donate them! If you break down your deductions, a contribution to an eligible philanthropic group can award you a charitable contribution deduction against your income tax. Normally, you can subtract up to half of your adjusted gross...

No Phishing! Watch Out for Fake IRS Calls

Written on January 18, 2017. Posted in Tax.

Have you received a vague phone call from a person claiming to be the IRS, demanding that you cough up money to pay taxes without providing any tangible information? These callers can be relentless and may have ordinary names, persuasive IRS badge numbers, and transform your caller ID to display the words “IRS” across it, as if the actual organization is calling you. Before you panic, this is a scam called phishing, where frauds posing as the IRS make unsolicited communication to...

What Type of 401(k) Plan Document Do I Have and When Do I Need to Update it?

Written on December 20, 2016. Posted in Employee Benefit Plan Audits.

By Craig Erickson When you establish your company’s 401(k) plan, you have to make a range of decisions, from the type of plan and investment tools you’ll offer to participation requirements and guidelines. Once you’ve done this, you need to put it in writing. This is your plan document, a mandatory part of your plan that details its provisions and clearly communicates them to participants. There are three levels of plan documents: Prototype. This off-the-shelf version of a plan...

Preparing for Change: New Rules to Impact NJ Renewal Registration for Nonprofits

Written on December 6, 2016. Posted in Not For Profit.

By Linda Curro Effective Jan. 1, 2017, New Jersey will require that all charity registrations and annual renewals be submitted digitally, using a new online filing system. In many ways, this is good news: A process that once required up to 75 pages of documents to be sent via snail mail will now go paperless, saving tons of waste. The new system also promises to streamline renewal reviews, enabling the state to more efficiently verify that the forms are completed and accurate. And...

How IRS Revenue Protocol 2016-37 Will Impact Retirement Plans

Written on October 18, 2016. Posted in Employee Benefit Plan Audits.

By Cindy Sandomenico Approved in June 2016, IRS Revenue Protocol 2016-37 alters the way individually designed retirement plans must file amendments and submit determination letters to the IRS. This will be effective Jan. 1, 2017. Previously, retirement plans were subject to a five-year cycle involving remedial and formal adoption of amendments, and submission of determination letters every five years, regardless of whether the plan was amended. This process was time-consuming for...

How Proposed Changes to Form 5500 Could Impact Your Filing Requirements

Written on September 27, 2016. Posted in Employee Benefit Plan Audits.

By Wiss Associate If your company has an employee benefit plan, you should be familiar with IRS Form 5500, the form you use to report activity regarding your retirement and welfare plans. On July 11, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) proposed revisions to Form 5500 and the related schedules in an effort to promote more thorough monitoring of plans by employers, fiduciairies, participants and, of course, the DOL. Here are some of the changes and how they could significantly...

IRS Phone Frauds Echo into the New Year

Written on February 11, 2016. Posted in Tax Alerts.

Magnifying the communication scam nightmare As tax season prepares for launch, countless Americans are at climbing risk for falling victim to unsolicited telephone calls, texts, and emails from individuals falsely claiming to be Internal Revenue Service and Treasury workers. Though phone scams have progressively been ceaseless year-round, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) is careful to stress this particular year as prey to the greatest attack ever beheld. Each...

Employees or Independent Contractors? Here’s How to Differentiate

Written on June 2, 2015. Posted in Outsourced Accounting & Tax.

By Donna Woronka You think you’ve hired an independent contractor, but the IRS or State Department of Labor may see that you’ve hired an employee. If there’s any uncertainty, chances are good that you’ll lose that argument, and at a high cost in back payroll taxes and penalties. That’s why it’s critical that you understand the differences between the two legal classifications and that you keep your independent contractors independent. Here are some questions to help you determine ...

Removing the Veil

Written on February 17, 2015. Posted in International Tax Services.

How FATCA will affect your foreign financial dealings By Mary Vasilescu If you have offshore financial interests or make payments to foreign entities, you need to know about the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, which removes the veil from foreign banks and other entities that enable U.S. citizens to evade taxes on assets accumulated in other countries. Foreign entities are required to satisfy payment documentation and reporting requirements. Lacking the cooperation of those entities,...

Protecting Your Personal Information During Tax Season

Written on January 15, 2015. Posted in Tax Alerts.

Protecting Your Personal Information During Tax Season By Wiss Associate As accountants, we understand that your identity is just as important as your financial well-being. With tax season just around the corner, scammers will use this opportunity to get access to personal information. Some common strategies include receiving calls from: A self-proclaimed “Governmental Agency” U.S. Treasury or IRS Sweepstake entry representative We’ve all heard stories of someone who have fallen...

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