Be Aware of the Tax Rules Surrounding Your NQDC Plan
Nonqualified deferred compensation (NQDC) plans pay executives at some time in the future for services to be currently performed. They differ from qualified plans, such as 401(k)s, in that: NQDC [...]
Beware of income-based limits on itemized deductions and personal exemptions
Paper umbrella over a Tax Deduction message Many tax breaks are reduced or eliminated for higher-income taxpayers. Two of particular note are the itemized deduction reduction and the [...]
What the self-employed need to know about employment taxes
In addition to income tax, you must pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on earned income, such as salary and self-employment income. The 12.4% Social Security tax applies only up [...]
Are you timing business income and expenses to your tax advantage?
Typically, it’s better to defer tax. One way is through controlling when your business recognizes income and incurs deductible expenses. Here are two timing strategies that can help businesses do [...]
Tax-smart options for your old retirement plan when you change jobs
There’s a lot to think about when you change jobs, and it’s easy for a 401(k) or other employer-sponsored retirement plan to get lost in the shuffle. But to keep [...]
Thinking about Selling Your Business? Add Value Now!
Business succession and exit planning should ideally be done over a long period of time (unless illness or another emergency makes it necessary to address them in the short term). Your [...]
Understand the Benefits of an S Corporation
Whether you're setting up a new company or you've been in business for years, you need to evaluate which legal structure is best for your enterprise. No one option is [...]
How the IRS Proves Fraud and Why It Can Be Devastating
In general, a tax assessment by the IRS is presumed to be correct. A taxpayer can overcome the presumption with proof. That situation is reversed when the IRS asserts fraud. [...]
IRS Publishes Travel Per Diem Rates for Fiscal Year 2017
Tired of preparing all the documentation needed to support business travel expenses? If your business reimburses employees for actual travel expenses, employees are required to collect receipts as they travel, noting [...]
Update: Home Mortgage Interest Deductions
The federal income tax rules on qualified residence interest have been around for many years, but there's always a steady flow of disagreements between the IRS and taxpayers on these [...]
Get 2 tax benefits from 1 donation: Give appreciated stock instead of cash
If you’re charitably inclined, making donations is probably one of your key year-end tax planning strategies. But if you typically give cash, you may want to consider another option that [...]
Prepaid tuition vs. college savings: Which type of 529 plan is better?
Section 529 plans provide a tax-advantaged way to help pay for college expenses. Here are just a few of the benefits: Although contributions aren’t deductible for federal purposes, plan assets [...]
Are You Ready for the New Overtime Rules?
The deadline for the Department of Labor's (DOL's) new final overtime rule is December 1, 2016. While CFOs at most large U.S. companies have been working overtime themselves to prepare [...]
Documentation is the key to business expense deductions
If you have incomplete or missing records and get audited by the IRS, your business will likely lose out on valuable deductions. Here are two recent U.S. Tax Court [...]