Beels Soper LLP

Federal tax deductions for business meals and entertainment have been changed for 2021-2022. Here's a simple table that shows what you can deduct:

Do you have significant investment-related expenses, including subscription costs and home office expenses? Under current tax law, these expenses aren’t deductible through 2025 if they’re considered investment expenses for the production of income. But they’re deductible if they’re considered trade or business expenses. The U.S. Tax Court has developed a 2-part test that must be satisfied in order to be a trader. Under the test, investment activities are considered a trade or business only if: 1) the taxpayer’s trading is substantial, and 2) the taxpayer seeks to profit from short-term market swings, rather than from long-term holding of investments. Contact us if you have questions.

Eligible parents will soon receive payments from the federal government by direct deposit, paper check or debit card. The IRS announced that the 2021 advance child tax credit (CTC) payments, which were created in the American Rescue Plan Act, will begin July 15, 2021, and run through Dec. 15, 2021. Payments will get up to $300 monthly for each child under 6, and up to $250 monthly for each child 6 and older. The increased credit amount will be reduced or phased out for households with modified adjusted gross income above: $150,000 for married taxpayers filing jointly and qualifying widows and widowers; $112,500 for heads of household; and $75,000 for other taxpayers. Questions? Contact us.

The IRS just released its audit statistics for the 2020 fiscal year and fewer taxpayers had their returns examined as compared with prior years. But even though a small percentage of returns are being chosen for audit these days, that will be little consolation if yours is one of them. Latest statistics Overall, just 0.5% of individual tax returns were audited in 2020. However, as in the past, those with higher incomes were audited at higher rates. For example, in 2020, 2.2% ...Continue reading

The IRS has released the inflation-adjusted amounts for Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) next year. For calendar year 2022, the annual contribution limitation for an individual with self-only coverage under a HDHP will be $3,650. For an individual with family coverage, the amount will be $7,300. This is up from $3,600 and $7,200, respectively, for 2021. For calendar year 2022, an HDHP will be a health plan with an annual deductible that isn’t less than $1,400 for self-only coverage or $2,800 for family coverage. And annual out-of-pocket expenses (deductibles, co-payments, and other amounts, but not premiums) won’t be able to exceed $7,050 for self-only coverage or $14,100 for family coverage. Contact us if you’d like to discuss this in more detail. https://bit.ly/2M7ss2y

Although planning is needed to help build the biggest possible nest egg in your traditional IRA (including a SEP-IRA and SIMPLE-IRA), it’s even more critical that you plan for withdrawals from these tax-deferred retirement vehicles. There are three areas where knowing the fine points of the IRA distribution rules can make a big difference in how much you and your family will keep after taxes: Early distributions. What if you need to take money out of a traditional IRA before ...age 59? For example, you may need money to pay your child’s education expenses, make a down payment on a new home or meet necessary living expenses if you retire early. In these cases, any distribution to you will be fully taxable (unless nondeductible contributions were made, in which case part of each payout will be tax-free). In addition, distributions before age 59 may also be subject to a 10% penalty tax. However, there are several ways that the penalty tax (but not the regular income tax) can be avoided, including a method that’s tailor-made for individuals who retire early and need to draw cash from their traditional IRAs to supplement other income. Naming beneficiaries. The decision concerning who you want to designate as the beneficiary of your traditional IRA is critically important. This decision affects the minimum amounts you must generally withdraw from the IRA when you reach age 72, who will get what remains in the account at your death, and how that IRA balance can be paid out. What’s more, a periodic review of the individual(s) you’ve named as IRA beneficiaries is vital. This helps assure that your overall estate planning objectives will be achieved in light of changes in the performance of your IRAs, as well as in your personal, financial and family situation. Required minimum distributions (RMDs). Once you attain age 72, distributions from your traditional IRAs must begin. If you don’t withdraw the minimum amount each year, you may have to pay a 50% penalty tax on what should have been paid out but wasn’t. However, for 2020, the CARES Act suspended the RMD rules including those for inherited accounts so you don’t have to take distributions this year if you don’t want to. Beginning in 2021, the RMD rules will kick back in unless Congress takes further action. In planning for required distributions, your income needs must be weighed against the desirable goal of keeping the tax shelter of the IRA going for as long as possible for both yourself and your beneficiaries. Traditional versus Roth It may seem easier to put money into a traditional IRA than to take it out. This is one area where guidance is essential, and we can assist you and your family. Contact us to conduct a review of your traditional IRAs and to analyze other aspects of your retirement planning. We can also discuss whether you can benefit from a Roth IRA, which operate under a different set of rules than traditional IRAs. 2020 See more

When it comes to taxes, December 31 is more than just New Year’s Eve. That date will affect the filing status box that will be checked on your 2020 tax return. When filing a return, you do so with one of five tax filing statuses. In part, they depend on whether you’re married or unmarried on December 31. More than one filing status may apply, and you can use the one that saves the most tax. It’s also possible that your status could change during the year. Here are the filing ...Continue reading

If you’re self-employed and don’t have withholding from paychecks, you probably have to make estimated tax payments. These payments must be sent to the IRS on a quarterly basis. The fourth 2020 estimated tax payment deadline for individuals is Friday, January 15, 2021. Even if you do have some withholding from paychecks or payments you receive, you may still have to make estimated payments if you receive other types of income such as Social Security, prizes, rent, interest, a...nd dividends. Pay-as-you-go system You must make sufficient federal income tax payments long before the April filing deadline through withholding, estimated tax payments, or a combination of the two. If you fail to make the required payments, you may be subject to an underpayment penalty, as well as interest. In general, you must make estimated tax payments for 2020 if both of these statements apply: You expect to owe at least $1,000 in tax after subtracting tax withholding and credits, and You expect withholding and credits to be less than the smaller of 90% of your tax for 2020 or 100% of the tax on your 2019 return 110% if your 2019 adjusted gross income was more than $150,000 ($75,000 for married couples filing separately). If you’re a sole proprietor, partner or S corporation shareholder, you generally have to make estimated tax payments if you expect to owe $1,000 or more in tax when you file your return. Quarterly due dates Estimated tax payments are spread out through the year. The due dates are April 15, June 15, September 15 and January 15 of the following year. However, if the date falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline is the next business day. Estimated tax is calculated by factoring in expected gross income, taxable income, deductions and credits for the year. The easiest way to pay estimated tax is electronically through the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System. You can also pay estimated tax by check or money order using the Estimated Tax Payment Voucher or by credit or debit card. Seasonal businesses Most individuals make estimated tax payments in four installments. In other words, you can determine the required annual payment, divide the number by four and make four equal payments by the due dates. But you may be able to make smaller payments under an annualized income method. This can be useful to people whose income isn’t uniform over the year, perhaps because of a seasonal business. You may also want to use the annualized income method if a large portion of your income comes from capital gains on the sale of securities that you sell at various times during the year. Determining the correct amount Contact us if you think you may be eligible to determine your estimated tax payments under the annualized income method, or you have any other questions about how the estimated tax rules apply to you. 2020 See more

The SBA released guidance last night on the second round of PPP loans. Read our guidance on our blog post at https://www.beels-soper.com//second-draw-ppp-loans-guidance

Learn how provisions of the new Consolidated Appropriations Act can benefit you and your loved ones. See our latest Blog post for details: www.beels-soper.com//the-consolidated-appropriations-act-b