Category: Coronavirus / COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many small businesses to reduce their operations, furlough workers and even shut down for a period. But this doesn’t mean employers can allow payroll recordkeeping obligations to lapse. Your business is still responsible for creating and maintaining records for possible inspection by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Department of Labor (DOL). Documents to Keep In general, payroll records refer to the documentation of employee time worked and wages paid for each payroll… Read more ›

Economic fallout from the COVID-19 crisis may cause some cash-strapped individuals to default on loans they’ve taken out from company qualified retirement plans, including 401(k) and profit-sharing plans. Defaulting on a plan loan will cause adverse tax and retirement-saving consequences. Further details on how the COVID-19 pandemic has effected it are below. Retirement Plan Basics A participant in an employer-sponsored qualified retirement plan can borrow money from the plan if it allows loans. Under the normal rules, the loan amount… Read more ›

On July 23, Richard Morris, Director of Tax Services co-authored an article for Harness Wealth on the topic of tax planning during a time of stock market volatility. Among the topics covered are what to avoid with regards to investments and how to handle Roth IRAs. Click here to read the full article. Councilor, Buchanan & Mitchell (CBM) is a professional services firm delivering tax, accounting and business advisory expertise throughout the Mid-Atlantic region from offices in Bethesda, MD and Washington, DC.   

In an effort to alleviate stress for private companies during the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has voted to delay the effective dates of the revenue recognition and lease accounting standards. FASB board members are expected to vote in favor of an Accounting Standards Update (ASU) reflecting this change on a final, written ballot. Nonpublic entities who have yet to issue financial statements will have a one-year extension for revenue recognition. The effective… Read more ›

Economic fallout from the COVID-19 crisis will cause many rental real estate properties to run up tax losses in 2020 — and possibly beyond. Here’s a summary of important federal income tax rules for such losses. What You Can Write Off Rental property owners can deduct mortgage interest and real estate taxes. They can also write off all standard operating expenses that go along with owning rental property. Examples include: Utilities, Insurance, Repairs and maintenance, and Care and maintenance of… Read more ›

The CARES Act was enacted in an attempt to mitigate the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other things, it extends favorable tax treatment to qualified individuals who take so-called “coronavirus-related distributions” (CRDs) from IRAs, 401(k) plans and certain other retirement plans. RMD Relief Specifically, the CARES Act waives the 10% early distribution penalty for CRDs taken between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020. Under the law, the waiver applies to CRDs made to an individual: • Who’s… Read more ›

In response to increasing public pressure, the Small Business Administration announced on June 19 that it would release the names of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan recipients awarded at least $150,000 in funds. No timeline for the disclosure has been announced, but the SBA said it would “disclose the business names, addresses, NAICS codes, zip codes, business type, demographic data, not-for-profit information, jobs supported, and loan amount ranges as follows:” $150,000-$350,000 $350,000-$1 million $1-2 million $2-5 million $5-10 million Participants… Read more ›

Since passage of the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020 on June 5, 2020, the Small Business Administration has continued to bring current and prospective borrowers up to speed through a series of interim rules for the program, as well as the release of a revised loan forgiveness application, a revised loan borrower application, and a new EZ form of the loan forgiveness application. Updated PPP Loan Forgiveness Application (and a new EZ Version) On June 17, the Small… Read more ›

The U.S. Senate has passed the bipartisan Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020, which loosens several of the Paycheck Protection Program’s (PPP’s) more onerous restrictions regarding loan forgiveness. President Trump has signed the bill into law. The new law follows the May 22, 2020, release of an interim final rule from the U.S. Department of Treasury and the Small Business Administration (SBA) on PPP loan forgiveness requirements. Among other areas, that guidance addresses the calculation of full-time employees and… Read more ›

Last week, the Small Business Administration clarified which businesses can expect to be audited once they certify in good faith that they received Paycheck Protection Program loans based on economic need. The SBA also delivered requirements for Maryland employers whose furloughed workers refuse to accept a recall to work. Read more below. Good Faith Certification and the Safe Harbor Deadline Extension The goal of the Paycheck Protection Program since it was established in late March under the CARES Act has… Read more ›