Category: Taxation-Corporate

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provides roughly $2 trillion of much-needed financial relief, including tax relief, to individuals and businesses. This relief is in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. One CARES Act provision temporarily relaxes the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) limitation on deductions for business interest expense. Here’s the story. TCJA Limitation on Business Interest Expense Deductions Before the TCJA, some corporations were subject to the so-called “earnings stripping” rules. Those rules attempted… Read more ›

The LIFO (last-in, first-out) accounting method for inventory valuation is one of the few business tax deferrals permitted by the IRS. Intended to benefit businesses through times of economic inflation, LIFO allows companies to include the effect of inflation in their cost of goods sold, thus lowering their taxable income. Many, but not all, auto dealerships use LIFO as a tax deferral strategy, not a permanent tax deduction. Dealers should invest their annual LIFO tax deferral each year to have… Read more ›

On August 28, the IRS issued guidance that provides some explanation of how employers can defer withholding and remitting an employee’s share of Social Security tax when wages are below a certain amount. The guidance in Notice 2020-65 was issued to implement President Trump’s executive action signed in early August. The guidance is brief, and private employers still have questions about whether, and how, to implement the deferral. The President’s action only defers Social Security taxes; it doesn’t forgive them,… Read more ›

On August 8, 2020, President Trump signed an executive memorandum that defers an employee’s portion of Social Security and Medicare taxes from September 1 through December 31, 2020. At this point, the taxes are just deferred, meaning they’ll still have to be paid at a later date. However, the action directs U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to “explore avenues, including legislation, to eliminate the obligation to pay the taxes.” The exact impact on employers and employees isn’t yet known. There… Read more ›

During these financially challenging times, many not-for-profit organizations have had to get creative to raise adequate revenue to sustain operations. But new activities, however well-intentioned, can lead to tax trouble. Your nonprofit risks exposure to the unrelated business income tax (UBIT) if it operates outside its usual charitable scope. Here’s how to avoid unwanted tax exposure. Regular and Unrelated For tax-exempt organizations, unrelated business income generally is defined as the profits generated by regular trade or business activities that aren’t… 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 Senate has approved $320 billion in additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program, the Small Business Administration’s business relief program that passed as part of the CARES Act on March 27, 2020. The PPP originally received $349 billion in funding to support businesses hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding quickly ran out however, as a surge in applications for relief and skyrocketing unemployment numbers reflected the significant need. The House of Representatives is expected to pass the legislation on… Read more ›

Thanks to CBM Supervisor Tom Hudson for developing the following article. On April 14, the Small Business Administration (SBA) released additional guidance that provided more information about the implementation of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for self-employed taxpayers. Previously, it was not explicitly stated that taxpayers who file a Schedule C were included in the program although many interpretations of the SBA’s language indicated that they were eligible. The SBA did confirm through the most recent guidance that a taxpayer… Read more ›

The IRS and the U.S. Department of Treasury have announced new relief for federal taxpayers affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The IRS had already extended certain deadlines to file and pay federal income taxes and estimated tax payments due April 15, 2020, without incurring late filing penalties, late payment penalties or interest. The additional relief, outlined in Notice 2020-23, applies to a wider variety of tax filers. The IRS also has announced new tools for taxpayers expecting Economic Impact… Read more ›

Last Thursday, the IRS announced in Notice 2020-23, Update to Notice 2020-18, Additional Relief for Taxpayers Affected by Ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic, that the filing and payment deadlines for Form 990-series returns originally due between April 1, 2020 and July 15, 2020 will now be due on July 15, 2020. This deadline extension applies to both original and extended filing deadlines. The returns impacted by this extension include: Form 990 Form 990-EZ Form 990-PF Form 990-T Form 990-W Any not-for-profit… Read more ›