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For California Storm Victims, IRS and California FTB Postpones Tax-Filing and Tax-Payment Deadline to November 16th.

IRS offers tax relief

This morning, the IRS extended tax deadlines for most California residents to Nov. 16, 2023, due to recent natural disasters. This relief covers multiple 2022 tax returns, payments, and other time-sensitive actions, and it automatically applies to taxpayers in the affected counties without the need for contacting the IRS. The California Franchise Tax Board today confirmed that most Californians have until November 16, 2023, to file and pay their tax year 2022 taxes to avoid penalties. More information here on CA FTB updates.

Most individuals and businesses in California will now have until Nov. 16 to file their 2022 returns and pay any tax due. Fifty-five of California’s 58 counties—all except Lassen, Modoc and Shasta counties—qualify. IRS relief is based on three different FEMA disaster declarations covering severe winter storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides over a period of several months.

The IRS normally provides relief, including postponing various tax filing and payment deadlines, for any area designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). As long as their address of record is in a disaster-area locality, individual and business taxpayers automatically get the extra […]

By |2023-10-18T20:25:07+00:00October 16th, 2023|irs, tax deadlines|0 Comments

How IRS Auditors Learn About Your Business Industry

Ever wonder how IRS examiners know about different industries so they can audit various businesses? They generally do research about specific industries and issues on tax returns by using IRS Audit Techniques Guides (ATGs). A little-known fact is that these guides are available to the public on the IRS website. In other words, your business can use the same guides to gain insight into what the IRS is looking for in terms of compliance with tax laws and regulations.

Many ATGs target specific industries, such as construction, aerospace, art galleries, architecture and veterinary medicine. Other guides address issues that frequently arise in audits, such as executive compensation, passive activity losses and capitalization of tangible property.

Issues unique to certain taxpayers

IRS auditors need to examine all different types of businesses, as well as individual taxpayers and tax-exempt organizations. Each type of return might have unique industry issues, business practices and terminology. Before meeting with taxpayers and their advisors, auditors do their homework to understand various industries or issues, the accounting methods commonly used, how income is received, and areas where taxpayers might not be in compliance.

By using a specific ATG, an IRS auditor may be […]

By |2023-10-11T18:36:38+00:00October 11th, 2023|audit, irs|0 Comments

That Email or Text from the IRS: It’s a Scam!

“Thousands of people have lost millions of dollars and their personal information to tax scams,” according to the IRS. The scams may come in through email, text messages, telephone calls or regular mail. Criminals regularly target both individuals and businesses and often prey on the elderly.

Important: The IRS will never contact you by email, text or social media channels about a tax bill or refund. Most IRS contacts are first made through regular mail. So if you get a text message saying it’s the IRS and asking for your Social Security number, it’s someone trying to steal your identity and rob you. Remember that the IRS already has your Social Security number.

“Scammers are coming up with new ways all the time to try to steal information from taxpayers,” said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel. “People should be wary and avoid sharing sensitive personal data over the phone, email or social media to avoid getting caught up […]

By |2023-07-05T19:17:36+00:00July 5th, 2023|fraud, irs, News|0 Comments

The IRS Clarifies What Counts as Qualified Medical Expenses

If you itemize deductions on your tax return, you may wonder: What medical expenses can I include? The IRS recently issued some frequently asked questions addressing when certain costs are qualified medical expenses for federal income tax purposes.

Basic rules and IRS clarifications

You can claim an itemized deduction for qualified medical expenses that exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income. You can also take tax-free health savings account (HSA), health care flexible spending account (FSA) or health reimbursement account (HRA) withdrawals to cover qualified medical expenses. However, qualified medical expenses don’t include those for things that are merely beneficial to your general health.

The answers to the IRS FAQs clarify the following points, starting with the ones we think are most interesting.

  • As a general rule, the costs of over-the-counter (non-prescription) drugs don’t count as qualified medical expenses. However, the cost of insulin is eligible. Over-the-counter drugs and menstrual care products can be reimbursed tax-free by an HSA, medical expense FSA, or HRA, but the costs don’t count as qualified medical expenses for medical expense deduction purposes.
  • If you pay for nutritional counseling, the cost is a qualified medical expense only if it treats […]
By |2023-05-02T16:26:48+00:00May 2nd, 2023|irs, medical expense|0 Comments

Changes in Sec. 174 Make it a Good Time to Review the R&E Strategy of Your Business

It’s been years since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 was signed into law, but it’s still having an impact. Several provisions in the law have expired or will expire in the next few years. One provision that took effect last year was the end of current deductibility for research and experimental (R&E) expenses.

R&E expenses

The TCJA has affected many businesses, including manufacturers, that have significant R&E costs. Starting in 2022, Internal Revenue Code Section 174 R&E expenditures must be capitalized and amortized over five years (15 years for research conducted outside the United States). Previously, businesses had the option of deducting these costs immediately as current expenses.

The TCJA also expanded the types of activities that are considered R&E for purposes of IRC Sec. 174. For example, software development costs are now considered R&E expenses subject to the amortization requirement.

Potential strategies

Businesses should consider the following strategies for minimizing the impact of these changes:

  • Analyze costs carefully to identify those that constitute R&E expenses and those that are properly characterized as other types of expenses (such as general business expenses under IRC Sec. 162) that continue to qualify for immediate deduction.
  • […]

By |2023-03-13T19:00:07+00:00March 13th, 2023|irs, research credit, tcja|0 Comments
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