Blog - Linkenheimer LLP CPAs & Advisors

Tax Relief for California Wildfire Victims Moves Closer to Reality

After years of frustrating delays, wildfire victims in California are on the brink of receiving long-awaited tax relief. The U.S. Senate has unanimously passed the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act, which exempts settlement payments for victims of utility-sparked wildfires from federal income taxes. The bill now heads to President Joe Biden, who is expected to sign it into law.

What the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act Does

The new legislation provides key benefits for wildfire survivors, including:

Tax Exemptions: Settlement payments from lawsuits related to utility-caused wildfires will no longer be treated as taxable income.
Casualty Loss Deductions: Affected individuals can deduct losses exceeding $500 without needing to itemize deductions.
Retroactive Relief: The law applies retroactively to payments issued as far back as December 2020.

If you or someone you know has been affected by California wildfires and received a settlement payment, we can help them understand how this new law may impact them. We will continue to monitor and update this story if the President signs it.

By Linkenheimer LLP|2024-12-06T04:27:21+00:00December 6th, 2024|disaster, fire, Fire Relief Info|0 Comments

IRS ERC Disallowance Notices: What You Need to Know

The IRS has announced a significant development regarding the Employee Retention Credit (ERC). If you or your business filed an ERC claim, you may receive a disallowance notice or a request for repayment. The IRS is issuing these notices automatically or based on a preliminary calculation that may not fully account for the complexities of the program’s rules. With 840,000 to 980,000 notices expected to be sent in the coming months, here’s what you need to know.

What’s Happening?

The IRS initially projected the ERC program to pay out $77 billion; however, over $230 billion has already been distributed. Additionally, 1.4 million claims remain pending. Of these, 60–70% are expected to receive additional scrutiny or notices.

Using time during the recent moratorium, the IRS digitized its ERC claims process and is now sending automated disallowance notices, including:

Notice 105C
Notice 106C
Notice 6577

Expect waves of 30,000 to 40,000 disallowance notices every 4–8 weeks, affecting both partial and full claims. These notices require swift action as response deadlines are often short—ranging from 15 days to a few weeks.

IRS Investigations and Audits

The IRS is also […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2024-12-06T04:27:53+00:00December 6th, 2024|irs|0 Comments

End-of-Year Tax Strategies: Gifting and Charitable Giving

As the year draws to a close, it’s the perfect time to review your financial and tax strategies. Whether you’re looking to benefit loved ones or support charitable causes, there are several ways to make tax-efficient financial decisions before December 31. This guide highlights two key strategies: annual exclusion gifts to reduce your taxable estate and qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) to maximize the tax benefits of your charitable contributions.

Annual Exclusion Gifts

As the end of the year approaches, many people start to think about their finances and tax strategies. One effective way to reduce potential estate taxes and show generosity to loved ones is by giving cash gifts before December 31. Under tax law, you can gift a certain amount each year without incurring gift taxes or requiring a gift tax return. Taking advantage of this rule can help you reduce the size of your taxable estate while benefiting your family and friends.

Taxpayers can transfer substantial amounts, free of gift taxes, to their children or other recipients each year through the proper use of the annual exclusion. The exclusion amount is adjusted for inflation annually, and in 2024 is $18,000. It covers […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2024-11-18T19:24:34+00:00November 18th, 2024|charity, contributions, gift tax, year-end|0 Comments

From Flights to Meals: A Guide to Business Travel Tax Deductions

As a business owner, you may travel to visit customers, attend conferences, check on vendors and for other purposes. Understanding which travel expenses are tax deductible can significantly affect your bottom line. Properly managing travel costs can help ensure compliance and maximize your tax savings.

Your tax home

Eligible taxpayers can deduct the ordinary and necessary expenses of business travel when away from their “tax homes.” Ordinary means common and accepted in the industry. Necessary means helpful and appropriate for the business. Expenses aren’t deductible if they’re for personal purposes, lavish or extravagant. That doesn’t mean you can’t fly first class or stay in luxury hotels. But you’ll need to show that expenses were reasonable.

Your tax home isn’t necessarily where you maintain your family home. Instead, it refers to the city or general area where your principal place of business is located. (Special rules apply to taxpayers with several places of business or no regular place of business.)

Generally, you’re considered to be traveling away from home if your duties require you to be away from your tax home for substantially longer than an ordinary day’s work and you need to get sleep or rest […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2024-11-15T18:22:47+00:00November 15th, 2024|business, deductions, expensing|0 Comments

Understanding Financial Statements: A Guide for Small Business Owners

For small business owners, gaining a solid understanding of financial statements—balance sheet, income statement, statement of changes in equity, and statement of cash flows—is crucial. Financial statements provide insights into the business’s financial health, cash position, and profitability, and are prepared using specific accounting methods that impact how information is recorded and reported.

The two primary accounting methods are accrual accounting and cash accounting:

Accrual Accounting: In this method, income and expenses are recorded when they are earned or incurred, regardless of when cash changes hands. This approach, required by Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), provides a more comprehensive picture of a company’s economic activities and financial obligations, though it can create timing differences between reported net income and cash flow.

Cash Accounting: This method records income and expenses only when cash is received or paid out. While cash accounting provides a straightforward view of cash on hand, it may not capture all assets, financial obligations and income as effectively. It is generally simpler and often […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2024-11-05T21:18:50+00:00November 5th, 2024|Advisor, financial statements|0 Comments