Linkenheimer LLP CPAs & Advisors

The IRS is Targeting Business Transactions in Bitcoin and Other Virtual Currencies

Bitcoin and other forms of virtual currency are gaining popularity. But many businesses, consumers, employees and investors are still confused about how they work and how to report transactions on their federal tax returns. And the IRS just announced that it is targeting virtual currency users in a new “educational letter” campaign.

The nuts and bolts

Unlike cash or credit cards, small businesses generally don’t accept bitcoin payments for routine transactions. However, a growing number of larger retailers — and online businesses — now accept payments. Businesses can also pay employees or independent contractors with virtual currency. The trend is expected to continue, so more small businesses may soon get on board.

Bitcoin has an equivalent value in real currency. It can be digitally traded between users. You can also purchase and exchange bitcoin with real currencies (such as U.S. dollars). The most common ways to obtain bitcoin are through virtual currency ATMs […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|August 13th, 2019|business, irs, w2|0 Comments

Take a Closer Look at Home Office Deductions

Working from home has its perks. Not only can you skip the commute, but you also might be eligible to deduct home office expenses on your tax return. Deductions for these expenses can save you a bundle, if you meet the tax law qualifications.

Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, employees can no longer claim the home office deduction. If, however, you run a business from your home or are otherwise self-employed and use part of your home for business purposes, the home office deduction may still be available to you.

If you’re a homeowner and use part of your home for business purposes, you may be entitled to deduct a portion of actual expenses such as mortgage, property taxes, utilities, repairs and insurance, as well as depreciation. Or you might be able to claim the simplified home office deduction of $5 per square foot, up to 300 square feet ($1,500).

Requirements to qualify

To qualify for home office deductions, part of your home must be used “regularly and exclusively” as your principal place of business. This is defined as follows:

Regular use. You use a specific area of your […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|August 6th, 2019|business, deduction, deductions, New Tax Laws|0 Comments

New Application Period for a Valuable California Business Tax Credit

Coming up soon is a new application period for a valuable California business tax credit. The CA Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development has announced that, for fiscal year 2019-2020, a total of $236,808,527 in CA Competes Tax Credits is available. Learn more about applying here: https://bit.ly/2nxiNGc. Applications will be accepted during the following periods: July 29 through August 19, 2019 ($90 million total); January 6 through January 27, 2020 ($75 million total); and March 9 through March 30, 2020 ($71.8 million, plus unallocated amounts from previous periods). This credit is an income or franchise tax credit available to businesses that come, stay or expand in CA. If you have questions or are interested in applying, please contact your Linkenheimer CPA.

By Linkenheimer LLP|July 22nd, 2019|business, tax credit|0 Comments

Businesses Can Utilize the Same Information IRS Auditors Use to Examine Tax Returns

The IRS uses Audit Techniques Guides (ATGs) to help IRS examiners get ready for audits. 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 or businesses, such as construction, aerospace, art galleries, child care providers and veterinary medicine. Others address issues that frequently arise in audits, such as executive compensation, passive activity losses and capitalization of tangible property.

How they’re used

IRS auditors need to examine all 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 may not be in compliance.

By using a specific ATG, an auditor may be able to reconcile discrepancies when reported income or expenses aren’t consistent with what’s normal for the industry or to identify anomalies within the geographic area in which the business is located.

For example, one ATG focuses specifically on businesses […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|July 22nd, 2019|audit, business, irs, tax|0 Comments

Summer: A Good Time to Review Your Investments

You may have heard about a proposal in Washington to cut the taxes paid on investments by indexing capital gains to inflation. Under the proposal, the purchase price of assets would be adjusted so that no tax is paid on the appreciation due to inflation.

While the fate of such a proposal is unknown, the long-term capital gains tax rate is still historically low on appreciated securities that have been held for more than 12 months. And since we’re already in the second half of the year, it’s a good time to review your portfolio for possible tax-saving strategies.

The federal income tax rate on long-term capital gains recognized in 2019 is 15% for most taxpayers. However, the maximum rate of 20% plus the 3.8% net investment income tax (NIIT) can apply at higher income levels. For 2019, the 20% rate applies to single taxpayers with taxable income exceeding $425,800 ($479,000 for joint filers or $452,400 for heads of households).

By Linkenheimer LLP|July 17th, 2019|business, investment, retirement|0 Comments

The Minimum Wage is to Rise in Sonoma, California

The minimum wage is to rise in Sonoma, California. The city of Sonoma will gradually increase the hourly minimum wage for both small and large employers. Here’s the schedule of hourly rates for employers with up to 25 workers: $12.50 on Jan. 1, 2020; $14.00 on Jan. 1, 2021; $15.00 on Jan. 1, 2022; and $16.00 on Jan. 1, 2023. For larger employers, the schedule of hourly rates is as follows: $13.50 on Jan. 1, 2020; $15.00 on Jan. 1, 2021; $16.00 on Jan. 1, 2022; and $17.00 in 2023. Beginning Jan. 1, 2024, the minimum wage rate for all employees will increase by 3.5%, or a percentage set by a separate Council of the City of Sonoma resolution (whichever is less). Contact your Linkenheimer CPA with your questions.

By Linkenheimer LLP|July 15th, 2019|business, employer|0 Comments

Bartering: A Taxable Transaction Even if Your Business Exchanges No Cash

Small businesses may find it beneficial to barter for goods and services instead of paying cash for them. If your business engages in bartering, be aware that the fair market value of goods that you receive in bartering is taxable income. And if you exchange services with another business, the transaction results in taxable income for both parties.

Income is also realized if services are exchanged for property. For example, if a construction firm does work for a retail business in exchange for unsold inventory, it will have income equal to the fair market value of the inventory.

Barter clubs

Many business owners join barter clubs that facilitate barter exchanges. In general, these clubs use a system of “credit units” that are awarded to members who provide goods and services. The credits can be redeemed for goods and services from other members.

Bartering is generally taxable in the year it occurs. But if […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|July 2nd, 2019|1099, business, tax implications, tax planning, taxable income|0 Comments

Grading the Performance of Your Company’s Retirement Plan

Imagine giving your company’s retirement plan a report card. Would it earn straight A’s in preparing your participants for their golden years? Or is it more of a C student who could really use some extra help after school? Bench-marking can tell you.

Mind the basics

More than likely, you already use certain criteria to benchmark your plan’s performance using traditional measures such as:

Fund investment performance relative to a peer group,
Breadth of fund options,
Bench-marked fees, and
Participation rates and average deferral rates (including matching contributions).

These measures are all critical, but they’re only the beginning of the story. Add to that list helpful administrative features and functionality — including auto-enrollment and auto-escalation provisions, investment education, retirement planning, and forecasting tools. In general, the more, the better.

Don’t overlook useful data

A sometimes-overlooked plan metric is average account balance size. This matters for two reasons. First, it provides a first-pass look at whether participants are accumulating meaningful sums in their accounts. Naturally, you’ll need to look at that number in light of the age of your workforce and how long your plan has been in existence. Second, it affects record-keeping fees — higher […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|June 28th, 2019|business, retirement|0 Comments

Which Entity is Most Suitable for Your New or Existing Business?

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) has changed the landscape for business taxpayers. That’s because the law introduced a flat 21% federal income tax rate for C corporations. Under prior law, profitable C corporations paid up to 35%.

The TCJA also cut individual income tax rates, which apply to sole proprietorships and pass-through entities, including partnerships, S corporations, and LLCs (treated as partnerships for tax purposes). However, the top rate dropped from 39.6% to only 37%.

These changes have caused many business owners to ask: What’s the optimal entity choice for me?

Entity tax basics

Before the TCJA, conventional wisdom was that most small businesses should be set up as sole proprietorships or pass-through entities to avoid the double taxation of C corporations. A C corporation pays entity-level income tax and then shareholders pay tax on dividends — and on capital gains when they sell the stock. For pass-through entities, there’s no federal income tax at the entity level.

Although C corporations are still potentially subject to double taxation, their current 21% tax rate helps make up for it. This issue is further complicated, however, by another tax provision that allows noncorporate owners of pass-through […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|June 28th, 2019|business, New Tax Laws, tax planning|0 Comments

Put a Number on Your Midyear Performance with the Right KPIs

We’ve reached the middle of the calendar year. So how are things going for your business? Conversationally you might say, “Pretty good.” But, analytically, can you put a number on how well you’re doing — or several numbers for that matter? You can if you choose and calculate the right key performance indicators (KPIs).

4 common indicators

There are a wide variety of KPIs to choose from. Here are four that can give you a solid snapshot of your midyear position:

1. Gross profit. This figure will tell you how much money you made after your manufacturing and selling costs were paid. It’s calculated by subtracting the cost of goods sold from your total revenue.

2. Current ratio. This ratio will help you gauge the strength of your cash flow. It’s calculated by dividing your […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|June 24th, 2019|business|0 Comments

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