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What Tax Records Can You Throw Away?

October 15 was the deadline for individual taxpayers who extended their 2019 tax returns. (The original April 15 filing deadline was extended this year to July 15 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the October 15th deadline was also extended for some in California due to fires and federally declared emergencies.) If you’re finally done filing last year’s return, you might wonder: Which tax records can you toss once you’re done? Now is a good time to go through old tax records and see what you can discard.

The general rules

At minimum, you should keep tax records for as long as the IRS has the ability to audit your tax return or assess additional taxes, which generally is three years after you file your return. This means you potentially can get rid of most records related to tax returns for 2016 and earlier years.

However, the statute of limitations extends to six years for taxpayers who understate their adjusted gross income (AGI) by more than 25%. What constitutes an understatement may go beyond simply not reporting items of income. So a general rule of thumb is to save tax records for six years from […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-10-27T15:55:07+00:00October 27th, 2020|CA tax, california, filing deadline, individuals|0 Comments

California Tax Updates for 10/2

Post 1:

California expands its professional exemption. Effective Sept. 9, 2020, this exemption is expanded to include employees who provide instruction for a course or laboratory at colleges and universities in CA. To qualify, an individual must satisfy the duties test and salaries test. Employees must earn the monthly equivalent to no less than twice the state minimum wage in which the employee is employed for at least 40 hours per week, or a minimum salary in 2020 of $117 per classroom hour. In 2021, this hourly rate rises to $126 and in 2022 to $135. Beginning in 2023 the rate will be adjusted based on the state minimum wage. Contact your Linkenheimer CPA with questions.

Post 2:

The California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) is hoping to increase the number of Californians who receive the CA earned income tax credit. The FTB is required to analyze and develop a plan to increase the number of claims of the CA earned income tax credit, […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-10-02T17:27:26+00:00October 2nd, 2020|ca, CA tax, california, credit, ftb, income tax, state income|0 Comments

California Tax Updates for 9/24

Post 1:

Changes are being made in how California determines whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor. Under the CA Labor Code, effective 9/4/2020, a three-part test is required, commonly known as the ABC test, to determine the correct status of workers for purposes of following the Labor Code, the Unemployment Insurance Code and the wage orders of the Industrial Welfare Commission. The amended Labor Code also exempts certain specified occupations and business relationships from the application of the ABC test, in which case, a multifactor test previously adopted by the CA Supreme Court is applied.

Post 2:

California issues a guide that explains taxpayer options for disaster relief. The CA Dept. of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) has issued a three-page brochure, “Disaster Relief Tax Guide,” that provides information on the types of free assistance available from the CDTFA to taxpayers and feepayers when disaster strikes. Other taxing agencies that provide assistance include: the Franchise Tax Board, the Employment […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-24T21:23:31+00:00September 24th, 2020|business, ca, CA tax, california, disaster, tax planning|0 Comments

California Tax Updates for 9/15

Post 1:

Emergency tax relief is available for business owners and feepayers directly affected by declared disasters, through the California Dept. of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA). “Thank you to the President for your partnership and granting this urgent Major Disaster Declaration. California is battling two of the largest fires in our history and has seen nearly 600 new fires in the last week caused by dry lightning strikes,” reported Governor Gavin Newsom, adding, “CA is strong, we will get through this.” Relief may include extension of tax return due dates, relief of penalty and interest, or replacement copies of records lost due to disasters. Here’s more: https://bit.ly/2QrTV02

Post 2:

California’s Sonoma County enacts emergency paid sick leave ordinance, for certain employers for COVID-19 related reasons. The ordinance took effect Aug. 18, 2020 and will remain in effect through 2020, unless the federal Families First Act (FFA) is extended. The ordinance now requires employers with 500 or […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-15T20:17:59+00:00September 15th, 2020|ca, CA tax, california, disaster, employer, New Tax Laws|0 Comments

Reopening Concepts: What Business Owners Should Consider

A widely circulated article about the COVID-19 pandemic, written by author Tomas Pueyo in March, described efforts to cope with the crisis as “the hammer and the dance.” The hammer was the abrupt shutdown of most businesses and institutions; the dance is the slow reopening of them — figuratively tiptoeing out to see whether day-to-day life can return to some semblance of normality without a dangerous uptick in infections.

Many business owners are now engaged in the dance. “Reopening” a company, even if it was never completely closed, involves grappling with a variety of concepts. This is a new kind of strategic planning that will test your patience and savvy but may also lead to a safer, leaner and better-informed business.

When to move forward

The first question, of course, is when. That is, what are the circumstances and criteria that will determine when you can safely reopen or further reopen your business. Most experts agree that you should base this decision on scientific data and official guidance from agencies such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:02:11+00:00July 22nd, 2020|business, california, New Tax Laws|0 Comments