individuals - Linkenheimer LLP CPAs & Advisors

CARES ACT Changes Retirement Plan and Charitable Contribution Rules

As we all try to keep ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities safe from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, you may be wondering about some of the recent tax changes that were part of a tax law passed on March 27.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act contains a variety of relief, notably the “economic impact payments” that will be made to people under a certain income threshold. But the law also makes some changes to retirement plan rules and provides a new tax break for some people who contribute to charity.

Waiver of 10% early distribution penalty

IRAs and employer sponsored retirement plans are established to be long-term retirement planning accounts. As such, the IRS imposes a penalty tax of an additional 10% if funds are distributed before reaching age 59½. (However, there are some exceptions to this rule.)

Under the CARES Act, the additional 10% tax on early distributions from IRAs and defined contribution plans (such as 401(k) plans) is waived for distributions made between January 1 and December 31, 2020 by a person who (or whose family) is infected with COVID-19 or is economically harmed by it. Penalty-free […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:03:09+00:00April 7th, 2020|deduction, individuals, ira, New Tax Laws, relief, retirement, roth ira, tax deductions, tax planning, taxpayer relief act|0 Comments

Cash Payments and Tax Relief for Individuals in New Law

A new law signed by President Trump on March 27 provides a variety of tax and financial relief measures to help Americans during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This article explains some of the tax relief for individuals in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Individual cash payments

Under the new law, an eligible individual will receive a cash payment equal to the sum of: $1,200 ($2,400 for eligible married couples filing jointly) plus $500 for each qualifying child. Eligibility is based on adjusted gross income (AGI).

Individuals who have no income, as well as those whose income comes entirely from Social Security benefits, are also eligible for the payment.

The AGI thresholds will be based on 2019 tax returns, or 2018 returns if you haven’t yet filed your 2019 returns. For those who don’t qualify on their most recently filed tax returns, there may be another option to receive some money. An individual who isn’t an eligible individual for 2019 may be eligible for 2020. The IRS won’t send cash payments to him or her. Instead, the individual will be able to claim the credit when filing a 2020 return.

The income thresholds

The […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:03:12+00:00March 31st, 2020|child, individuals, New Tax Laws, relief, tax planning|0 Comments

The New COVID-19 Law Provides Businesses and Employees With More Relief

On March 27, President Trump signed into law another coronavirus (COVID-19) law, which provides extensive relief for businesses and employers. Here are some of the tax-related provisions in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).

Employee retention credit

The new law provides a refundable payroll tax credit for 50% of wages paid by eligible employers to certain employees during the COVID-19 crisis.

Employer eligibility. The credit is available to employers with operations that have been fully or partially suspended as a result of a government order limiting commerce, travel or group meetings. The credit is also provided to employers that have experienced a greater than 50% reduction in quarterly receipts, measured on a year-over-year basis.

The credit isn’t available to employers receiving Small Business Interruption Loans under the new law.

Wage […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:03:12+00:00March 30th, 2020|business, disaster, employer, filing deadline, gift tax, individuals, irs, New Tax Laws, small business, tax deadlines, tax implications, tax planning, taxpayer|0 Comments

Help Protect Your Personal Information By Filing Your 2019 Tax Return Early

The IRS announced it is opening the 2019 individual income tax return filing season on January 27. Even if you typically don’t file until much closer to the April 15 deadline (or you file for an extension), consider filing as soon as you can this year. The reason: You can potentially protect yourself from tax identity theft — and you may obtain other benefits, too.

Tax identity theft explained

In a tax identity theft scam, a thief uses another individual’s personal information to file a fraudulent tax return early in the filing season and claim a bogus refund.

The legitimate taxpayer discovers the fraud when he or she files a return and is informed by the IRS that the return has been rejected because one with the same Social Security number has already been filed for the tax year. While the taxpayer should ultimately be able to prove that his or her return is the valid one, tax identity theft […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:03:19+00:00February 6th, 2020|individuals, irs, tax deadlines, tax planning, w2|0 Comments

Affected by the Power Outages? Tax Relief May Be Available.

Some tax relief is available for California taxpayers affected by the frequent power shutoffs that plague the state. The CA Franchise Tax Board is advising taxpayers impacted by the safety-related power blackouts that began in October 2019 that they may be eligible for penalty relief if the penalties are due to the shutoffs. Taxpayers in impacted counties may request penalty abatement upon a showing of reasonable cause. For details, go to https://bit.ly/2PzCN9r and arrow down to “Extended deadlines.” If you have questions about how the shut offs may have affected you or your business with concerns related to tax payments or penalties, please contact your Linkenheimer CPA.

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:03:29+00:00November 15th, 2019|business, ca, CA tax, california, Fire Relief Info, individuals, tax deadlines|0 Comments