New Tax Laws - Linkenheimer LLP CPAs & Advisors

Immediate Tax Relief For Some California Small Businesses

Immediate tax relief for some California small businesses. In connection with COVID-19, the CA Dept. of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) is offering tax relief for eligible businesses impacted by the virus restrictions. Business owners who file CDTFA returns for less than $1 million will be granted automatic 3-month extensions on payments and returns originally due between Dec. 1, 2020, and April 30, 2021. Small businesses having under $5 million in taxable annual sales or larger businesses in sectors hit by operational restrictions of the virus can apply for a 12-month, interest free payment plan to defer payment of up to $50,000 of sales and use tax liability. Contact your Linkenheimer CPA with questions.

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-12-16T17:45:36+00:00December 16th, 2020|business, ca, california, New Tax Laws, small business|0 Comments

How The CARES Act Changes Deducting Charitable Contributions

Whether taxpayers are supporting natural disaster recovery, COVID-19 pandemic aid or another cause that’s personally meaningful to them, their charitable donations may be tax deductible. These deductions basically reduce the amount of their taxable income.

Here’s how the CARES Act changes deducting charitable contributions made in 2020:

Previously, charitable contributions could only be deducted if taxpayers itemized their deductions.

However, taxpayers who don’t itemize deductions may take a charitable deduction of up to $300 for cash contributions made in 2020 to qualifying organizations. For the purposes of this deduction, qualifying organizations are those that are religious, charitable, educational, scientific or literary in purpose. The law changed in this area due to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

The CARES Act also suspends limits on charitable contributions and temporarily increases limits on contributions of food inventory. More information about these changes is available on IRS.gov.

Here are some resources for people making donations:

Tax Exempt Organization Search
Taxpayers must give to qualified organizations to deduct their donations on their tax return. They can use this tool to find out if a specific charity qualifies as a charitable organization for income tax purposes.

Publication 526, Charitable Contributions
This […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-11-12T21:20:05+00:00November 12th, 2020|cares act, charity, New Tax Laws|0 Comments

Tax Responsibilities If Your Business Is Closing Amid The Pandemic

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many businesses to shut down. If this is your situation, we’re here to assist you in any way we can, including taking care of the various tax obligations that must be met.

Of course, a business must file a final income tax return and some other related forms for the year it closes. The type of return to be filed depends on the type of business you have. Here’s a rundown of the basic requirements.

Sole Proprietorships. You’ll need to file the usual Schedule C, “Profit or Loss from Business,” with your individual return for the year you close the business. You may also need to report self-employment tax.

Partnerships. A partnership must file Form 1065, “U.S. Return of Partnership Income,” for the year it closes. You also must report capital gains and losses on Schedule D. Indicate that this is the final return and […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-11-05T17:49:44+00:00November 5th, 2020|business, disaster, employer, New Tax Laws, small business|0 Comments

Can Investors Who Manage Their Own Portfolios Deduct Related Expenses?

In some cases, investors have significant related expenses, such as the cost of subscriptions to financial periodicals and clerical expenses. Are they tax deductible? Under the Tax Cut and Jobs Act, these expenses aren’t deductible through 2025 if they’re considered expenses for the production of income. But they are deductible if they’re considered trade or business expenses. (For tax years before 2018, production-of-income expenses were deductible, but were included in miscellaneous itemized deductions, which were subject to a 2%-of-adjusted-gross-income floor.)

In order to deduct investment-related expenses as business expenses, you must figure out if you’re an investor or a trader — and be aware that it’s more advantageous (and difficult) to qualify for trader status.

To qualify, you must be engaged in a trade or business. The U.S. Supreme Court held many years ago that an individual taxpayer isn’t engaged in a trade or business merely because the individual manages his or her own securities investments, regardless of the amount of the investments or the extent of the work required.

However, if you can show that your investment activities rise to the level of carrying on a trade or business, you may be considered a […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-22T16:10:41+00:00September 22nd, 2020|deduction, deductions, expensing, investment, New Tax Laws|0 Comments

Tax Implications Of Working From Home And Collecting Unemployment

COVID-19 has changed our lives in many ways, and some of the changes have tax implications. Here is basic information about two common situations.

1. Working from home.

Many employees have been told not to come into their workplaces due to the pandemic. If you’re an employee who “telecommutes” — that is, you work at home, and communicate with your employer mainly by telephone, videoconferencing, email, etc. — you should know about the strict rules that govern whether you can deduct your home office expenses.

Unfortunately, employee home office expenses aren’t currently deductible, even if your employer requires you to work from home. Employee business expense deductions (including the expenses an employee incurs to maintain a home office) are miscellaneous itemized deductions and are disallowed from 2018 through 2025 under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

However, if you’re self-employed and work out of an office in your home, you can be eligible to claim home […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-15T21:42:10+00:00September 15th, 2020|cares act, deduction, deductions, New Tax Laws|0 Comments