tax credit - Linkenheimer LLP CPAs & Advisors

Could Your Business Benefit from the Tax Credit for Family and Medical Leave?

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act created a new federal tax credit for employers that provide qualified paid family and medical leave to their employees. It’s subject to numerous rules and restrictions and the credit is only available for two tax years — those beginning between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2019. However, it may be worthwhile for some businesses.

The value of the credit

An eligible employer can claim a credit equal to 12.5% of wages paid to qualifying employees who are on family and medical leave, if the leave payments are at least 50% of the normal wages paid to them. For each 1% increase over 50%, the credit rate increases by 0.25%, up to a maximum credit rate of 25%.

An eligible employee is one who’s worked for your company for at least one year, with compensation for the preceding year not exceeding 60% of the threshold for highly compensated employees for that year. For 2019, the threshold for highly compensated employees is $125,000 (up from $120,000 for 2018). That means a qualifying employee’s 2019 compensation can’t exceed $72,000 (60% × $120,000).

Employers that claim the family and medical leave credit […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:04:12+00:00March 18th, 2019|credit, New Tax Laws, tax credit|0 Comments

Child Tax Credit Increased

Under pre-Act law, a taxpayer could claim a child tax credit of up to $1,000 per qualifying child under the age of 17. The aggregate amount of the credit that could be claimed phased out by $50 for each $1,000 of AGI over $75,000 for single filers, $110,000 for married filers, and $55,000 for married individuals filing separately. To the extent that the credit exceeded a taxpayer’s liability, a taxpayer was eligible for a refundable credit (i.e., the additional child tax credit) equal to 15% of earned income in excess of $3,000 (the “earned income threshold”). A taxpayer claiming the credit had to include a valid Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) for each qualifying child on their return. In most cases, the TIN is the child’s Social Security Number (SSN), although Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) were also accepted.

New law. For tax years beginning after Dec. 31, 2017 and before Jan. 1, 2026, the child tax credit is increased to $2,000, and other changes are made to phase-outs and refund-ability during this same period, as outlined below. (Code Sec. 24(h)(2), as added by Act Sec. 11022(a))

Phase-out. The income levels at which the credit phases out are increased to $400,000 for married taxpayers filing jointly ($200,000 […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2018-01-09T17:13:02+00:00January 9th, 2018|New Tax Laws, tax credit|0 Comments

Tax Tip Credit for Restaurant Owners

Many restaurant owners are missing out on a significant tax savings opportunity (free money!) by failing to claim the FICA tip credit when they file their tax returns. The “Credit for Employer Social Security and Medicare Taxes Paid on Certain Employee Tips”, otherwise known as the “FICA tip credit”, is a nonrefundable credit that is available to taxpayers whose employees are receiving tips from customers for providing, delivering, or serving food or beverages for consumption. If you as the employer paid social security and Medicare on these tips as they were reported to you by the employee throughout the year, you are likely entitled to this tax credit.

The credit is limited if you are not paying your employees minimum wage, but as long as you are paying minimum wage, you should be entitled to a credit for the entire portion of FICA taxes paid on these tips. In order to estimate the tax benefit of your FICA tip credit, you can multiply the “social security tips”, box 7 of your Form W-3, Transmittal of Wage and Tax Statements, by 7.65%. This credit is a nonrefundable credit, meaning that you […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:05:35+00:00December 30th, 2014|tax credit, tips|0 Comments

College Tax Credit Reminder

The IRS recently reminded taxpayers that back-to-school time is a good time to see if they qualify for education-related tax credits. The American Opportunity Credit (AOC) and Lifetime Learning Credit (LLC) are available to taxpayers who pay qualifying expenses for eligible students. The maximum AOC is $2,500 per student, 40% refundable, and available for the first four years of postsecondary education. The LLC is limited to $2,000 per tax return, nonrefundable, and available to both graduate and undergraduate students. Only one credit can be claimed for a particular student in a tax year.

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:05:45+00:00October 6th, 2014|college tax credit, credit, tax credit|0 Comments

Increase in the Small Business Tax Credit

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), some small businesses may qualify for a small business tax credit. To be eligible, you must cover at least 50 percent of the cost of single (not family) health care coverage for each of your employees. You must also have 24 or fewer full-time equivalent employees and those employees must have average wages of less than $50,000 per year. In 2014, the tax credit goes up to 50 percent and will be available to qualified small businesses that purchase coverage through the new health insurance marketplaces in each state, called the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP).

The SHOP marketplace will be open in October of 2013 for coverage that takes effect on January 1, 2014, or later.

For more info, click here.

Written by Mike Musson, CPA, Partner LinkedIn Profile

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:05:51+00:00May 7th, 2013|affordable care act, CPA, linkenehiemer, mike musson, qualified small business, Santa Rosa, shop, single family, small business, small business health options, tax credit|0 Comments