tax planning - Linkenheimer LLP CPAs & Advisors

Tax Breaks to Consider During National Small Business Week

The week of September 13-17 has been declared National Small Business Week by the Small Business Administration. To commemorate the week, here are three tax breaks to consider.

1. Claim bonus depreciation or a Section 179 deduction for asset additions

Under current law, 100% first-year bonus depreciation is available for qualified new and used property that’s acquired and placed in service in calendar year 2021. That means your business might be able to write off the entire cost of some or all asset additions on this year’s return. Consider making acquisitions between now and December 31.

Note: It doesn’t always make sense to claim a 100% bonus depreciation deduction in the first year that qualifying property is placed in service. For example, if you think that tax rates will increase in the future — either due to tax law changes or a change in your income — it might be better to forgo bonus depreciation and instead depreciate your 2021 asset acquisitions over […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2021-09-16T22:04:22+00:00September 16th, 2021|deduction, deductions, depreciation, small business, tax planning|0 Comments

California Tax Updates for 9/1

Update 1:

San Francisco will impose an additional employer tax on certain businesses, effective in 2022. Businesses affected are those in which the highest-paid managerial employee earns more than 100 times the median compensation of its employees. The tax rate will increase for every additional 100 times that the CEO’s pay exceeds the median worker’s pay. The extra tax maxes out when the ratio of CEO pay to worker pay reaches 600 to 1. The maximum tax on payroll is 2.4% or a surcharge on the gross receipts tax of up to 0.6%. Businesses that are exempt from San Francisco’s gross receipts tax, due to small business status, are also exempt from the pay ratio tax. Contact your Linkenheimer CPA with questions.

Update 2:

California’s Gig Worker law (Prop. 22), which passed in Nov. 2020, has been ruled unconstitutional. That law exempts app-based driving companies such as Uber and Lyft from a previously passed law, known as the 2020 ABC test. That test […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2021-09-01T20:36:48+00:00September 1st, 2021|CA tax, tax increase, tax planning|0 Comments

Possible Tax Consequences of Guaranteeing a Loan to Your Corporation

What if you decide to, or are asked to, guarantee a loan to your corporation? Before agreeing to act as a guarantor, endorser or indemnitor of a debt obligation of your closely held corporation, be aware of the possible tax consequences. If your corporation defaults on the loan and you’re required to pay principal or interest under the guarantee agreement, you don’t want to be blindsided.

Business vs. nonbusiness

If you’re compelled to make good on the obligation, the payment of principal or interest in discharge of the obligation generally results in a bad debt deduction. This may be either a business or a nonbusiness bad debt deduction. If it’s a business bad debt, it’s deductible against ordinary income. A business bad debt can be either totally or partly worthless. If it’s a nonbusiness bad debt, it’s deductible as a short-term capital loss, which is subject to certain limitations on deductions of capital losses. A nonbusiness bad debt is deductible only if it’s totally worthless.

In order to be treated as a business bad debt, the guarantee must be closely related to your trade or business. If the reason for guaranteeing the corporation loan is […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2021-08-18T21:50:02+00:00August 18th, 2021|business, liability, tax implications, tax planning|0 Comments

Scholarships are Usually Tax Free But They May Result in Taxable Income

If your child is fortunate enough to be awarded a scholarship, you may wonder about the tax implications. Fortunately, scholarships (and fellowships) are generally tax free for students at elementary, middle and high schools, as well as those attending college, graduate school or accredited vocational schools. It doesn’t matter if the scholarship makes a direct payment to the individual or reduces tuition.

Requirements for tax-free treatment

However, scholarships are not always tax free. Certain conditions must be satisfied. A scholarship is tax free only to the extent it’s used to pay for:

Tuition and fees required to attend the school and
Fees, books, supplies and equipment required of all students in a particular course.

For example, expenses that don’t qualify include the cost of room and board, travel, research and clerical help.

To the extent a scholarship award isn’t used for qualifying items, it’s taxable. The recipient is responsible for establishing how much of an award is used to pay for tuition and eligible expenses. Maintain records (such as copies of bills, receipts and cancelled checks) that reflect the use of the scholarship money.

Payment for services doesn’t qualify

Subject to limited exceptions, a scholarship isn’t tax free […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2021-08-16T19:19:22+00:00August 16th, 2021|child, scholarship, tax implications, tax planning|0 Comments

Is an LLC the Right Choice for Your Small Business?

Perhaps you operate your small business as a sole proprietorship and want to form a limited liability company (LLC) to protect your assets. Or maybe you are launching a new business and want to know your options for setting it up. Here are the basics of operating as an LLC and why it might be appropriate for your business.

An LLC is somewhat of a hybrid entity because it can be structured to resemble a corporation for owner liability purposes and a partnership for federal tax purposes. This duality may provide the owners with the best of both worlds.

Personal asset protection

Like the shareholders of a corporation, the owners of an LLC (called “members” rather than shareholders or partners) generally aren’t liable for the debts of the business except to the extent of their investment. Thus, the owners can operate the business with the security of knowing that their personal assets are protected from the entity’s creditors. This protection is far greater […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2021-08-03T21:13:43+00:00August 3rd, 2021|business, liability, tax implications, tax planning|0 Comments