tax - Linkenheimer LLP CPAs & Advisors

How to Reduce the Tax Risk of Using Independent Contractors

Classifying a worker as an independent contractor frees a business from payroll tax liability and allows it to forgo providing overtime pay, unemployment compensation and other employee benefits. It also frees the business from responsibility for withholding income taxes and the worker’s share of payroll taxes.

For these reasons, the federal government views misclassifying a bona fide employee as an independent contractor unfavorably. If the IRS reclassifies a worker as an employee, your business could be hit with back taxes, interest and penalties.

Key factors

When assessing worker classification, the IRS typically looks at the:

Level of behavioral control. This means the extent to which the company instructs a worker on when and where to do the work, what tools or equipment to use, whom to hire, where to purchase supplies and so on. Also, control typically involves providing training and evaluating the worker’s performance. The more control the company […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2018-09-10T18:49:32+00:00September 10th, 2018|business, tax, tax planning|0 Comments

Keep an Eye Out for Extenders Legislation

The pieces of tax legislation garnering the most attention these days are the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) signed into law last December and the possible “Tax Reform 2.0” that Congress might pass this fall. But for certain individual taxpayers, what happens with “extenders” legislation is also important.

Recent history

Back in December of 2015, Congress passed the PATH Act, which made a multitude of tax breaks permanent. However, there were a few valuable breaks for individuals that it extended only through 2016. The TCJA didn’t address these breaks, but they were retroactively extended through December 31, 2017, by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (BBA), which was signed into law on February 9, 2018.

Now the question is whether Congress will extend them for 2018 and, if so, when. In July, House Ways and Means Committee Chair Kevin Brady (R-TX) released a broad outline of what Tax Reform 2.0 legislation may contain. And he indicated that it probably wouldn’t include the […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2018-08-21T19:30:51+00:00August 21st, 2018|New Tax Laws, tax|0 Comments

Choosing the Right Accounting Method for Tax Purposes

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) liberalized the eligibility rules for using the cash method of accounting, making this method — which is simpler than the accrual method — available to more businesses. Now the IRS has provided procedures a small business taxpayer can use to obtain automatic consent to change its method of accounting under the TCJA. If you have the option to use either accounting method, it pays to consider whether switching methods would be beneficial.

Cash vs. accrual

Generally, cash-basis businesses recognize income when it’s received and deduct expenses when they’re paid. Accrual-basis businesses, on the other hand, recognize income when it’s earned and deduct expenses when they’re incurred, without regard to the timing of cash receipts or payments.

In most cases, a business is permitted to use the cash method of accounting for tax purposes unless it’s:

Expressly prohibited from using the cash method, or
Expressly required to use the accrual method.

Cash method advantages

The cash method offers several advantages, including:

Simplicity. It’s easier and cheaper to implement and maintain.

Tax-planning flexibility. It offers greater flexibility to control the timing of income and deductible expenses. For example, it allows you to defer income to next year by […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2018-08-20T23:32:05+00:00August 20th, 2018|accounting, New Tax Laws, tax, tax planning|0 Comments

Why the “Kiddie Tax” is Potentially More Dangerous Than Ever

Once upon a time, some parents and grandparents would attempt to save tax by putting investments in the names of their young children or grandchildren in lower income tax brackets. To discourage such strategies, Congress created the “kiddie” tax back in 1986. Since then, this tax has gradually become more far-reaching. Now, under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), the kiddie tax has become more dangerous than ever.

A short history

Years ago, the kiddie tax applied only to children under age 14 — which still provided families with ample opportunity to enjoy significant tax savings from income shifting. In 2006, the tax was expanded to children under age 18. And since 2008, the kiddie tax has generally applied to children under age 19 and to full-time students under age 24 (unless the students provide more than half of their own support from earned income).

What about the kiddie tax rate? Before the TCJA, for children subject to the kiddie tax, any […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2018-07-24T20:13:55+00:00July 24th, 2018|child, New Tax Laws, tax, tax rate|0 Comments

Victims of the Pawnee Fire in Lake County Get Tax Relief

Victims of a California wildfire, dubbed the Pawnee Fire in Lake County, get tax relief from the CA Employment Development Dept. (EDD). Employers directly affected by the fire (which started on 6/23/18) may request a 60-day extension to accomplish some tax-related tasks. The tasks include filing state payroll reports and paying state payroll taxes. No penalty or interest will be charged to employers that are granted extra time. A written request for an extension must be received by EDD within 60 days from the original delinquent date for payments and returns.

By Linkenheimer LLP|2019-11-08T21:56:30+00:00July 12th, 2018|ca, extension, Fire Relief Info, tax|0 Comments