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Reopening Concepts: What Business Owners Should Consider

A widely circulated article about the COVID-19 pandemic, written by author Tomas Pueyo in March, described efforts to cope with the crisis as “the hammer and the dance.” The hammer was the abrupt shutdown of most businesses and institutions; the dance is the slow reopening of them — figuratively tiptoeing out to see whether day-to-day life can return to some semblance of normality without a dangerous uptick in infections.

Many business owners are now engaged in the dance. “Reopening” a company, even if it was never completely closed, involves grappling with a variety of concepts. This is a new kind of strategic planning that will test your patience and savvy but may also lead to a safer, leaner and better-informed business.

When to move forward

The first question, of course, is when. That is, what are the circumstances and criteria that will determine when you can safely reopen or further reopen your business. Most experts agree that you should base this decision on scientific data and official guidance from agencies such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:02:11+00:00July 22nd, 2020|business, california, New Tax Laws|0 Comments

Businesses: Get Ready For The New Form 1099-NEC

There’s a new IRS form for business taxpayers that pay or receive nonemployee compensation.

Beginning with tax year 2020, payers must complete Form 1099-NEC, Nonemployee Compensation, to report any payment of $600 or more to a payee.

Why the new form?

Prior to 2020, Form 1099-MISC was filed to report payments totaling at least $600 in a calendar year for services performed in a trade or business by someone who isn’t treated as an employee. These payments are referred to as nonemployee compensation (NEC) and the payment amount was reported in box 7.

Form 1099-NEC was reintroduced to alleviate the confusion caused by separate deadlines for Form 1099-MISC that report NEC in box 7 and all other Form 1099-MISC for paper filers and electronic filers. The IRS announced in July 2019 that, for 2020 and thereafter, it will reintroduce the previously retired Form 1099-NEC, which was last used in the 1980s.

What businesses will file?

Payers of nonemployee compensation will now use Form 1099-NEC to report those payments.

Generally, payers must file Form 1099-NEC by January 31. For 2020 tax returns, the due date will be February 1, 2021, because January 31, 2021, is on a Sunday. There’s no […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:02:16+00:00July 14th, 2020|business, extension, extensions|0 Comments

California Tax Updates for July 8th

Post 1:

Interest rates set on overdue payroll tax in California. For the period beginning July 1, 2020, through Dec. 31, 2020, the rate will be 5% compounded daily, according to the CA Employment Development Department. The rate is adjusted semiannually.

Post 2:

A California apparel designer loses a tax credit fight in court. CA companies that engage in qualified research and development (R&D) activities may be entitled to a credit on their CA tax returns. In one case, a women’s apparel design company filed for tax refunds for 2008 through 2011, based on claims for R&D credits in those years. The credit related to projects, which the CA Franchise Tax Board (FTB) said didn’t satisfy a requirement known as the experimentation process test. The credits were disallowed. The taxpayer sought a rehearing in the CA Office of Tax Appeals. The Appeals Court agreed with the FTB and upheld the decision to disallow the credit. (Swat-Fame, Inc. 5/20/20) If you […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:02:18+00:00July 8th, 2020|ca, CA tax, california, payments, research credit, tax credit|0 Comments

Launching A Business? How To Treat Start-Up Expenses On Your Tax Return

While the COVID-19 crisis has devastated many existing businesses, the pandemic has also created opportunities for entrepreneurs to launch new businesses. For example, some businesses are being launched online to provide products and services to people staying at home.

Entrepreneurs often don’t know that many expenses incurred by start-ups can’t be currently deducted. You should be aware that the way you handle some of your initial expenses can make a large difference in your tax bill.

How expenses must be handled

If you’re starting or planning a new enterprise, keep these key points in mind:

Start-up costs include those incurred or paid while creating an active trade or business — or investigating the creation or acquisition of one.
Under the Internal Revenue Code, taxpayers can elect to deduct up to $5,000 of business start-up and $5,000 of organizational costs in the year the business begins. As you know, $5,000 doesn’t get you very far today! And the $5,000 deduction is reduced dollar-for-dollar by the amount by which your total start-up or organizational costs exceed $50,000. Any remaining costs must be amortized over 180 months on a straight-line basis.
No deductions or amortization deductions are allowed until the […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:02:25+00:00June 22nd, 2020|business, expensing|0 Comments

Good Records Are The Key To Tax Deductions And Trouble-Free IRS Audits

If you operate a small business, or you’re starting a new one, you probably know you need to keep records of your income and expenses. In particular, you should carefully record your expenses in order to claim the full amount of the tax deductions to which you’re entitled. And you want to make sure you can defend the amounts reported on your tax returns if you’re ever audited by the IRS or state tax agencies.

Certain types of expenses, such as automobile, travel, meals and office-at-home expenses, require special attention because they’re subject to special recordkeeping requirements or limitations on deductibility.

It’s interesting to note that there’s not one way to keep business records. In its publication “Starting a Business and Keeping Records,” the IRS states: “Except in a few cases, the law does not require any specific kind of records. You can choose any recordkeeping system suited to your business that clearly shows your income and expenses.”

That being […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:02:30+00:00June 16th, 2020|audit, business, irs|0 Comments