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Are you a California Employer Who Must File State Copies of W2s and 1099s?

Are you a California employer who must file state copies of W2s and 1099s? Returns that are paper-filed with the IRS will be forwarded to the CA Franchise Tax Board (FTB), so there’s no need for you to also file with the FTB. Generally, the IRS and FTB have the same filing requirements. If you have 250 or more returns, electronic filing with the FTB is required. The e-filing due date is 3/31/19. If you use the IRS Combined Federal/State Filing Program, only one filing is necessary. The IRS will forward original or corrected data to the FTB. If you have questions about filing, please contact your Linkenheimer CPA.

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:04:11+00:00March 20th, 2019|1099, business, CA tax, california, employer, ftb, w2|0 Comments

Careful Tax Planning Required for Incentive Stock Options

Incentive stock options (ISOs) are a popular form of compensation for executives and other employees of corporations. They allow you to buy company stock in the future at a fixed price equal to or greater than the stock’s fair market value on the ISO grant date. If the stock appreciates, you can buy shares at a price below what they’re then trading for. But careful tax planning is required because of the complex rules that apply.

Tax advantages abound

Although ISOs must comply with many rules, they receive tax-favored treatment. You owe no tax when ISOs are granted. You also owe no regular income tax when you exercise ISOs. There could be alternative minimum tax (AMT) consequences, but the AMT is less of a risk now because of the high AMT exemption under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

There are regular income tax consequences when you sell the stock. If you sell the stock after […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:04:15+00:00February 26th, 2019|business, income tax, New Tax Laws, strategy, tax planning|0 Comments

Best Practices When Filing a Business Interruption Claim

Many companies, especially those that operate in areas prone to natural disasters, should consider business interruption insurance. Unlike a commercial property policy, which may cover certain repairs of damaged property, this coverage generally provides the cash flow to cover revenues lost and expenses incurred while normal operations are suspended because of an applicable event.

But be warned: Business interruption insurance is arguably among the most complicated types of coverage on the market today. Submitting a claim can be time-consuming and requires careful preparation. Here are some best practices to keep in mind:

Notify your insurer immediately. Contact your insurance rep by phone as soon as possible to describe the damage. If your policy has been water-damaged or destroyed, ask him or her to send you a copy.

Review your policy. Read your policy in its entirety to determine how to best present your claim. It’s important to understand the policy’s limits and deductibles before spending time documenting losses that may not be covered.

Practice careful recordkeeping. Maintain accurate records to support your claim. Reorganize your bookkeeping to segregate costs related to the business interruption and keep supporting invoices. Among the necessary documents are:

Predisaster financial statements and income tax […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:04:17+00:00February 14th, 2019|business, disaster|0 Comments

Financial Statements Tell Your Business’s Story, Inside and Out

Ask many entrepreneurs and small business owners to show you their financial statements and they’ll likely open a laptop and show you their bookkeeping software. Although tracking financial transactions is critical, spreadsheets aren’t financial statements.

In short, financial statements are detailed and carefully organized reports about the financial activities and overall position of a business. As any company evolves, it will likely encounter an increasing need to properly generate these reports to build credibility with outside parties, such as investors and lenders, and to make well-informed strategic decisions.

These are the typical components of financial statements:

Income statement. Also known as a profit and loss statement, the income statement shows revenues and expenses for a specified period. To help show which parts of the business are profitable (or not), it should carefully match revenues and expenses.

Balance sheet. This provides a snapshot of a […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:04:18+00:00February 7th, 2019|business|0 Comments

Why You Shouldn’t Wait to File Your 2018 Income Tax Return

The IRS opened the 2018 income tax return filing season on January 28. Even if you typically don’t file until much closer to the April 15 deadline, this year consider filing as soon as you can. Why? You can potentially protect yourself from tax identity theft — and reap other benefits, too.

What is tax identity theft?

In a tax identity theft scheme, a thief uses your personal information to file a fraudulent tax return early in the filing season and claim a bogus refund.

You discover the fraud when you file your return and are informed by the IRS that the return has been rejected because one with your Social Security number has already been filed for the same tax year. While you should ultimately be able to prove that your return is the legitimate one, tax identity theft can cause major headaches to straighten out and significantly delay your refund.

Filing early may be […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:04:18+00:00February 6th, 2019|fraud, New Tax Laws, taxes, w2|0 Comments