employee retention - Linkenheimer LLP CPAs & Advisors

Evaluating An ESOP From A Succession Planning Perspective

If you’ve been in business for a while, you’ve probably considered many different employee benefits. One option that might have crossed your desk is an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP).

Strictly defined, an ESOP is considered a retirement plan for employees. But it can also play a role in succession planning by facilitating the transfer of a business to the owner’s children or employees over a period of years in a tax-advantaged way.

Not a buyout

Although an ESOP is a retirement plan, it invests mainly in your own company’s stock. ESOPs are considered qualified plans and, thus, subject to the same IRS and U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) rules as 401(k)s and the like. This includes minimum coverage requirements and contribution limits.

Generally, ESOP distributions to eligible employees are made in stock or cash. For closely held companies, employees who receive stock have the right to sell it back to the company — exercising “put” options or an […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2022-08-26T21:29:16+00:00August 26th, 2022|employee, stock|0 Comments

Updates From the IRS- February 1st Deadline, Employee Retention Credit and More

February 1 deadline: Employers to issue and file wage statements; Businesses to provide Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC to recipients

By law, employers are required to file copies of their Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, and Form W-3, Transmittal of Wage and Tax Statements, with the Social Security Administration by January 31. However, since January 31 falls on a Sunday in 2021, the deadline is the next business day, Monday, February 1.

The IRS reminds businesses and other payors that the revised Form 1099-MISC, Miscellaneous Income, and the new Form 1099-NEC, Nonemployee Compensation, must be furnished to most recipients by February 1, 2021.

Take advantage of the extended Employee Retention Credit

The Internal Revenue Service urges employers to take advantage of the newly-extended employee retention credit, designed to make it easier for businesses that, despite challenges posed by COVID-19, choose to keep their employees on the payroll.

Employers can withhold, make payments of deferred Social Security taxes from 2020

Read about IRS Notice 2021-11, which addresses how employers who elected to defer certain employees’ taxes […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2021-01-29T00:10:57+00:00January 29th, 2021|irs, New Tax Laws|0 Comments

Can Your Business Benefit From The Enhanced Employee Retention Tax Credit?

COVID-19 has shut down many businesses, causing widespread furloughs and layoffs. Fortunately, employers that keep workers on their payrolls are eligible for a refundable Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC), which was extended and enhanced in the latest law.

Background on the credit

The CARES Act, enacted in March of 2020, created the ERTC. The credit:

Equaled 50% of qualified employee wages paid by an eligible employer in an applicable 2020 calendar quarter,
Was subject to an overall wage cap of $10,000 per eligible employee, and
Was available to eligible large and small employers.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, enacted December 27, 2020, extends and greatly enhances the ERTC. Under the CARES Act rules, the credit only covered wages paid between March 13, 2020, and December 31, 2020. The new law now extends the covered wage period to include the first two calendar quarters of 2021, ending on June 30, 2021.

In addition, for the first two quarters of 2021 ending on June 30, the new law increases the overall covered wage ceiling to 70% of qualified wages paid during the applicable quarter (versus 50% under the CARES Act). And it increases the per-employee covered wage ceiling to $10,000 of qualified […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2021-01-14T22:57:48+00:00January 14th, 2021|cares act, covid-19, New Tax Laws|0 Comments