Since 1986, lawmakers have limited business meal deductions: first to 80 percent, and then to 50 percent (unless an exception applies). But on December 27, 2020, in an effort to help the restaurant industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic, lawmakers enacted a new, temporary 100 percent business meal deduction for calendar years 2021 and 2022. […]
Tax
IRS Focuses on Cryptocurrency
Cryptocurrencies have gone mainstream. For example, you can use bitcoin to buy far more than you would think. To see, try googling “What can I buy with bitcoin?” You will get more than 350,000 hits. But using cryptocurrencies has federal income tax implications that may surprise you. With the price of bitcoin having gone through […]
Tax Planning for the New $142,800 Base for Self-Employment Taxes
What happens when lawmakers enact a new tax? It starts small. It looks easy. In 1935, the self-employment tax topped out at $60. Those 1935 lawmakers must be twirling in their graves with the new rules for 2021, which levy the following taxes: A self-employment tax of up to $21,848, which comes from the 15.3 […]
Five Investment Tasks to Tackle by Year-End
Market turbulence in 2020 may have wreaked havoc on your investment goals for the year. It probably also highlighted the importance of periodically reviewing your investment portfolio to determine whether adjustments are needed to keep it on track. Now is a good time to take on these five year-end investment tasks. 1. Evaluate Your Investment […]
Is It Time to Think About Tax-Free Income?
Federal and state governments have spent extraordinary sums in response to the economic toll inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic. At some point it is likely that governments will look for ways to increase revenue to compensate for this spending and increase income taxes as a result. That’s why it might be a good time to […]
Medicare Open Enrollment for 2021 Begins October 15, 2020
The annual Medicare Open Enrollment Period is the time during which Medicare beneficiaries can make new choices and pick plans that work best for them. Each year, Medicare plan costs and coverage typically change. In addition, your health-care needs may have changed over the past year. The Open Enrollment Period — which begins on October […]
All About Limited Liability Companies (LLC’s)
Limited liability companies (LLCs) are a popular choice of entity for small businesses and investment activities. LLC owners are called members. Single-member LLCs have one owner, although spouses who jointly own an LLC in a community property state can elect treatment as a single member LLC for federal income tax purposes. We will call LLCs […]
Small Business Loans for COVID-19
Maryland has authorized $130 million in loan and grant funding for small businesses and manufacturers that have been negatively impacted by the Coronavirus (COVID-19). This emergency assistance provides interim relief and proceeds that can be used to pay cash operating expenses including payroll, suppliers, rent, fixed debt payments and other mission critical cash operating costs. If […]
ATTENTION: KEEP EYES OPEN AND LISTEN CAREFULLY – CORONAVIRUS SCAMS ALREADY HAPPENING!
Fraudsters and scam artists are always looking for new ways to prey on consumers. Now they are using the same tactics to take advantage of consumers’ heightened financial and health concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. Federal, state, and local law enforcement have begun issuing warnings on the surge of coronavirus scams and how consumers can […]
2016 Business Year-End Update
The De Minimis Safe Harbor election for repairs and capitalization policies increased from $500 to $2500 per item for businesses without audited financial statements. This is a federal annual election that will require a review of client’s record of purchases and business activity each year to determine the amount to elect up to $2500 under […]
