Recent News

Help Ensure the IRS Doesn’t Reclassify Independent Contractors as Employees

Many businesses use independent contractors to help keep their costs down. If you’re among them, make sure that these workers are properly classified for federal tax purposes. If the IRS reclassifies them as employees, it can be a costly error. It can be complex to determine whether a worker is an independent contractor or an employee for federal income and employment tax purposes. If a worker is an employee, your company must withhold federal income and payroll taxes, pay the employer’s share of FICA taxes on the wages, plus FUTA tax. A business may also provide the worker with fringe...

Providing Education Assistance to Employees? Follow These Rules

Many businesses provide education fringe benefits so their employees can improve their skills and gain additional knowledge. An employee can receive, on a tax-free basis, up to $5,250 each year from his or her employer for educational assistance under a “qualified educational assistance program.” For this purpose, “education” means any form of instruction or training that improves or develops an individual’s capabilities. It doesn’t matter if it’s job-related or part of a degree program. This includes employer-provided education assistance for graduate-level courses, including those normally taken by an individual pursuing a program leading to a business, medical, law or other...

Know the Ins and Outs of “Reasonable Compensation” for a Corporate Business Owner

Owners of incorporated businesses know that there’s a tax advantage to taking money out of a C corporation as compensation rather than as dividends. The reason: A corporation can deduct the salaries and bonuses that it pays executives, but not dividend payments. Thus, if funds are paid as dividends, they’re taxed twice, once to the corporation and once to the recipient. Money paid out as compensation is only taxed once — to the employee who receives it. However, there are limits to how much money you can take out of the corporation this way. Under tax law, compensation can be...

Simple Retirement Savings Options for Your Small Business

Are you thinking about setting up a retirement plan for yourself and your employees, but you’re worried about the financial commitment and administrative burdens involved in providing a traditional pension plan? Two options to consider are a “simplified employee pension” (SEP) or a “savings incentive match plan for employees” (SIMPLE). SEPs are intended as an alternative to “qualified” retirement plans, particularly for small businesses. The relative ease of administration and the discretion that you, as the employer, are permitted in deciding whether or not to make annual contributions, are features that are appealing. Uncomplicated Paperwork If you don’t already have...

Tax Advantages of Hiring your Child at your Small Business

As a business owner, you should be aware that you can save family income and payroll taxes by putting your child on the payroll. Here are some considerations. Shifting Business Earnings You can turn some of your high-taxed income into tax-free or low-taxed income by shifting some business earnings to a child as wages for services performed. In order for your business to deduct the wages as a business expense, the work done by the child must be legitimate and the child’s salary must be reasonable. For example, suppose you’re a sole proprietor in the 37% tax bracket. You hire...

Tax Filing Deadline Extended

Federal The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that the federal income tax filing due date for individuals for the 2020 tax year will be automatically extended to May 17, 2021. Pennsylvania The PA Department of Revenue announced that the deadline for taxpayers to file their 2020 Pennsylvania personal income tax returns has been extended to May 17, 2021. Estimated Income Tax Payments (Federal & PA) As of March 19, 2021, the IRS and PA Department of Revenue had not granted an extension on estimated payments. The deadline remains April 15, 2021 for taxpayers who make estimated income tax payments.