by Blair Butters | Dec 5, 2022 | student loans, Tax Planning
President Biden, Vice President Harris, and the U.S. Department of Education developed a three-part plan to help federal student loan borrowers transition back to making regular payments post-pandemic. As a part of this plan, the Administration introduced the Biden-Harris Student Debt Relief Plan in August, which would forgive a certain dollar amount of student loan debt for qualifying borrowers. There have been several updates to the plan since its introduction, which we will share with you today. Currently, the Student Debt Relief Plan has been blocked by multiple lawsuits. The plan is currently blocked pending a ruling in the Supreme Court which will hear oral arguments regarding the plan in February 2023 with a decision expected by June 2023. In the meantime, the Department of Education has extended the pandemic-era pause on federal student loan repayments until 60 days after the Department is permitted to implement the program or the litigation is resolved. If the program is not implemented and the litigation has not been resolved by June 30, 2023, payments will resume 60 days after that. Those who have already submitted applications for the program will receive communication from the Department of Education about whether the application qualifies, if the program is implemented. Until the final ruling is delivered by the courts, applications are closed. If the program is implemented, eligible borrowers that fall below income levels of $125,000 for individuals and $250,000 for married couples or heads of households could receive the following: Up to $20,000 of student debt cancellation for Pell Grant recipients Up to $10,000 of student debt cancellation for most other non-Pell Grant recipients ...
by Blair Butters | Oct 20, 2022 | General Tax and Accounting Information, Tax Planning
As the leaves begin to change and our focus shifts to Q4 goals, now is the perfect time to take a closer look at your business. Performing an end-of-summer business check-up can provide important insights into what you may want to change before the end of the year, or how to prepare for 2023. When reviewing the areas of your business that can determine its overall health, there are a few places you can dig deeper: Gather/Analyze Financial Statements Review your profit and loss statement, income and cash flow statements, and balance sheets so you can gain a better understanding of your company’s financial status. When you review your profit and loss (P&L) statement, you may also want to consider the following: If your business was profitable, determine if you have any needs for new equipment or upgrades, or improvements to property. Purchasing fixed assets and placing them in service prior to year-end may reduce your net income, which may reduce your tax liability. Bonus depreciation and Section 179 depreciation are tax incentives that allow you to claim a larger deprecation deduction in the year when a piece of equipment or certain improvements are placed in service. Talk with your accountant to see if bonus depreciation or Section 179 elective depreciation is available on potential equipment purchases or improvements. To take advantage of this incentive, we recommend speaking with your accountant now. In most years, those decisions could be made later in the year, but with supply chain issues in recent years you will need to make equipment purchase decisions earlier in the year so that your vendors...
by Blair Butters | Jul 22, 2022 | Accounting, General Tax and Accounting Information, Tax Planning
If you keep inventory in stock, it’s important to ensure that it’s accounted for properly. Inventory can affect your company in many ways, impacting cash flow, cost of goods sold, and your profit. Today, we’re diving into two popular inventory accounting methods and the ways you can value your inventory or assets. What is Inventory Accounting Inventory accounting values and accounts for changes in the inventory a company holds during a given period. It determines the value of assets during the three stages of production: raw goods, in-progress goods, and finished goods ready for sale. Each item in stock has a value recorded separately. In manufacturing processes, the value of an item can change depending on the stage of production. The sum total of all inventory item values is recorded as a company asset. The accounting method you choose has a direct impact on the cost of goods sold calculation for the accounting period, and on net income earned. Companies use cost of goods sold (COGS) to determine the direct cost of producing the goods sold without taking overhead costs into account, and generally includes only direct materials and labor costs. To calculate the cost of goods sold, add the beginning inventory and purchases, then deduct the ending inventory from that number in the following way: Cost of goods sold = beginning inventory + purchases – ending inventory. Accounting Methods The method businesses use to cost their inventory directly guides the income and inventory value they report on their financial statements. Two popular methods to compute the cost of goods sold and ending inventory for a period are First...
by Blair Butters | Mar 15, 2022 | Auditing, General Tax and Accounting Information, IRS, Tax Planning
The word “audit” will make any business owner tense, especially when discussing or going through a tax audit from the IRS. However, there are strategies that taxpayers can use to help navigate an audit. In this blog, we’ll break down the auditing process so that you understand what an audit is, why you may be audited, what happens, and what to expect during an IRS audit if you’re facing one in the coming year. Let’s start with the basics. An audit is a review of your tax forms and financial documents. Its purpose is to double-check that you’ve properly filed your taxes and abided by tax laws. Audits do not happen every year. For example, only 0.4% of individual income tax returns were audited in 2019. The IRS selects randomly, through a computer screening, or when other related examinations have shown issues (such as the tax returns of a business partner or investor). Those issues can be as simple as a typo or mathematical error on a form, or as serious as failing to disclose taxable income or neglecting to report cryptocurrency transactions. (Using an accountant to file your tax returns can decrease your chances of simple computing errors.) The IRS will only notify you by mail if you are selected for an audit. A legitimate IRS audit will be conducted by mail or through an in-person interview at an IRS office, at your home or place of business, or at your accountant’s office. They will never call, text, or email. Any of the aforementioned communication methods are not legitimate, so if someone reaches out via these methods, do...
by Blair Butters | Feb 15, 2022 | General Tax and Accounting Information, Payroll, Tax Planning
Payroll is one of the most important functions of your business, but it can be a daunting task to take on as a small business owner. Compliance with regulations, technology upgrades, and the detailed reporting requirements to Federal and state agencies is a lot for one person to perform, which is why many small businesses choose to outsource their payroll-related activities and reporting requirements to a third-party provider. Today, we’re covering four ways outsourcing your payroll can benefit your business. Frees up your time and resources. Payroll requires a lot of time, energy, and attention to detail. As a business owner, your time is better spent on the core tasks of the business rather than compiling hourly and salaried payroll information, calculating withholding deductions, generating reports, preparing checks or check stubs, filing related tax forms, and paying the amounts due. Outsourcing payroll gives you back your time so you can focus on growing your business. Reduces costs. By outsourcing payroll tasks, you can ensure they are managed seamlessly and in the most cost-efficient manner. You do not have to hire an employee to process your payroll and you can spend your time making your business more profitable instead of dealing with the details of payroll processing and reporting. If you’re curious about our payroll rates, please reach out to us and one of our experts will be happy to assist. Lowers risks. Many business owners struggle with complicated and often changing, payroll reporting requirements. At DMA, our team is well-versed and always up-to-date on payroll regulations and compliance mandates. Our goal is to help you avoid penalties for...
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