In a prior blog post, we discussed the changes for retirement accounts coming from the CARES Act. The IRS recently released Notice 2020-50 and Notice 2020-51 to provide guidance and clarify some of those changes. The guidance...more
Many employers are looking at their financial sustainability for the near future as COVID-19 impacts our economy and are looking at ways to cut costs. A common question we are receiving - can we stop matching our employees’...more
Many businesses, families, and individuals are seeing personal financial impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals facing difficult choices about paying their bills are asking their employers if they can withdraw from...more
This update covers the proposed Treasury regulations associated with the new IRS Code 199A as it relates to estates, trusts, and beneficiaries. An overview of Section 199A can be found here....more
Just about one year ago, we had a similar blog post about the 2014 Tax Increase Prevention Act. This year, the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 (“PATH”) was signed into law on Friday, December 18. Similarly to...more
Each year, the IRS calculates cost of living and inflation adjustments and determines how much certain limits and thresholds should be adjusted, if at all, for the upcoming tax year. The IRS released Revenue Procedure 2015-53...more
The IRS has recently modified the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS) to encourage employers to adopt automatic contribution features, and to detect and correct errors in retirement plans quickly. Revenue...more
Did you miss the last holiday in May? Friday, May 29th (5/29) was “529 Day,” referencing 529 college savings plans. If you are asking what a 529 Plan is, you are not alone. A recent Forbes article discussing the so-called...more
Last week the IRS announced a special tax option for contributions to taxpayers who make cash contributions to certain charitable organizations. The Slain Officer Family Support Act of 2015 applies to taxpayers making...more
Were you aware you could use your tax refund to buy a U.S. Savings Bond? Or that you could split the refund between multiple accounts (such as savings and checking) with direct deposit? If you prepared your own return with an...more
As the holidays approach and the end of the year draws near, the IRS has again released its list of tips for giving to charity. Of course, these rules apply to obtaining a legitimate tax-deduction for the donation. If that is...more
I previously posted about the increase in retirement plan contribution limits for 2015. This week the IRS announced the tax brackets, personal exemption, and standard deduction amounts for tax year 2015. To be clear, the new...more
Every year, about this time, the IRS calculates the cost of living increases, and determines whether the change is enough to trigger an adjustment to the statutory limit/threshold for various areas, including retirement...more
Typically a taxpayer does not have to include in gross income an amount distributed from an IRA if the funds are placed into another IRA within 60 days. This is often called a rollover. To avoid abuse of the exclusion, it...more
It seems as soon as I blogged about the draft Form 1023-EZ, the IRS released the final form. So, this will serve as an update and follow-up to my June 30, 2014 post. on the Form 1023-EZ, the IRS has now released Form...more
The IRS is releasing a new Form 1023-EZ, a simpler form of the regular Form 1023 used to apply for tax-exempt status as a 501(c)(3) organization. The form is available to small organizations, specifically those with less than...more
On Tuesday, the IRS released what it calls the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, grouping together the rights that taxpayers have in the tax code. These rights have always existed, but now the IRS has put the rights together in a...more
In the IRS's point of view, preventing fraud and abuse of the electronic filing system is the shared responsibility of both the IRS and authorized e-file providers. In an effort to stop the fraud, abuse, and resulting...more
May 15 is a key deadline for many tax-exempt organizations. The Form 990 series returns are due on the 15th day of the 5th month after the end of the tax year. For most organizations that run on a calendar year, that...more
According to an IRS release last week, the number of taxpayers electronically filing their own returns from home has increased compared to last year at this time by approximately 6%. Overall, the IRS has received about the...more
Yesterday the IRS released a YouTube video from John Koskinen, the new commissioner, assuring taxpayers the IRS is dedicated to assisting taxpayers this filing season, and advising taxpayers the best methods to seek tax...more
Typical Flexible Spending Arrangements (FSAs) (also commonly called flexible spending accounts) allowed employees to set aside money pre-tax to pay for medical expenses not covered by insurance, including deductibles, copays,...more
The IRS has started a "Stay Exempt" program for exempt organizations to assist in applying for and maintaining tax-exempt status. The website has tips and links to resources and online training videos in an effort to "ensure...more
With the federal shutdown over, IRS workers are back to work and starting to tackle the backlog. After 16 days of not opening mail, not processing returns, and not answering phone calls, the IRS is expecting it will take some...more
I have to think most people at least know what a "Beanie Baby" is, and some of you may still have them in your homes (someday they will be collector items, right?). This morning, Ty Warner, the creator of Beanie Babies, was...more