The IRS recently issued its annual update of special per-diem rates for substantiating ordinary and necessary business expenses incurred while traveling away from home. The new rates are in effect from October 1, 2021, to September 30, 2022. Specifically, the per-diem rates issued include the transportation industry meal and incidental
Tax Benefits for Charitable Giving Expanded in 2021
Recent legislation includes several provisions to help individuals and businesses who give to charity. The new law generally extends four temporary tax changes through the end of 2021. Here’s an overview of these changes. Deduction for individuals who don’t itemize Taxpayers who take the standard deduction usually can’t deduct their
SBA Streamlines Forgiveness of PPP Loans of $150,000 or Less
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) provided more than 11.7 million forgivable loans totaling nearly $800 billion to small businesses and other eligible entities hurt by the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost $400 billion has been forgiven. According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), loans of $150,000 or less
Car and Truck Depreciation Limits Updated for 2021
Whether their business has one company car or a fleet of vehicles, many business owners find company-owned passenger vehicles to be an indispensible tool for running their businesses. Purchasing or leasing a vehicle can be a large expense, but this expense can be somewhat mitigated by depreciating the vehicle over
Do You Have a Household Employee? Are You Sure?
In an effort to capture income from household employees, the tax code requires you to obtain employee information, pay the related state and federal taxes, and withhold taxes for anyone you employ around the house. The requirement for this “nanny tax” comes into play if you pay any one individual
Child Tax Credit Payments Have Begun
The first advance payment from the newly expanded child tax credit was recently sent out by the IRS. Payments are scheduled to be made on the 15th of each month through December. The idea of advance payments made for a refundable credit confuses a lot of people, so here’s what
Plan Now to Lower Your 2021 Tax Bill
Now is the time to begin tax planning for your 2021 return. Here are some ideas: Contribute to retirement accounts. Tally up all your 2021 contributions to retirement accounts so far, and estimate how much more you can save between now and December 31. If you are able, consider investing
Advance Child Credit Payments Update
The American Rescue plan signed in March, 2021 requires the IRS to pay out one half of enhanced Child Tax Credits (CTC) to eligible taxpayers beginning this month. If you or someone you know have children, here’s what you need to know: Current status IRS web-sites. The IRS has created
2020 Unemployment Compensation Refunds Are On Their Way
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) retroactively excluded up to $10,200 in unemployment compensation per taxpayer paid in 2020. Since this new law was signed after some tax returns had already been filed, some people who received unemployment compensation in 2020 paid too much tax and were due
Required Minimum Distributions in 2021
Tax-advantaged accounts like 401(k)s and IRAs are convenient ways to save for your retirement. These types of accounts allow to you defer paying taxes on the amount you save until you start withdrawing your savings. The government does want to see that tax revenue eventually, though. To ensure that the