Returning Value Blog

Do you buy or lease computer software to use in your business? Do you develop computer software for use in your business or for sale or lease to others? Then you should be aware of the complex rules that apply to determine the tax treatment of the expenses of buying, leasing, or developing computer software.

Are you wondering if the passive activity loss rules affect business ventures you’re engaged in — or might engage in?

If your remote employees live in the state where your business is located, you must follow federal employment laws plus your state's employment rules. But if your remote employees live in a different state from where you conduct business, you must comply with federal employment laws plus the labor laws for each state in which your employees reside. This applies to all areas of employment, including hiring, performance management, payroll, and employee benefits.

The Persevere stage of economic recovery is also known as “the dip” immediately following a crisis, or in this case, the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting recession. During this time, businesses of all sizes are in triage mode, taking immediate action to protect their employees and keep the lights on. Achieving these goals requires agility, strategy, and resilience, but it also requires another key element: liquidity.

On September 17, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued an accounting rule that will provide more detailed information about noncash contributions charities and other not-for-profit organizations receive known as “gifts in kind.” Here are the details.

IRS audit rates are historically low, according to the latest data, but that’s little consolation if your return is among those selected to be examined. But with proper preparation and planning, you should fare well.

The pandemic has thrown businesses into a never-before-seen scenario that has upended how they operate. Many businesses that were thriving before the pandemic now find themselves having to make difficult decisions, including whether to furlough or lay off employees. This task is not as simple as cutting payroll. Other factors must be considered. For example, furloughed employees are treated differently than laid-off employees when it comes to employee benefits.

August 3, 2020, President Trump signed the legislation to assist nonprofits and government entities into law.

Businesses that would typically provide a Form 1099-MISC to independent contractors (and certain others) and the IRS need to be aware of new IRS Form 1099-NEC. For non-employee compensation paid during 2020, payers must provide Form 1099-NEC (instead of Form 1099-MISC) to the recipients and to the IRS no later than January 31, 2021. In addition, the IRS has redesigned Form 1099-MISC, so businesses should expect that reporting may be somewhat different from past years.

The U.S. presidential election is just over a month away, yet neither candidate has released a formal, detailed plan addressing his vision for the tax code. We can, however, gain a sense of how their approaches differ through casual mentions of some aspects of tax policy on the campaign trail.