Returning Value Blog

Are you reporting the value of your frequent flyer miles as taxable income?

Most of the health and welfare plans offered by employers today are subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Generally, ERISA envisions that employee benefit plans will have both a plan document and a summary plan description (SPD). But, in some cases, a single document may serve both purposes. Let’s look at the difference between the two and under what circumstances they may be combined.

Meal, vehicle, and travel expenses are common deductions for businesses. But if you don’t properly document these expenses, you could find your deductions denied by the IRS.

For tax years beginning in 2018 and beyond, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) created a flat 21% federal income tax rate for C corporations. Under prior law, C corporations were taxed at rates as high as 35%. The TCJA also reduced individual income tax rates, which apply to sole proprietorships and pass-through entities, including partnerships, S corporations, and, typically, limited liability companies (LLCs). The top rate, however, dropped only slightly, from 39.6% to 37%.

There are several different types of tax-free weekend events in the U.S. Some apply to Energy Star products or hurricane preparedness, or back-to-school shopping needs. This year the State of Alabama will be participating in the Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday Weekend beginning Friday, July 20 through Sunday, July 22. Alabama’s 13th Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday will begin at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, July 20, and end at midnight on Sunday, July 22.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) provides a valuable new tax break to noncorporate owners of pass-through entities: a deduction for a portion of qualified business income (QBI). The deduction generally applies to income from sole proprietorships, partnerships, S corporations and, typically, limited liability companies (LLCs). It can equal as much as 20% of QBI. But once taxable income exceeds $315,000 for married couples filing jointly or $157,500 for other filers, a wage limit begins to phase in.

For small businesses, managing payroll can be one of the most arduous tasks. Adding to the burden earlier this year was adjusting income tax withholding based on the new tables issued by the IRS. (Those tables account for changes under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.) But it’s crucial not only to withhold the appropriate taxes — including both income tax and employment taxes — but also to remit them on time to the federal government.

Analytical procedures can make audits more efficient and effective. First, they can help during the planning and review stages of the audit. But analytics can have an even bigger impact when used to supplement substantive testing during fieldwork.

Implementing changes in accounting rules can be a real drag. But the new hedge accounting standard may be an exception to this generality. Many companies welcome this update and may even want to adopt it early because the new rules are more flexible and attempt to make hedging strategies easier to report on financial statements.

An employer may occasionally receive a National Medical Support Notice (NMSN). If this ever happens to your organization, here’s what you should know.