Business Consulting and Planning

Latest Stimulus Package Changes Tax Treatment of Unemployment Benefits Received in 2020 by Joanie B. Stein, CPA

Posted on April 07, 2021 by Joanie Stein

The American Rescue Plan (ARP), signed into law on March 11, 2021, allows eligible taxpayers to exclude from their 2020 taxable income up to $10,200 in unemployment benefits they received last year. This relief is subject to certain restrictions and limitations as well as further changes as the IRS continues to issue guidance. Ordinarily, unemployment […]

The Strategic Imperative for ESG Reporting by David E. Kolan, CPA

Posted on March 09, 2021 by David Kolan

Consumers’ passions to live more socially conscious, environmentally responsible lives has seeped deeper into the corporate world, where companies are now expected to address their impact on these societal issues with the same level of enthusiasm as its customers and investors. It is consequently no surprise that more than 90 percent of U.S. companies traded […]

Commercial Real Estate Landlords Can Find Tax Savings in COVID-Related Abandonment Losses by John G. Ebenger, CPA

Posted on February 22, 2021 by John Ebenger

With all the economic hardships caused by the COVID-19 crisis, businesses must take the time to carefully review their financial losses to uncover potential opportunities for which they may use those deductions to maximize tax efficiency in 2020 and the years ahead. For example, much ink has been spilled over the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and […]

Time to Pivot Again – Moving Management Beyond COVID-19 Survival by Richard A. Berkowitz, JD,CPA

Posted on January 26, 2021 by Richard Berkowitz

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced businesses to quickly adapt in extraordinary ways. Today, as vaccinations begin to roll out across the country, companies must again prepare to acclimate to a future business environment when the pandemic is no longer paramount. As simple as it may seem to assume that we will all return to “business […]

2021 Changes to Tax Provisions Related to Health Care Costs by Adam Cohen, CPA

Posted on January 13, 2021 by Adam Cohen

The COVID-19 pandemic and long-awaited rollout of FDA-approved vaccines this year highlight the importance of planning for rising medical costs and taking advantage of tax breaks, when available, to help you cover some of those expenses. Following are the IRS’s annual cost-of-living adjustments for various provisions of the tax code that relate to health care […]

UPDATED – Did COVID-19 Layoffs Trigger a Partial 401(k) Plan Termination? by Melissa Fleitas, CPA

Posted on January 12, 2021 by Melissa Fleitas

The Consolidations Appropriations Act of 2021, signed into law on Dec. 27, 2020, provides 401(k) sponsors with welcome relief from partial plan terminations that may have otherwise occurred in the wake of COVID-19-related workforce reductions. Background Under longstanding IRS rules, businesses that lay off 20 percent or more of employees covered by a defined-contribution plan in a […]

Business Deductions for Meals and Entertainment Receive Another Update by Kevin McNally, JD

Posted on January 07, 2021 by Kevin McNally

The second round of COVID-19 stimulus signed into law on Dec. 27, 2020, temporarily lifts the 50 percent limitation on deductions for business meal expenses that was first introduced in 2017 by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). Effective for tax years 2021 and 2022, businesses may fully write off 100 percent of the […]

What’s in the New COVID-19 Stimulus Bill for Businesses? by Andrew Leonard, CPA

Posted on December 28, 2020 by Andrew Leonard

On December 27, President Trump signed the $900 billion economic-assistance package approved by Congress earlier in the week to help Americans weather the ongoing financial strains of the COVID-19 health crisis. The legislation calls for direct stimulus payments to qualifying taxpayers, an additional 11-weeks of federal emergency-unemployment benefits and greater flexibility for taxpayers to qualify […]

New Guidance Issued on Deductibility of PPP Loan Expenses by Andrew Leonard, CPA

Posted on December 01, 2020 by Andrew Leonard

The IRS and Treasury Department recently released guidance clarifying how Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) participants must treat loan expenses when they have not received loan forgiveness by the end of the 2020 tax year. Under Revenue Ruling 2020-27 and Revenue Procedure 2020-51, businesses that “reasonably believe” the SBA will forgive their PPP loans in the […]

Protecting PPP Loan Recipients from Civil and Criminal Investigations by Richard Fechter, JD, CAMS, CFE

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Richard Fechter

As millions of business owners and independent contractors seek forgiveness of much-needed Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans they received in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many are surprised to find themselves the subject of fraud investigations by the federal government. Last week, the Justice Department announced it already has publicly charged more than 80 […]

Category: Business Consulting and Planning