The latest round of stimulus approved by Congress in response to the ongoing pandemic further enhances the employee retention tax credit (ERC) and the benefits it provides to eligible taxpayers that keep employees on payroll despite COVID-related suspensions of operations or declines in gross revenue. With the enactment of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan […]
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 […]
Posted on February 11, 2021
by
Rick Bazzani
Millions of college-age students are taking a gap year or living at home during the Fall 2020/Spring 2021 semesters while many classes have moved online as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important for families to understand how these decisions may affect the funds they have saved in 529 plans. A 529 college […]
Posted on February 08, 2021
by
Joseph Saka
The IRS warns taxpayers to be on alert to a rise in identity-theft schemes related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including phony offers for government-backed economic relief, access to FDA-approved vaccines or other products falsely marketed as virus cures. In one scam, thieves are directing victims to click on a link in a text message to […]
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 […]
As businesses and nonprofits close their books for 2020, those that received SBA-backed Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans must now consider how they will account for those funds on their end-of-year financial statements. Absent specific reporting requirements from the SBA or the IRS, borrowers can instead rely on technical guidance issued by organizations that include […]
Posted on January 14, 2021
by
Andrew Leonard
The Small Business Administration (SBA) and U.S. Treasury Department recently announced the opening dates for the second round of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP2) and released the application forms small businesses, nonprofits and other qualifying entities should use when applying for first-time and second-draw loans under the revived program. Lenders with $1 billion or less […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
