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Business owners are aware that the price of gas is historically high, which has made their vehicle costs soar. The average nationwide price of a gallon of unleaded regular gas on June 17 was $5, compared with $3.08 a year earlier, according to the AAA Gas Prices website. A gallon of diesel averaged $5.78 a gallon, compared with $3.21 a year earlier. Fortunately, the IRS [...]

Many states have already held primary elections, and the airwaves are clogged with candidate ads. Yes, the November “mid-terms” election season has begun! So now is a good time to review political activity restrictions that affect Section 501(c)(3) organizations. What activities are forbidden? In general, tax-exempt organizations aren’t allowed to act directly or indirectly in federal, state or local campaigns either for or against a [...]

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced lockdowns in Spring 2020, many not-for-profit organizations initially resisted laying off employees. Retention tax credits provided under the CARES Act helped. But nonprofits that are still struggling may think they have no choice but to cut compensation expenses, especially as high inflation increases the cost of other expenses. However, your organization may still have alternatives to terminating employees. Here are [...]

If you’ve recently begun receiving disability income, you may wonder how it’s taxed. The answer is: It depends. The key issue is: Who paid for the benefit? If the income is paid directly to you by your employer, it’s taxable to you just as your ordinary salary would be. (Taxable benefits are also subject to federal income tax withholding. However, depending on the employer’s disability [...]

It’s not just businesses that can deduct vehicle-related expenses on their tax returns. Individuals also can deduct them in certain circumstances. Unfortunately, under current law, you may not be able to deduct as much as you could years ago. For years prior to 2018, miles driven for business, moving, medical and charitable purposes were potentially deductible. For 2018 through 2025, business and moving miles are [...]

Are you in the early stages of divorce? In addition to the tough personal issues that you’re dealing with, several tax concerns need to be addressed to ensure that taxes are kept to a minimum and that important tax-related decisions are properly made. Here are five issues to consider if you’re in the process of getting a divorce. Alimony or support payments. For alimony under [...]

The pandemic and the ensuing economic turmoil have put tremendous stress on businesses. Many companies that appeared healthy on the surface, on their financial statements, quickly realized that they weren’t prepared for the unexpected. A so-called “stress test” of your company’s financial position and its ability to withstand a crisis can help prevent this situation from recurring in the future. In general, stress tests evaluate [...]

In the spirit of Independence Day, it’s a good time to review the rules for auditor independence. If you discover potential issues now, there’s still plenty of time to take corrective action before next year’s audit begins. Definition of independence Independence is one of the most important requirements for audit firms. It’s why investors and lenders trust CPAs to provide unbiased opinions about the presentation [...]

Recent supply shortages may cause unexpected problems for some businesses that use the last-in, first-out (LIFO) method for their inventory. Here’s an overview of what’s happening so you won’t be blindsided by the effects of so-called “LIFO liquidation.” Inventory reporting methods Retailers generally record inventory when it’s received and title transfers to the company. Then, it moves to cost of goods sold when the product [...]

There’s a valuable tax deduction available to a C corporation when it receives dividends. The “dividends-received deduction” is designed to reduce or eliminate an extra level of tax on dividends received by a corporation. As a result, a corporation will typically be taxed at a lower rate on dividends than on capital gains. Ordinarily, the deduction is 50% of the dividend, with the result that [...]

Here’s an interesting option if your small company or start-up business is planning to claim the research tax credit. Subject to limits, you can elect to apply all or some of any research tax credits that you earn against your payroll taxes instead of your income tax. This payroll tax election may influence some businesses to undertake or increase their research activities. On the other [...]

Are you a partner in a business? You may have come across a situation that’s puzzling. In a given year, you may be taxed on more partnership income than was distributed to you from the partnership in which you’re a partner. Why does this happen? It’s due to the way partnerships and partners are taxed. Unlike C corporations, partnerships aren’t subject to income tax. Instead, [...]

The 2022 Report to the Nations from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners reports that not-for-profits are the least likely type of organization to experience occupational fraud. Sounds like good news, right? Unfortunately, the $60,000 median loss is more than most nonprofits can afford. Fewer financial and staff resources and less vigorous oversight and enforcement of internal controls can make nonprofits vulnerable. But inexpensive controls [...]

If your not-for-profit hasn’t conducted an executive search since before the pandemic, anticipate an altered search landscape. For example, the job market now is tighter and, given the prevalence of working from home, candidates may not want to consider relocating. A search committee of board members should keep comprehensive, up-to-date job descriptions for executive positions and list the knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes required. Also, [...]