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Every fall, CPAs are busy preparing for audit season, which generally runs from January to April each year. This includes meeting with clients, assigning staff and scheduling fieldwork. Likewise, organizations with calendar year ends should prepare for audit fieldwork. A little prep work this fall can help facilitate the process, minimize adjustments and surprises, and add more value to the audit process. Here are four [...]

If you’re age 50 or older, you can probably make extra “catch-up” contributions to your tax-favored retirement account(s). It is worth the trouble? Yes! Here are the rules of the road. The deal with IRAs Eligible taxpayers can make extra catch-up contributions of up to $1,000 annually to a traditional or Roth IRA. If you’ll be 50 or older as of December 31, 2023, you [...]

If you’re planning your estate, or you’ve recently inherited assets, you may be unsure of the “cost” (or “basis”) for tax purposes. How do the rules work? Under the current fair market value basis rules (also known as the “step-up and step-down” rules), an heir receives a basis in inherited property equal to its date-of-death value. So, for example, if your grandfather bought stock in [...]

Tax reporting may be the last thing on your mind when planning a special fundraising event. But your not-for-profit should carefully track revenues and expenses and retain related documentation now to facilitate the reporting process later. Pay attention to the following issues. What to report Tax reporting for an event may require different — and more — information than financial statement reporting does. If your organization adheres [...]

Most not-for-profits develop a culture over time that comes to define the organization. But even if your organization has a successful record and reputation, your staffers can become complacent and growth and productivity can suffer. Here’s how to determine if you need to make cultural changes. Signs of trouble There are several signs that a nonprofit’s culture is stagnating. For example, you may notice a [...]

The SECURE 2.0 law, which was enacted last year, contains wide-ranging changes to retirement plans. One provision in the law is that eligible employers will soon be able to provide more help to staff members facing emergencies. This will be done through what the law calls “pension-linked emergency savings accounts.” Effective for plan years beginning January 1, 2024, SECURE 2.0 permits a plan sponsor to [...]

Government officials saw a large increase in the number of new businesses launched during the COVID-19 pandemic. And the U.S. Census Bureau reports that business applications are still increasing slightly (up 0.4% from April 2023 to May 2023). The Bureau measures this by tracking the number of businesses applying for Employer Identification Numbers. If you’re one of the entrepreneurs, you may not know that many [...]

Does your business receive large amounts of cash or cash equivalents? If so, you’re generally required to report these transactions to the IRS — and not just on your tax return. The requirements Each person who, in the course of operating a trade or business, receives more than $10,000 in cash in one transaction (or two or more related transactions), must file Form 8300. Who [...]

Here are some of the key tax-related deadlines affecting businesses and other employers during the third quarter of 2023. Keep in mind that this list isn’t all-inclusive, so there may be additional deadlines that apply to you. Contact us to ensure you’re meeting all applicable deadlines and to learn more about the filing requirements. July 31 Report income tax withholding and FICA taxes for second [...]

Even if your not-for-profit’s fundraising results have been lackluster recently, one high-net-worth donor can turn your year around and make it a fundraising success. The question is: How do you find ultra-wealthy individuals with philanthropic intentions? Who they are A 2022 BNY Mellon study found that most individuals with at least $5 million in assets under professional management work with wealth management advisors on their charitable giving [...]

The IRS recently released guidance providing the 2024 inflation-adjusted amounts for Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). HSA fundamentals An HSA is a trust created or organized exclusively for the purpose of paying the “qualified medical expenses” of an “account beneficiary.” An HSA can only be established for the benefit of an “eligible individual” who is covered under a “high-deductible health plan.” In addition, a participant can’t [...]

Timely financial information is critical to a successful business or nonprofit organization. In today’s dynamic marketplace, you may need to act fast to ward off potential threats and risks — and jump on new opportunities. But if you wait until your financial statements are released to react, you’ll likely miss out. Flash reports can provide real-time data that can help management respond to changing conditions. [...]

“Thousands of people have lost millions of dollars and their personal information to tax scams,” according to the IRS. The scams may come in through email, text messages, telephone calls or regular mail. Criminals regularly target both individuals and businesses and often prey on the elderly. Important: The IRS will never contact you by email, text or social media channels about a tax bill or [...]

It’s common for high-growth and seasonal businesses to have occasional shortfalls in their checking accounts. The reason relates to the cash conversion cycle — that is, it takes time to collect on customer invoices. In the meantime, of course, employees and suppliers want to get paid. The “cash gap” is currently getting wider for many companies. A recent study by CFO / The Hackett Group shows that [...]