News and Posts

Businesses need financial information that’s accurate, relevant and timely. The Securities and Exchange Commission requires publicly traded companies to follow U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), often considered the “gold standard” in financial reporting in the United States. But privately held companies can use simplified alternative accounting methods. What’s right for your business depends on its size, regulatory and contractual requirements, management’s future plans and [...]

Your not-for-profit may prefer to avoid activities that subject it to unrelated business income tax (UBIT). But if you accept advertising or sponsorships that aren’t substantially related to your tax-exempt purpose, you may unwittingly expose your organization to UBIT liability. The rules governing these types of support are complicated, so it’s important to have a basic understanding of what is and what isn’t potentially taxable. [...]

If you’re planning your estate, or you’ve recently inherited assets, you may be unsure of the “cost” (or “basis”) for tax purposes. The current rules 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 grandmother bought stock in 1935 for [...]

More than 43 million student borrowers are in debt with an average of $39,351 each, according to the research group EducationData.org. If you have student loan debt, you may wonder if you can deduct the interest you pay. The answer is yes, subject to certain limits. However, the deduction is phased out if your adjusted gross income exceeds certain levels — and they aren’t as [...]

Do you have significant investment-related expenses, including the cost of subscriptions to financial services, home office expenses and clerical costs? Under current tax law, these expenses aren’t deductible through 2025 if they’re considered investment expenses for the production of income. But they’re deductible if they’re considered trade or business expenses. For years before 2018, production-of-income expenses were deductible, but they were included in miscellaneous itemized [...]

A critical deadline is approaching for many of the businesses that have received loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which was created in March 2020 by the CARES Act. If these borrowers don’t take action before the deadline expires, their loans will become standard loans, and the borrowers could be responsible for repaying the full amount plus 1% interest before the maturity date. In [...]

Analytical software tools will never fully replace auditors, but they can help auditors do their work more efficiently and effectively. Here’s an overview of how data analytics — such as outlier detection, regression analysis and semantic modeling — can enhance the audit process. Auditors bring experience and professional skepticism When it’s appropriate, instead of manually testing a representative data sample, auditors can use analytical software [...]

Businesses rely on internal controls to help ensure the accuracy and integrity of their financial statements, as well as prevent fraud, waste and abuse. Given their importance, internal controls are a key area of focus for internal and external auditors. Many auditors use detailed internal control questionnaires to help evaluate the internal control environment — and ensure a comprehensive assessment. Although some audit teams still [...]

What happens when a tax-exempt agency seems to be skirting tax laws? On its website, the IRS explains the process of filing a complaint when violations of laws or IRS rules are suspected. Agencies that apply for and are granted a tax-exemption can generally operate free of most tax as long as they meet the criteria and operate according to restrictions. The agencies must avoid [...]

Agility — or the ability to react quickly — is essential to surviving and thriving in today’s competitive landscape. Though agile techniques were originally used in the realm of software development, this concept has many applications in the modern business world, including how companies approach their internal audits. Here’s an overview of agile auditing and why many internal audit teams are jumping on the bandwagon. [...]

The tax code provides a credit (of up to $7,500) to purchasers of qualified plug-in electric-drive passenger vehicles and light trucks. The IRS has added Ford, Hyundai and Porsche models to the list of vehicles eligible for the credit. They are the 2021: Ford Mustang Mach-E GT ($7,500); Hyundai Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid EV ($4,543); Hyundai Ioniq Electric Battery Vehicle ($7,500); Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid ($7,500); Porsche [...]

Are you eligible to take the deduction for qualified business income (QBI)? Here are 10 facts about this valuable tax break, referred to as the pass-through deduction, QBI deduction or Section 199A deduction.  It’s available to owners of sole proprietorships, single member limited liability companies (LLCs), partnerships and S corporations. It may also be claimed by trusts and estates. The deduction is intended to reduce [...]

Cryptocurrency has gone mainstream, and if you’ve been sitting on the fence about accepting donations in virtual currency, it’s time to make a decision. But before your not-for-profit says “yes” to a Bitcoin (or other cryptocurrency) gift, make sure you understand the issues involved — including the risks. Virtual currency = risk Cryptocurrency refers to a decentralized form of digital currency that’s tracked in a [...]

The IRS just released its audit statistics for the 2020 fiscal year and fewer taxpayers had their returns examined as compared with prior years. But even though a small percentage of returns are being chosen for audit these days, that will be little consolation if yours is one of them. Latest statistics Overall, just 0.5% of individual tax returns were audited in 2020. However, as [...]