Leasehold Improvements: Tax Implications for Landlords & Tenants
Leasehold improvements are changes made to rental properties to meet tenant needs. These can include new partitions, flooring, and fixtures. This article explores the benefits, tax implications, and who typically covers the costs of leasehold improvements. Key Takeaways Leasehold improvements are custom modifications made to enhance leased spaces, tailored to tenant specifications, significantly impacting property […]
How to Handle a CP14 Notice from the IRS
An IRS CP14 notice means you owe taxes to the IRS. This guide will explain why you got the notice and what you need to do next. Key Takeaways A CP14 notice from the IRS indicates outstanding tax debts and includes details such as the amount owed, reasons for the balance, and instructions for payment. […]
Understanding What Is a Single Member LLC: A Quick Guide
What is a Single Member LLC? A Single Member LLC, or limited liability company, is a business structure that provides one owner with liability protection and tax benefits, merging the simplicity of a sole proprietorship with the advantages of a corporation. This article will examine its definition, operation, tax treatment, comparisons with other structures, and […]
Do Venmo and Other Cash Apps Report to IRS for Personal Use?
Curious if Venmo, Zelle, Cash App, PayPal and other payment apps must report your personal transactions to the IRS? The short answer is no, payment apps on phones do not report personal payments. However, the scenario for payment apps changes when it comes to business payments. Venmo and Your Tax Return Handling tax reporting for […]
Mastering QuickBooks Online Receipt Capture | Your Ultimate Guide
QuickBooks Online Receipt Capture is an essential feature that helps businesses easily manage and store their receipts. By automating the process of recording and attaching receipts to transactions it ensures accuracy and saves time. This article will guide you through how to use QuickBooks Online Receipt Capture effectively, its benefits, and troubleshooting tips. Key Takeaways […]
How Far Back Can the IRS Audit? Know Your Limits
How far back can the IRS audit your tax returns? Generally, it’s three years, but certain circumstances can extend this period to six or even indefinitely. In this article, we will explore these audit timeframes and what triggers them, helping you understand how to keep your records in order. Key Takeaways The standard IRS audit […]
Mastering Nonprofit Bookkeeping: Best Practices and Essential Tips
Nonprofit bookkeeping is crucial for ensuring financial transparency and compliance in organizations committed to a mission rather than profit. Unlike for-profit accounting, it requires careful tracking of funds in line with donor restrictions and regulatory requirements. This guide will walk you through the essentials of nonprofit bookkeeping, from understanding key financial statements to implementing best […]
What is a Cost Segregation Study?
What is cost segregation? Cost segregation is a federal income tax strategy that allows property owners to accelerate depreciation deductions, ultimately enhancing cash flow and deferring tax payments. A cost segregation study is a strategic tax savings tool that allows companies and individuals who have purchased, constructed, expanded, or remodeled any kind of real estate […]
The Ultimate Guide to Construction Accounting
Construction accounting involves unique practices such as job costing, revenue recognition and managing overhead costs that are specific to each project. For construction companies, understanding these methods is essential to ensure financial health and tax compliance. This article will explain the core principles of construction accounting, the key differences from regular accounting, and best practices […]
Top Benefits of Hiring a Real Estate Tax Accountant
Wondering if a real estate tax accountant can boost your investment returns and minimize taxes? In this article, we’ll show how these specialists handle complex tax laws and keep you out of tax trouble. Key Takeaways Real estate tax accountants possess specialized knowledge of tax laws and strategies specific to real estate, enabling them to […]
Tax and Immigration
The Connection Between Immigration and Taxes Immigration and taxes have a lot to do with each other. In fact, taxation and immigration go hand in hand throughout the USCIS immigration process, creating various tax obligations for immigrants. With over 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US (according to a recent study of the Migration Policy […]
The Complete Guide to Filing Taxes for a Deceased Person
Filing taxes for a deceased person can be complex. This article explains how to file their final tax return, report income, and claim deductions. It also covers the responsibilities of the personal representative, the importance of selecting the correct filing status, and the potential consequences of failing to file a final return. Additionally, the article […]
IRS Audit Guide (Updated for 2024)
IRS Audit: What to Know, What to Do in 2024 Taxpayers are selected for an IRS audit for a variety of reasons. Some taxpayers are chosen due to a document mismatch, such as a return that is missing 1099’s or W-2’s. The IRS computers usually spot missing documents based on the social security number (SSN) […]
Solar Tax Credits
The United States and much of the world is turning from fossil fuels to alternative forms of energy. According to an August, 2023 article in the New York Times, this shift is found even in areas dominated by the oil and gas industries. To a certain extent, this shift is encouraged in the United States […]
Reasonable Compensation, Payroll and Distributions for an S Corp Owner
Many small businesses are formed as S corporations. S corps have been around for many years. Their popularity has a lot to do with the fact that s corporations offer both tax savings and a high degree of liability protection in the event of a lawsuit. While S corps are very popular, the issue of […]
Tax Planning Strategies for Financial Success
Tax planning is the overall topic of our recent podcast with The Shift Spot, a peer advisory community of fellow business owners who are passionate about making radical shifts in their businesses and lives. Tax planning is the selection of legal options to minimize or eliminate taxes. Tax planning includes optimizing the structure of transactions […]
Divorce and Taxes: How to Protect Yourself
Divorce and taxes are the important subject of our live event with Pacific Cascade Legal, a premier family law firm in Oregon and Washington. We discuss how divorce impacts joint tax liability, when there might be relief granted for separation of joint liability, and other important tax considerations when navigating divorce from your spouse. […]
How to Avoid IRS Trouble
The thought of IRS trouble, “red flags” and audits are enough to worry any business owner. In this podcast, we talk about how to avoid IRS tax problems, and what to do if they arise. In the podcast, we cover a variety of topics including: Organizing your business for tax preparation Tax calendar […]
Opportunity Zone: Defer or Eliminate Capital Gains
The Qualified Opportunity Zone Program has been around since 2017. It is a valuable tax planning strategy that is available to taxpayers even if they do not own a business. The program provides tax benefits to long term investors in communities called Qualified Opportunity Zones. These are geographic areas that need improvement or development, such […]
Family Business Ideas
Family business owners Olivia and Carmen Amyette, Infinity Energy Advisors, and Gary Massey, owner of Massey and Company CPA were the guests on this episode of Family Business Radio. The subjects of the episode are family business ideas and entrepreneurship. Family Business Ideas – Podcast Olivia and Carmen, her mom, talked about Olivia’s accomplishments and […]
Do I Need Advisors to Grow My Small Business?
Why a Small Business Should Expand and Collaborate with a CPA, a Business Consultant and other Advisors Guest post written by Tony R. Kitchens Hello, fellow entrepreneurs and small business owners! Today, I want to address a crucial topic that often arises in the early stages of business development: the importance of growing beyond […]
Taxes When Selling a Home
Tax Considerations When Selling a Home Many people move during the summer. We see this in our CPA practice every year. Taxpayers who are selling their home may qualify to exclude all or part of any gain from the sale from their income when filing their tax return. When selling a home or residence, homeowners […]
Atlanta CPA Tip: Quarterly Taxes
Atlanta CPA Reminds about Quarterly Taxes Small business owners, investors and independent contractors who are required to pay quarterly taxes to the IRS should consider the June 15, 2023 deadline to stay current with their taxes. Why Make Quarterly Tax Payments? Taxpayers who do not have their taxes withheld from wages (payroll taxes) are required […]
Compensation: How Much to Pay Yourself
Maximizing Tax Savings for Entrepreneurs: Understanding Reasonable Compensation for LLCs and S Corporations Chances are you’ve seen something online about the potential tax savings of switching from an LLC to an S Corporation. However, most of these articles and videos gloss over the most important input of this decision – how much to pay yourself. […]
409A Valuations and Stock Options
Thanks to the IRS, 409A valuations are a regular part of business for companies that issue stock options to employees. This is the reality for any company that uses stock options as part of its employee compensation, including many early-stage companies. Businesses that issue stock options should get a valuation at least annually. IRS Requires […]
Section 1031 Exchange and Delaware Statutory Trust
Delaware Statutory Trust as a Section 1031 Exchange Solution for Real Estate Investors Section 1031 allows an investor to sell real estate for a gain and then roll the proceeds into another “like-kind” asset. This type of transaction is called a “1031 exchange,” which allows the investor to defer paying capital gains tax on the […]
Past Due Tax Returns
Millions of people across the United States do not file tax returns under the mistaken belief that it is best not to file a tax return if they cannot pay the tax. However, past due or unfiled tax returns cause a host of problems. It is both illegal not to file and a strategic mistake. […]
ProfitSense Podcast
Family Owned Businesses In this inspiring episode of 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘚𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 with Bill McDermott, Gary Massey, CPA discusses the story of his firm and how a little advance planning avoids tax headaches down the road. Bronson Lavender, Senior Vice President with Pinnacle Bank, talks about his passion and calling for helping clients throughout his career in banking. […]
CPA Tax Tips for New Businesses in Atlanta
Owners of new businesses call my tax and accounting office in Atlanta looking for “CPA tax tips.” In this article I will share some of the CPA tax tips that tend to be the most meaningful, practical and useful for creating and running a new business. Stay in Touch with your CPA Expect your […]
Late Tax Returns [updated for 2024]
Late tax returns? Maybe you are due a refund? Atlanta taxpayers, if you are behind in your tax filings by months or even years, this article is for you! We meet with new clients of our Atlanta certified public accounting firm who are due a tax refund from a prior year for which they have […]
Receipts for Taxes and Small Business Accounting
Keeping receipts for taxes and small business accounting. Both are critical. Whether your business is small and just starting out, or it has grown into a thriving success story, keeping receipts for taxes and keeping the books is of paramount importance to protect your business and allow for continued service to your customers. In the […]
Start Preparing To File Taxes Today
Tax Season 2021 is nearly here. Here are five tips to start preparing taxes today and make tax season less stressful. It is never too early to start preparing for tax season. For this reason, we have arranged five tips to help people file taxes returns on time and to save money along the way. […]
Charitable Contributions: What is New?
Deduct Charitable Contributions Up to $300 in Cash. Charitable contributions in cash of up to $300 made this year by December 31, 2020 are now deductible without having to itemize when filing taxes in 2021. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (The CARES Act) includes several temporary tax law changes to help charities. […]
Business Meals at Sporting Events
Business Meals Before, During or After the Game. Atlanta businesses used to enjoy a tax deduction for taking clients to the Atlanta Braves, the Hawks, the Falcons and other sporting and entertainment events. The same was true for college games (Georgia Bulldogs, Georgia State Panthers and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, just to mention the […]
Penalties for Tax Evasion
A Real-Life Example of Tax Evasion. As a result of an IRS criminal investigation, a Shreveport, Louisiana business owner was sentenced on September 29, 2020. Penalties for tax evasion included 3 years and 4 months in prison and nearly $2 million in restitution payments to the IRS. According to documents and information provided to the […]