Posts by Caras & Shulman

Sec. 179 Expensing and Bonus Depreciation: Beware of Pitfalls

Sec. 179 Expensing and Bonus Depreciation: Beware of Pitfalls

If eligible, you can elect to use Section 179 expensing or bonus depreciation to deduct a large portion of the cost (and in some cases the full cost) of eligible property in the year it’s placed in service. Alternatively, you may follow regular depreciation rules and spread deductions over several years or decades, depending on how the asset is classified under the tax code.

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Tax Tips for November 2023

Tax Tips for November 2023

Click on the links below to jump to each section in this article: New Per Diem Rates for Business Travel Follow IRS Rules to Nail Down a Charitable Tax Deduction Withdrawing ERC Claims   New Per Diem Rates for Business Travel The IRS has announced the per diem rates for ordinary and necessary business travel expenses in fiscal year 2023-24: When using the high-low substantiation method, the rate for travel to high-cost localities is $309 per day and the rate for all other continental...

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Tax Tips for November 2023

Tax Tips for October 2023

Click on the links below to jump to each section in this article: IRS Suspends Processing of New ERC Claims What Exactly Is a “Small Business”? Tax Treatment of Cryptocurrency   IRS Suspends Processing of New ERC Claims The IRS is continuing to warn businesses about aggressive marketing by nefarious actors involving the Employee Retention Credit (ERC). It has suspended the processing of ERC claims until at least year end because of a spike in the number of fraudulent claims. The IRS has...

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Moving Out of State? Learn All the Tax Implications First

Moving Out of State? Learn All the Tax Implications First

With so many people working remotely these days, thinking about moving to another state has become common — perhaps for better weather or to be closer to family. Business owners might contemplate selling their business as part of an out-of-state move. Many retirees also look at moving to a state with a lower cost of living to stretch their retirement savings. If you’ve found yourself harboring such notions, be sure to consider taxes before packing up your things.

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The Ins and Outs of the Home Office Deduction

The Ins and Outs of the Home Office Deduction

The pandemic changed the landscape of work for a lot of people, including the numerous business owners who began running their businesses from their homes. Many are still working from their home offices, whether full-time or on a hybrid basis. If you’re self-employed and run your business from home, or perform certain functions there, you might be able to claim deductions for home office expenses against your business income.

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Don’t Get Carried Away by a Windfall

An “Innocent Spouse” May Be Able to Escape Tax Liability

When a married couple files a joint tax return, each spouse is “jointly and severally” liable for the full amount of tax on the couple’s combined income. That means the IRS can pursue either spouse to collect the entire tax, not just the part that’s attributed to one spouse or the other. This includes any tax deficiency that the IRS assesses after an audit, as well as any penalties and interest. In some cases, however, one spouse may be eligible for “innocent spouse relief.” This generally occurs when one spouse was unaware of a tax understatement that was attributable to the other spouse.

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