A month after the new year begins, your business may be required to comply with rules to report amounts paid to independent contractors, vendors, and others. You may have to send 1099-MISC forms to those whom you pay nonemployee compensation, as well as file copies...
records
Your Weekly ReadDocument your business meal, vehicle, and travel expenses
Meal, vehicle and travel expenses are common deductions for businesses. But if you don’t properly document these expenses, you could find your deductions denied by the IRS. A critical requirement Subject to various rules and limits, business meal (generally 50%),...
Should your business use per diem rates for travel reimbursement?
Updated travel per diem rates go into effect October 1. To simplify recordkeeping, they can be used for reimbursement of ordinary and normal business expenses incurred while employees travel away from home. Per diem advantages As long as employees properly account for...
Now is a great time to purge old tax records
Whether you filed your 2016 tax return by the April 18 deadline or you filed for an extension, you may be overwhelmed by the amount of documentation involved. While you need to hold on to all of your 2016 tax records for now, it’s a great time to take a look at your...
Use certified or registered mail to avoid additional penalties
Because of a weekend and a Washington, D.C., holiday, the 2016 tax return filing deadline for individual taxpayers is Tuesday, April 18. The IRS considers a paper return that’s due April 18 to be timely filed if it’s postmarked by midnight. But dropping your return or...
Is it time to get accountable with your employees’ travel expenses?
Many companies start out, and get pretty far down the road, using the “per diem” approach when reimbursing employees for lodging, meals and incidental expenses. Doing so involves the use of either IRS tables or a simplified high-low method to reimburse workers up to...
Documentation is the key to business deductions
If you have incomplete or missing records and get audited by the IRS, your business will likely lose out on valuable business deductions. Here are two recent U.S. Tax Court cases that help illustrate the rules for documenting your business expenses. Case 1:...
Deduct 100% of certain meal and entertainment expenses
Many businesses host a company picnic for their employees in the summer. It’s a fun activity for your staff. But more importantly, you may be able to take a larger deduction for the cost than you would on other meal and entertainment expenses. Meal and entertainment...
Document your meals, entertainment, auto and travel expenses
If your small business claims deductions for meals, entertainment, auto and travel expenses, be aware that the IRS may closely review them. Too often, taxpayers don’t have the necessary documentation to meet the strict requirements set forth under tax law and by the...
What tax records can you toss once you’ve filed your return?
The short answer is: none. You need to hold on to all of your 2015 tax records for now. But this is a great time to take a look at your records for previous tax years and determine what you can purge. The 7-year rule At minimum, keep tax records for as long as the IRS...
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