Due to the increase in user entities outsourcing various processes and segments of their business, the demand for assurance of confidentiality and privacy of those service organizations has become a standard part of conducting business. In 2011, SAS 70 was changed into SOC audit (Service Organization Controls reports), to prevent the continued misuse of the old standard for assessing internal controls. The two most common types of audits, SOC 1 and SOC 2, can be broken down into two types of reports (Type I and type II), based on the impact of those internal controls on financial reporting and the time period being audited.
Author: Melissa Lomeli
Preparing Taxes for 2018 and Beyond
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Tax reform has changed the way most taxpayers need to think about and plan for their taxes. It is no longer business as usual, and those who think it is are in for a rude awakening come tax time next year. |
How Alimony is Treated for Tax Purposes
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Alimony is the term used for payments to a separated spouse or ex-spouse as part of a divorce or separation agreement. Since 1985, to be alimony for tax purposes, the payments:
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Surprise! Extender Bill Passed: Do You Benefit?
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Congress passed the Budget Bill early in the night, and the President signed it on Friday, February 9th. To the surprise of many, the bill included a number of extenders that retroactively apply to 2017 returns. Were you lucky enough to benefit? |
New Business Tax Law Highlights
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act offers favorable tax breaks for businesses
Signed into law on December 22, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) contains a treasure trove of tax breaks for businesses. Overall, most companies and business owners will come out ahead under the new tax law; however, there are a number of tax breaks that were eliminated or reduced to make room for other beneficial revisions. Here are the most important changes in the new law that will affect businesses and their owners.
Enhance Your Cash Flow, Enhance Your Business
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We’ve discussed at length in the past about how cash flow is ultimately one of the most important factors of a business that far too many people just aren’t paying enough attention to. Cash flow maintenance is about more than just knowing how much money is coming in versus how much money is going out. Even if your business is very close to true profitability, this ultimately won’t mean a thing if you’re dealing with clients who are slow to pay. This can seriously impact your momentum, and worse — your chances at long-term success. |
Startups: Research Credit Can Offset Payroll Taxes
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A little-known tax benefit for new, qualified small businesses is the ability to apply a portion of their research credit – no more than $250,000 – to pay the employer’s share of their employees’ FICA withholding requirement (the 6.2% payroll tax). This can be quite a benefit, as in their early years, start-up companies generally do not have any taxable profits for the research credit to offset; quite often, it is in these early years when companies make expenditures that qualify for the research credit. This can substantially help these young companies’ cash flow. |
Thinking of Tossing Old Tax Records? Read This First
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Now that your taxes have been completed for 2016, you are probably wondering which old tax records can be discarded. If you are like most taxpayers, you have records from years ago that you are afraid to throw away. It would be helpful to understand why the records must be kept in the first place. |
Who Controls the Funds in a Section 529 Plan?
This question frequently arises: Who controls the funds in a Section 529 plan? These accounts can become quite large, as they are limited only by the projected cost of a college education, and those costs will vary between state plans. Some states base their maximums on the cost of an in-state, four-year education, but others use the cost of the most expensive schools in the U.S.—including graduate studies. Most have limits in excess of $200,000, and some can reach $475,000 or more. Thus, it is only natural that those who fund an account would be concerned about who controls the account’s distributions. This is especially true when grandparents or others are making contributions to an account that is limited only by gift-tax considerations.
Don’t Be Scammed by Fake Charities
Each year at this time, the IRS publishes its list of the “dirty dozen” tax scams. Among the dirty dozen are groups that masquerade as charitable organizations to attract donations from unsuspecting contributors. Before you write a check, be aware that fraudsters are out there soliciting on behalf of fake charities and that some so-called charities aren’t entirely honest about how they use contributions.