Blog – Page 19

The New RMD Rules-in Layman’s Terms

By Bob Jennings of TaxSpeaker In November 2019, before the Budget Bill was passed, the IRS increased life expectancy tables to more accurately reflect American’s longevity. The adjustment was unrelated to the Budget Bill. Who knows if another change will come (it is under discussion), but there is no direct change as of now from …
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How Form 2848 Can Prevent Potential Fraud

By The IRS Liaison Office Question: How can practitioners receive an entire listing of all Forms 2848 to remove former clients, in an effort to prevent potential fraud? As the Form 2848 instructions now explain, practitioners can request a list of active authorizations. They can submit a Freedom of Information Act request to the IRS …
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Fixing the Error — How Do We Solve Depreciation Mistakes?

By TaxSpeaker Depreciation errors are corrected by either filing an amended return or filing a change in accounting method form. Depreciation errors that are NOT subject to the accounting method change filing requirements require amended returns and include: Amended Returns: You claimed the incorrect amount because of a mathematical error made in any year. You …
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Accountable Plans

By Bob Jennings, CPA, EA, CFP® of TaxSpeaker Many employees incur job related expenses such as mileage, travel, entertainment, dues, licenses, supplies, office equipment, etc. An employee whose employer requires the employee to provide for and pay for such expenses essentially makes the employee pay income and social security tax on the expenses. Because employee …
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Innovative New Program to Help Tax Clients Access Health Insurance

By Stephanie Klapper, Deputy Director, Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative Tax preparers play a big role in people’s lives. Soon, thanks to the Maryland Easy Enrollment Health Insurance Program, preparers will have an opportunity to help clients in another important way—by helping them gain access to quality, affordable health care. Starting this January, Marylanders will be …
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Interview Day At McDaniel College

McDaniel College’s annual Interviewing Day, which took place on October 2, 2019, provided students with the opportunity to “speed interview” with businesses in the Baltimore area, including accounting firms, banks, insurance agencies, and investment companies. At the event, students were able to interview for internships or jobs, or to gain experience in the interviewing process …
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World War II – The Greatest Health Care Change of All Time

By Jonathan Pocius of Payroll Services, LLC I recently attended a meeting with several colleagues with a healthcare guest speaker. Being a licensed insurance broker I always enjoy listening to new strategies. I learned a little known fact: World War II gave birth to the private health care market. In 1942, Congress passed the Stabilization …
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Unlimited Time Off: An Employees Dream Or a Potential Liability?

By Jonathan Pocius of Payroll Services, LLC A new trend is popping up in some companies: Unlimited Time Off. UTO policies are becoming more popular in startups, tech companies and nonprofit organizations trying to make up for salary gaps. There are pros and cons to UTO Policies, however there are serious questions that need to …
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Records Retention Guidelines to Remember

Records Retention Guidelines to Remember Warm weather and rainy days bring the urge to purge. But before you clean your file cabinets or declutter your computer files, it’s important to review these guidelines. Federal Tax Records Most tax advisors recommend that you retain copies of your finished tax returns indefinitely to prove that you …
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#TechTips: eSignatures

By Jonathan Rivlin, CPA We’re going to kick this post off with a confession: I don’t like eFiling. In fact, I hate eFiling. In the early aughts, when this new system was forced upon our profession, I thought it would be a great thing for our clients. And in some respects it is. But the …
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