Protect Yourself from Unemployment Fraud

Incidents of unemployment fraud continue to rise, thanks mainly to identity theft. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry’s security vendor ID.me, identity thieves are using “phishing attempts and fraud scams leveraging social media, text messaging, and email to lure unsuspecting individuals into providing personal information so that the scammers can claim their identity.”

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry has outlined the following as red flags that a fraudulent unemployment claim was filed involving you or your company:

You receive notification about an unemployment claim for an employee who never worked for you.

It’s likely that the person has no idea their name is being used or the name does not belong to a person to begin with. Many of these scammers file multiple claims at a time, choosing random Pennsylvania employers.

What to do?

Mark “Never worked here” on the form and send it back to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry.

You receive notice regarding an employee who is fully and currently employed by you.

Ask the employee if he or she opened a claim. If they did not file the unemployment claim, it’s probably the work of a scammer using their identity. Instruct the employee to report the fraud to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (links and information posted below).

You receive notice that you have filed an unemployment claim, except you haven’t.

This means your identity was stolen and you should report the fraud to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry.

How to Report Pennsylvania Unemployment Compensation Fraud

Unemployment Compensation Fraud

Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) Fraud

These forms can also be completed over the phone by calling the Pennsylvania Unemployment Compensation Fraud Hotline at 800-692-7469.

Employers Should Report Suspected Fraud as Quickly as Possible

If you receive paperwork, it does not necessarily mean that payments have or will be made on that claim. Either way, it is important for you to report it to us as soon as possible. You will not be charged for benefits paid to those committing fraud via identity theft. If payments are not stopped upfront, then there will be an overpayment set up when the situation is investigated. As always, overpayments credit your account and you are not charged for benefits that were overpaid.

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry has additional resources concerning unemployment compensation fraud that you can access here.

If we can be of any assistance, please contact us online or call 215-723-4881.

Preparing for Digital Assets – Present and Future

As we pass the one-year mark of COVID-19, we are faced with changes in our personal lives which include pieces from the “old normal” and the “new normal.” While we are slowly getting back to living aspects of our lives as we did before the COVID-19 pandemic, there appear to be remaining complexities related to relationships, supply-chains, risk management, and our overall financial health.

We at Canon Capital Wealth Management want to assure you that we remain focused on assisting you as we all move into this new future together.

One of the hot topics in our world right now is the acceleration of digital transformation through new technological advancements and the opportunities for investing. Blockchain and cryptocurrency offerings such as Bitcoin and other digital assets have grown in prominence over the past year. While these areas are high risk because they are complicated and very new, we are paying attention to their rapid evolution. As a part of our commitment to educate ourselves and our clients, we have taken the initiative and will begin formal training through RIA Digital Assets Council (RIADAC) for our investment advisors this spring. When digital assets become available in registered security formats, we are positioned to be ahead of the curve and prepared to assist you.

Learn more about RIADAC, including their predictions for the digital asset space in 2021.

Please reach out to our team if you wish to understand the current options for participating in this uncharted but potentially promising space.

Latest News on COVID-related Legislation and Taxes – May 24, 2021 Update

Tax season may have just ended, but there continues to be various news on legislation and COVID relief.

Individual Payments for Child Tax Credit Starting on July 15.

While this has not received a lot of press, be aware you may be receiving payments from the IRS soon if you have a child under 18 claimed as a dependent and your income is under certain thresholds. The American Rescue Plan Act provided for advanced payments of the child tax credit anticipated on a taxpayer’s 2021 income tax return. The payments will begin on July 15, 2021. Thereafter, they will be made on the 15th of each month unless the 15th falls on a weekend or holiday and will continue through December 2021. The total amount paid out prior to the end of the year will estimate 50% of the IRS’s estimate of the 2021 credit. Recipients will receive the monthly payments through direct deposit, paper check, or debit cards. The IRS says that it is committed to maximizing the use of direct deposit. You will need to keep track of these payments for the preparation of your 2021 individual tax return.

The IRS also is required to build an “Opt Out” option on their website for those taxpayers who may not want to receive the monthly payments.

For more information, please visit the IRS website.

Finally, Some Support for Recent Startups

A “recovery startup business” that began operations after February 15, 2020, with $1M or less in average annual gross receipts can now qualify for the employee retention credit (see below) for the third and fourth quarters of 2021. The credit is capped at $50K per quarter, and at this point is not subject to any shutdown restrictions or gross receipts decline tests. In other words, if you started a business after February 15, 2020, you are eligible for a 70% credit against wages paid up to a $50K credit per quarter.

As an example, if you qualify and paid wages of $70K per quarter, you could qualify for a $50K refundable credit and only be out of pocket $20K.

Employee Retention Credit (ERC)

Unfortunately, we continue to hear too many stories of tax preparers who ignored the ERC for their clients in 2020. We also hear too many stories of payroll services who also did not inquire about the credit to have the quarterly payroll returns filed accurately. This credit, in many cases, can be larger than the funds received through the PPP program.  Many businesses don’t realize they qualify for the credit.

If your business was fully or partially shut down on a government order, or you had a “substantial” (either 20% or 50%) decline in gross receipts per quarter compared to 2019, you are eligible for a credit up to $7,000 per employee. We have been helping many clients and non-clients with this credit and its interaction with the PPP loans.

There are two areas of caution with the credit.

First, there are “new companies” that are advertising services to prepare this credit and filings for you. They are typically charging a percentage of the refund as their fee. There is no reason to use one of these companies for the service. As you can imagine, some of these companies are turning out to be less than reputable – and you don’t want a less than reputable company in possession of your payroll records and employee information.

Second, if you qualified in 2020 and filed or amended payroll tax returns to claim the credit, the credit MUST be reported on your 2020 tax returns. Many firms who ignored the credit for their clients altogether and filed annual income tax returns (corporate, partnership, or individual) may now realize their clients qualify for the credit.  While amended payroll tax returns for 2020 can be filed throughout 2021 to claim the credit, keep in mind, the associated income tax returns will have to be amended as well. In the case where an income tax return was filed without the credit, many firms will report the credit for 2020 on the 2021 income tax returns. This is incorrect and will put the credit at risk upon any examination of the returns.  Keep in mind, the IRS has extended the statute for the ERC to five years vs. three. So, we suspect there will be a number of returns audited in the future.

While this article is non-authoritative, it’s one of many that can be found with a simple search that speaks to the subject: When is the Amount of the Employee Retention Credit Subject to Tax?

You can also watch our presentation on the ERC from February.

Lastly, the IRS will most likely not process these credits for 2020 for six months or longer. So, the money won’t be refunded any time soon. If you qualify in 2021, there are some options to receive your money faster.

PPP1 Forgiveness Applications

As stated in an earlier communication, forgiveness applications should now be available through most, or all, lenders and should be considered for filing as soon as possible. For loans under $150K, the application is extremely simple.  However, if you need to coordinate the PPP forgiveness with the Employee Retention Credit, or other grants or programs like Families First, the application may not be so straightforward. If your business received assistance from another government program besides PPP that assisted with payroll, we would encourage you to check with your tax preparer prior to filing the application.

PPP2 Update

The general funds for the second round of PPP funding have been exhausted.  The SBA and lenders are not taking new applications at this time, and there is no “chatter” on replenishing the general fund.

However, in January, $15B was set aside for CFI lenders (Community Financial Institutions). Recently, there was approximately $8B left in these allocated funds. You may be able to qualify and obtain a loan from one of these lenders. These lenders should be able to lend through community development, minority, or microlending. If you feel you would qualify for one of these, you may still apply for a PPP2 loan until May 31 or until the lender closes the program.

Biden’s Potential Tax Reform

There continue to be rumblings of a Biden tax overhaul, and the infrastructure bill that includes some tax provisions. Some of these bills may include changes retroactive to January 2021. Needless to say, any Biden tax bill needs to be evaluated seriously as they may include some of the largest tax increases in decades. Without Republican support, most likely the earliest any tax plan could pass is late fall or early winter when the reconciliation process becomes available again to Congress. Our Planning for a Biden Administration Tax Plan presentation from December is still a good summation of possible changes.  More to come on this over the next few months.

Should you have any questions on any of these topics, or any other items that relate to your situation, do not hesitate to contact us at 215-723-4881 or via email.  We’ll be happy to discuss your situation with you.

Finally, we want to thank everyone for the continued compliments related to our Zoom series over the past year.  We continue to evaluate the tax landscape and will not hesitate to have another Zoom session if it will be a substantial benefit to the participants.

Latest News on Tax Deadlines and COVID-related Legislation

Legislation and developments continue to move at a breathtaking pace with regard to tax filing deadlines and COVID-related legislation. Here at Canon Capital, our workload continues to be full as we prioritize getting our clients the help they need – despite being in the middle of tax season. We’ve gathered the latest updates in this blog post.

Federal Tax Deadline Extended to May 17, 2021 for Some Returns

As you may have heard, the deadline for filing individual tax returns and payments for 2020 has been extended to May 17, 2021. Pennsylvania has adopted the May 17 date as well.  However, the April 15 deadline remains for some returns, including C-corporations and trust tax returns. We are still waiting on guidance on gift tax returns. Lastly, and perhaps most oddly, the due date for first quarter estimates for individual returns is still April 15, 2021.

In addition to certain tax return deadlines being extended, the 2020 contribution deadlines for IRAs, Roths, HASs, Archer MSAs, and Coverdell ESAs have also been extended to May 17, 2021.

The AICPA continues to advocate for moving everything normally due on April 15, 2021 to May 17, 2021.  Needless to say, we are hoping for some decisions soon.

Employee Retention Credit

Many businesses don’t realize they are eligible for these substantial, recently expanded credits.  If your business was fully or partially shut down on government order, or you had a “substantial” (either 20% or 50%) decline in gross receipts per quarter compared to 2019, you may be eligible for a credit of up to $7,000 per employee. We have been helping many clients with this credit and its interaction with the PPP loans.  Unfortunately, we are hearing too many stories from business owners that their accountant has de-prioritized work related to the ERC. If you are not getting answers and would like to discuss your potential eligibility, please feel free to give us a call.

PPP2 Applications and Draws

As you may have heard, the deadline for applying for a PPP loan has been extended to May 31, 2021.  However, in a somewhat unexpected announcement, the SBA announced last week that they are projecting the funds to run out mid-April. Thus, we suggest getting any remaining applications in immediately.  There may be a replenishment of funds, but nothing has been announced yet.

Also, at the beginning of March, the SBA changed the formula on how sole proprietors calculate their loans. This change was a huge benefit to schedule C borrowers. There is pressure for Congress to adopt a retroactive law allowing schedule C borrowers funded with applications prior to the change to use the new formula.  Again, there is only discussion at this point and nothing imminent. This would also require additional funds to be allocated to the PPP program.

In addition, the SBA has stated that of the approximate 25M schedule C/sole proprietor businesses in the U.S., only 2.6M have applied and been approved for PPP loans. If you have questions about your eligibility, please contact us immediately.

Forgiveness applications should now be available through most or all lenders and should be considered for filing as soon as possible.

Lastly, if you had a “Draw 1” application in January or February (that is your first borrowing under the PPP program), you may now be eligible to submit a “Draw 2” application.  Again, if you have questions about eligibility, please contact us immediately.

Economic Injury Disaster Loan Update

The SBA has raised the COVID-19 EIDL loan limit to $500,000.  There have also been additional funds made available for the program.

IRS to Recalculate Taxes on Unemployment Benefits

With the American Rescue Plan Act passage in March, there was a retroactive provision that made the first $10,200 of unemployment benefits non-taxable for filers under certain thresholds. The IRS came out with guidance and stated that taxpayers who have already filed their returns should not file an amended return. The IRS will recalculate those returns and issue refunds. The refunds will come in two phases starting in May 2021. The first phase will be for single taxpayers who are eligible for the exclusion. The second phase will include married taxpayers and others with more complex returns. However, the IRS may not calculate returns with additional credits properly, making an amended return necessary after all. Taxpayers need to pay attention to the accuracy of the return.

Other Programs

Other brand-new programs have become available, such as the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant and the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. The funds in these programs will run out fairly quickly, so please make sure you, or your banker or advisor, are ready to apply for these programs when they open.

Affordable Care Premium Tax Credits

The passage of the American Rescue Plan Act also includes a retroactive provision stating a taxpayer does not have to repay any of the advance premium credit for 2020 if they received too much. In this case, taxpayers who already filed their 2020 tax returns will need to file an amended return.

Biden’s Potential Tax Reform

There are currently two bills in Congress that could be part of a Biden tax overhaul. The Sensible Taxation and Equity Promotion (STEP) Act would eliminate stepped-up-basis at death. The bill would allow individuals to exclude up to $1M in unrealized capital gains from tax, as well as provide the opportunity to pay the tax in installments over a 15-year period for capital gains that apply to any illiquid assets like a farm or business. Changes would be retroactive to January 2021. The second, Senator Bernie Sanders’ 99.5 Percent Act, proposes to lower the gift tax exemption to $1M and to limit annual gift tax exemptions.

Needless to say, any Biden tax bill needs to be evaluated seriously. Without Republican support, most likely the earliest any tax plan could pass is late fall or early winter when the reconciliation process becomes available again to Congress.  More to come on this over the next few months.

Biden’s $2.3 Trillion Infrastructure, Tax Plus Plan

This topic has just started to be discussed. There may be a possibility for a bill by the end of the summer, so for now, we’ll have to keep our eye on this as well.

Should you have any questions on any of these topics, or any other items that relate to your situation, do not hesitate to contact us at 215-723-4881 or via email.  We’ll be happy to discuss your situation with you.

Additional Resources

Recording of February 11, 2021 Seminar: The Expanded Employee Retention Credit

Recording of January 12, 2021 Seminar: Unpacking the Latest COVID-19 Relief Package

Recording of December 18, 2020 Seminar: Year-end Planning for a Biden Administration and the SECURE Act

New W-4 Form for 2021

The IRS has issued the new W-4 form for 2021. The W-4 form has changed significantly since 2020, so now is the perfect time to do a Paycheck Check-up. We have a step-by-step guide available to you here.

If you have any questions about your specific situation, please consult with your tax advisor. If you do not currently have a tax advisor, we welcome the opportunity to serve you. Please call 215-723-4881 or contact us online.

Tax Update: Filing Deadline Changes, PPP Loan Submission Extension, and More

We want to make sure you are up to date on some of the most recent changes that have happened during this week.

Change in Tax Filing Due Date to May 15 for Individual Taxpayers

In our last update, we informed you that we anticipated the IRS would push back the due date of tax returns originally due on April 15, 2021.  As you might have heard in the news, on Wednesday, March 17, the IRS has in fact changed the due date for individual tax returns and the payments due with those returns to May 15, 2021.

On the surface, this seems like a good thing, and we believe it is a partial step forward. However, as with much that the IRS does, they seemed to confuse the situation further. They did not extend the due date for all taxpayers with a due date of April 15, as Trusts, Not for Profits, and Corporations with a due date of April 15 are still due on that date. In addition, any individual taxpayers that are required to make quarterly estimated tax payments (roughly 9.5 million taxpayers) are still required to make their 1st quarter estimated tax payment by April 15, one month prior to their tax return being due. This seems to have made the system more complex, rather than providing relief to those taxpayers who need it most.

We, along with our National Organization the AICPA, are continuing to push for a June 15, 2021, due date and are asking Congress to step in and push for some real relief needed for all individuals and entities subject to the April 15 due date.  So, for now, May 15 is the new due date for some individual taxpayers. Stay tuned as we will keep you updated should the situation change.

Unemployment Exclusion of $10,200

For those taxpayers that will benefit from the recently passed unemployment compensation exclusion of $10,200, the IRS has posted on their website the instructions for claiming this exclusion for those who have not yet filed their tax returns. For those who have already filed tax returns prior to the exclusion coming into law, the IRS has stated that taxpayers should not file Amended tax returns, they will issue refunds to those taxpayers who qualify. We will also monitor this situation, and should the refunds fail to start coming to those due refunds, we will let you know of any revised procedures.

PPP Loan Submission Date Looks to be Extended through May 31

For those businesses and organizations that are eligible for the new round of PPP loans, it looks like the date for applying for the next round of loans will be extended from March 31, 2021, to May 31, 2021.  With the changes recently made for Sole Proprietorships & Single member LLC’s, this will provide some extra time for those needing assistance to keep businesses running.

The House has unanimously passed this Bill and it has moved on to the Senate, so hopefully this will pass shortly. We will update you as we hear news on the final passage.

Should you have any questions on any of these or any other items that relate to your situation, do not hesitate to contact us and we will be happy to discuss with you directly.

Unpacking the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA): What It Means for You and Your Business

On Thursday March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) into law. This law contains another round of $1,400 stimulus checks for qualifying individuals.  However, as with most of the other recent major legislation changes, there are many provisions in the law that affect both businesses and individuals. Some provisions are retroactive to 2020 and will delay the filing of 2020 income tax returns.  Others may not take effect until 2021 and 2022.

At this point, we Are NOT anticipating having a Zoom meeting discussing this Act in particular. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us directly.

Will Tax Season Be Extended?

Before we provide the highlights of this new law, we would like to give our thoughts regarding the question on everyone’s mind: “Will the IRS extend tax season again this year?”  As of today, they have not. The IRS Commissioner has been on record on several occasions stating they have no plans to do so. However, he did acknowledge prior to the passage of ARPA, that printing and distributing another round of stimulus payments, may necessitate extending the deadline.

The AICPA, along with members of Congress and other organizations have been pushing for an extended due date. The most popular dates are June 15 and July 15, which is consistent with the prior year due date. As you can imagine, the IRS is under tremendous pressure to either extend the deadline or waive any penalties on taxes that would have been due April 15. The IRS still has to process millions of 2019 returns; write guidance and regulations immediately on the law passed December 27, 2020, that is currently in effect; process another round of stimulus payments; and write guidance and regulations on this new ARPA immediately for the parts that are retroactive or currently in effect.

However, the biggest difficulty may be for the IRS to code their computer systems and issue guidance to tax software vendors on how to report the 2020 tax law changes that have just passed.  This alone will take weeks, not days.

All of this is in addition to their normal workload during filing season.

Lastly, they are still working remotely to some extent. We have already seen some states starting to extend their deadlines, ahead of any change by the IRS.  Taking all of this into account, it seems certain that something will have to be extended or addressed, so stay tuned.

Highlights of the ARPA

Since we do not anticipate presenting a Zoom meeting, following are the highlights of the ARPA that could affect several areas common to businesses and individuals. We have organized each element as best we could so you can identify the topics that may interest you.

Recovery Rebates (Stimulus Payments) to Individuals

The ARPA includes provisions for individuals to receive a $1,400 payment ($2,800 for eligible individuals fining a joint tax return), and a $1,400 payment for each dependent:

  • College students, disabled adult children, and adult parents will qualify for the $1,400 payment
  • Payments will be made to the taxpayer, not the dependent
  • Phase out for the payments begins at $150,000 of adjusted gross income for a joint return ($75,000 for single) and is completely phased out at $160,000 of adjusted gross income for a joint return ($80,000 for single).

Enhanced Child Tax Credits

The ARPA includes provisions for enhanced child tax credits for 2021, making the Child Tax Credit (CTC) fully refundable for 2021 and increasing the amount to $3,000 per child ($3,600 for children under age 6). These amounts are subject to income limits and phaseouts. The ARPA also directed the IRS to make advanced payments equal to 50% of the anticipated credit based on the taxpayer’s 2019 and 2020 return.

  • Advanced monthly payments to taxpayers will begin after July 1, 2021
  • The IRS is also responsible for creating an online portal to allow the taxpayers the option of opting out and reporting changes in dependents, income, and other relevant information.

Premium Tax Credit for Marketplace Insurance

The new legislation will:

  • Change the affordability percentages used for 2021 and 2022.
  • For 2020, the excess advance premium credit will not have to be repaid
  • For 2021, the credits available are increased for those earning over 133% of the federal poverty line.

Employee Retention Credit

The new legislation:

  • Extends the ERC from June 30, 2021 until December 31, 2021. The legislation would continue the ERC rate of credit at 70% for this extended period. It also continues to allow for up to $10,000 in qualified wages for any calendar quarter.
  • Limits the ERC to $50,000 per calendar quarter of an eligible employer that is a “recovery startup business.” A “recovery startup business” is one that: (1) began operations after February 15, 2020 whose average annual gross receipts for a 3-taxable-year period ending with the taxable year which precedes such quarter does not exceed $1,000,000, and (2) experiences a full or partial suspension of operations due to a governmental order or experiences a significant gross receipts decline.
  • Allows the credit to be claimed against Medicare (1.45%, Hospital Insurance – HI) taxes only. Since the employer/employee tax rate for Medicare is 1.45%, it could take longer to immediately claim the credit under the ARPA for the third and fourth quarters of 2021. Instead of just withholding the taxes immediately, it could be more likely that more employers would need to file Form 7200 (Advance Payment of Employer Credits Due to COVID-19).
  • Continues the year-over-year gross receipts decline requirement at 20%.
  • Qualified wages paid by an employer taken account as payroll costs under (1) Second Draw PPP loans; (2) shuttered venues assistance and (3) restaurant revitalization grants are not eligible for the ERC.

Unemployment Provisions – Individuals

The new legislation:

  • Extends the Federal pandemic unemployment compensation payment of $300 per week through September 6, 2021.
  • Does not extend the 50% credit for reimbursing employers
  • Makes the first $10,200 ($20,400 for a married couple) of 2020 unemployment tax exempt for households earning under $150,000
  • There is no phaseout, so at $150,001 – All the unemployment benefits become taxable.

Paycheck Protection Program Modifications

There have been several changes to the PPP program in the past few weeks prior to the passage of ARPA.  Recent changes include:

  • Allowing schedule C filers to use gross income in their calculation of loan proceeds vs. net income
  • Businesses with a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code beginning with “72” to use a 3.5 multiple of average monthly payroll instead of a 2.5 multiple to figure their loan proceeds. NAICS codes of 72 are companies in the accommodation and food service sectors, including lodging.

Due to the number of changes, there has been a lot of pressure to extend the application deadline.  The current deadline is March 31.  However, the Fed has already committed to supporting PPP loans through June, and it is practically certain the SBA will extend the application deadline to May 31.

The new ARPA legislation:

  • Allocates an additional $7.25 billion towards PPP funding.
  • Adds “additional covered nonprofit entity” as an eligible nonprofit eligible for First Draw and Second Draw PPP loans.

Paid Sick and Family Leave Credits under Families First

Changes under the ARPA apply to amounts paid with respect to calendar quarters beginning after March 31, 2021. ARPA, 2021:

  • Extends the FFCRA paid sick time and paid family leave credits from March 31, 2021 through September 30, 2021.
  • Provides that paid sick and paid family leave credits may each be increased by the employer’s share of Social Security tax (6.2%) and employer’s share of Medicare tax (1.45%) on qualified leave wages.
  • Allows for the credits for paid sick and family leave to be structured as a refundable payroll tax credit against Medicare tax only (1.45%), beginning after March 31, 2021.
  • Increases the amount of wages for which an employer may claim the paid family leave credit in a year from $10,000 to $12,000 per employee.
  • Expands the paid family leave credit to allow employers to claim the credit for leave provided for the reasons included under the previous employer mandate for paid sick time. For the self-employed, the number of days for which self-employed individuals can claim the paid family leave credit is increased from 50 to 60 days.
  • Permits the paid sick and family leave credit to be claimed by employers who provide paid time off for employees to obtain the COVID-19 vaccination or recover from an illness related to the immunization.

Other Relief-Related Provisions

Restaurant revitalization grants. The ARPA appropriates $28,600,000,000 for fiscal year 2021 to struggling restaurants to be administered by the SBA. The money will be available until expended. Eligible entities include restaurants, or other specified food businesses, and includes businesses operating in an airport terminal. It does not include a state or local government operated business, or a company that as of March 13, 2020 operates in more than 20 locations, whether the locations do businesses under the same name. It also does not include any business that has a pending application for, or has received, a grant under the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Non-Profits, and Venues Act. The amount given to any business who fulfills the eligibility and certification requirements is $10,000,000 and limited to $5,000,000 per physical location of the business. Grants may be used for: (1) payroll costs; (2) mortgage payments; (3) rent; (4) utilities; (5) maintenance expenses; (6) supplies; (7) food and beverage expenses; (8) covered supplier costs; (9) operational expenses; (10) paid sick leave; and (11) any other expense determined to be essential to maintaining the business.

Shuttered venue operators. CAA, 2021 authorized grants to eligible live venue operators or promoters, theatrical producers, live performing arts organization operators, museum operators, motion picture theatre operators, or talent representatives who demonstrate a 25% reduction in revenues. The ARPA appropriates $1,250,000,000, for fiscal year 2021, to help carry out these grants. The money will be available until expended. Governmental entities do not qualify.

Other Benefits and Related Provisions

Dependent Care Assistance. The amount of taxable wage exclusion for dependent care benefits is increased from $5,000 to $10,500 for married couples filing jointly. The amount of excludable wages for married couples filing separately is $5,250. This increase applies to any taxable year beginning after December 31, 2020, and before January 1, 2022, effective December 31, 2020.

COBRA. Under the ARPA, Assistance Eligible Individuals (AEIs) may receive an 85% subsidy for COBRA premiums paid during any period of COBRA coverage during the period beginning on April 1, 2021 (the first day of the first month beginning after enactment) and ending on September 30, 2021.

  • Refundable tax credit. Employers will be allowed a quarterly tax credit against the Medicare payroll tax equal to the premium amounts not paid by AEIs. If the credit amount exceeds the quarterly Medicare payroll tax, the excess will be treated as an overpayment refundable under Code Sec. 6402(a) and Code 6413(b). The quarterly credit may be paid in advance according to forms and instructions to be provided by the Department of Labor.

Many other provisions include excluded income from Student Loan Discharges, expansion of the EITC for taxpayers with no qualifying children, COBRA premium subsidy, targeted EIDL loans, and others which we are not able to cover in this update.

As we become aware of changes, we will pass them on to keep you informed. If you have any questions about this new information and how it pertains to your situation, please contact us.

Economic Impact Payments (AKA “Stimulus Payments”): What You Need to Know for Your 2020 Individual Income Tax Returns

To say that there have been many tax changes throughout this unprecedented time would be an understatement. One of the most misunderstood of these changes is the Economic Impact Payments program, which you might have heard referred to in the media as “stimulus payments.”  Economic Impact Payments and stimulus payments are one and the same.

As a result of pandemic relief legislation signed into law in 2020, there were two rounds of Economic Impact Payments during the year. These payments could have been in the form of a direct deposit, a check, or a debit card, all sent out by the US Treasury. The first round of payments began in April of 2020 and continued through July of 2020.  The second round of payments began at the end of December of 2020 and continued into January of 2021.

If you are one of our individual 1040 tax clients, you will note that our tax checklist for this year includes the following question: “Did you receive an Economic Impact Payment?” to which you might have answered, “No.”. Given the confusion regarding the language referring to these payments, if the question had been worded like this: “Did you receive a stimulus payment?” you might have answered, “Yes.”.

Please consider this question carefully as it is important that tax preparers have correct information with which to prepare your return. If you in fact received these payments in 2020 you will need to provide the amount of both payments you received. The Economic Impact Payments are advance credits against your 2020 taxes.  It is imperative that your tax preparers have this information to prepare a correct tax return for you for the 2020 tax year.

The Internal Revenue Service sent out a Notice 1444 letter for the first round of payments telling you what your payment amount was.  If you received a second payment you will eventually receive a Notice 1444-B letter but in the meantime, you will need to find this information in your personal records.

To determine if you were eligible for the payments please consult the following guidelines:

  • If you filed Married Filing Joint in 2019 and your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) was between $0 through $150,000 you should have received $2,400 for yourself and spouse. In addition, any dependent under the age of 17 would have qualified for an additional $500 apiece.  If your AGI was above $150,000 through $198,000 you would have qualified for a partial payment.  For the second payment the same income guidelines apply but the amount was $600 per person whether taxpayers or dependents.
  • If you filed as Single in 2019 and your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) was between $0 through $75,000 you should have received $1,200 for yourself. In addition, any dependent under the age of 17 would have qualified for an additional $500 apiece.  If your AGI was above $75,000 through $99,000 you would have qualified for a partial payment.  For the second payment the same income guidelines apply but the amount was $600 per person whether taxpayer’s or dependents.
  • If you filed as Head of Household in 2019 and your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) was between $0 through $112,500 you should have received $1,200 for yourself. In addition, any dependent under the age of 17 would have qualified for an additional $500 apiece.  If your AGI was above $112,500 through $136,500 you would have qualified for a partial payment.  For the second payment the same income guidelines apply but the amount was $600 per person whether taxpayer’s or dependents.
  • Keep in mind for the first round of payments, if your 2019 return wasn’t filed yet, the IRS would have looked to your 2018 tax return for adjusted gross income numbers.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Seminar Recording: The Expanded Employee Retention Credit

On February 11, 2021,  Steve Moyer, CPA PFS CGMA CSEP, and Brent Thompson, CPA CMA CGMA presented a seminar via Zoom to review the newly-enhanced Employee Retention Credit (ERC)  and what it could mean for your business.

The ERC could lead to a credit ranging from $5,000 to $19,000 per employee, depending on the circumstances of your business. You will want to know if you have eligible wages for the ERC, since those wages will generally be utilized for the ERC first and not be available for the forgiveness of an existing or new PPP loan.

Watch the recording of the seminar and access a PDF file of the presentation. If you have any questions, please contact us via phone at 215-723-4881 or via email.

2021 IRS Mileage Rates

When we said, “Goodbye!” to 2020 we said “Hello” to new IRS mileage rates. These are the optional standard mileage rates used to “calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes.”

The 2021 mileage rates are:

  • 56 cents per mile driven for business use (a 1.5 cent decrease from the 2020 rate)
  • 16 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes (a one-cent reduction from the 2020 rate)
  • 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations (no change)

As with the 2020 mileage rates, “under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, taxpayers cannot claim a miscellaneous itemized deduction for unreimbursed employee travel expenses. Taxpayers also cannot claim a deduction for moving expenses, except members of the Armed Forces on active duty moving under orders to a permanent change of station.”

If we can be of service for your payroll, accounting, technologies, or wealth management needs, please contact us online or call 215-723-4881.