Blogging Beyond the Numbers

Here are some of the key tax-related deadlines affecting businesses and other employers during the third quarter of 2018. Keep in mind that this list isn’t all-inclusive, so there may be additional deadlines that apply to you. Contact us to ensure you’re meeting all applicable deadlines and to learn more about the filing requirements. July 31 Report income tax withholding and FICA taxes for second...

Question: What is the new Family and Medical Leave tax credit and how does it benefit my business? Answer: The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act recently introduced a new credit for employers who provide paid family and medical leave to their employees. Eligible employers can claim a general business credit equal to 12.5% to 25% of the wages paid to qualifying employees on paid leave. The credit is available for ...

It’s not uncommon for businesses to sometimes generate tax losses. But the losses that can be deducted are limited by tax law in some situations. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) further restricts the amount of losses that sole proprietors, partners, S corporation shareholders and, typically, limited liability company (LLC) members can currently deduct — beginning in 2018. This could negatively...

The Wisconsin Legislature recently passed a sales tax holiday for August 2018. What does this mean for the general consumer? A sales and use tax exemption is created for sales of certain items during a five-day period in August 2018. The temporary exemption period, referred to as a sales tax holiday, will begin at 12:01 AM on August 1, 2018, and continue through 11:59 PM on Sunday, August 5, 201...

You may have breathed a sigh of relief after filing your 2017 income tax return (or requesting an extension). But if your office is strewn with reams of paper consisting of years’ worth of tax returns, receipts, canceled checks and other financial records (or your computer desktop is filled with a multitude of digital tax-related files), you probably want to get rid of what you can. Follow these re...

Here are some of the key tax-related deadlines affecting businesses and other employers during the second quarter of 2018. Keep in mind that this list isn’t all-inclusive, so there may be additional deadlines that apply to you. Contact us to ensure you’re meeting all applicable deadlines and to learn more about the filing requirements. April 2 Electronically file 2017 Form 1096, Form 1098, Form 10...

If you purchased qualifying property by December 31, 2017, you may be able to take advantage of Section 179 expensing on your 2017 tax return. You’ll also want to keep this tax break in mind in your property purchase planning, because the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), signed into law this past December, significantly enhances it beginning in 2018. 2017 Sec. 179 benefits Sec. 179 expensing allows eligibl...

If you moved for work-related reasons in 2017, you might be able to deduct some of the costs on your 2017 return — even if you don’t itemize deductions. (Or, if your employer reimbursed you for moving expenses, that reimbursement might be excludable from your income.) The bad news is that, if you move in 2018, the costs likely won’t be deductible, and any employer reimbursements will probably be inclu...

The 2017 Wisconsin Tax Act 59 gave all Wisconsin commercial businesses some property tax relief. There’s been some questions around the changes so let’s dive right in. The exemptions in this bill are effective with the property tax assessments as of January 1, 2018.  All commercial and manufacturing taxpayers with property in the state must self-report taxable personal property with the assessor by M...

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed into law on December 22, 2017, and it offers substantial changes in the U.S. tax law for both businesses and individuals.  Provisions for C-Corporations are generally permanent in nature, whereas provisions for individuals, estates, and pass-through entities (e.g. partnerships and S-Corporations) typically “sunset” after 2025. There are several changes to t...