BHT&D Certified Public Accountants Blog

Year End Employer Updates: W-2s, 1099s, and Michigan Minimum Wage

Posted by Lori Shepard on Mon, Dec 28, 2020 @ 12:00 PM

Here are a couple quick updates on changes to 1099 non-employee compensation reporting and delay of Michigan minimum wage increase.  Please note important filing dates and related penalties:

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Tags: Small Business Accounting, Michigan Minimum Wage, Compensation, Independent Contractors

Would A Mid-Year Tax Checkup Benefit You?

Posted by Joe Turnes on Mon, Oct 28, 2019 @ 12:00 PM

If you are inclined to procrastinate until the end of the year or, even worse, until tax-filing season to worry about your taxes, you may be missing out on opportunities to reduce your tax and avoid certain penalties.

The following are some events that can affect your tax return; you may need to take steps to mitigate their impact and avoid unpleasant surprises after it is too late to address them.

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Tags: Tax Planning, Small Business Accounting, Tax Liability

Are You An S Corporation Stockholder? Are You Taking Reasonable Compensation In The Form Of Wages?

Posted by Joe Turnes on Fri, Feb 15, 2019 @ 05:00 AM

S corporation compensation requirements are often misunderstood and abused by owner-shareholders. An S corporation is a type of business structure in which the business does not pay income tax at the corporate level and instead distributes (passes through) the income, gains, losses, and deductions to the shareholders for inclusion on their individual income tax returns. If there are gains, these distributions are considered return on investment and therefore are not subject to self-employment taxes.

However, if stockholders also work in the business, they are supposed to take reasonable compensation for their services in the form of wages, and of course, wages are subject to FICA (Social Security and Medicare) and other payroll taxes. This is where some owner-shareholders err by not paying themselves a reasonable compensation for the services they provide, some out of unfamiliarity with the requirements and some purposely to avoid the payroll taxes.

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Tags: Small Business Accounting, Payroll Tax, Individual Tax, Business Entity, Tax Liability

New Tax Law Gives Pass-Through Businesses A Valuable Deduction

Posted by Joe Turnes on Fri, Aug 31, 2018 @ 07:00 AM

Although the drop of the corporate tax rate from a top rate of 35% to a flat rate of 21% may be one of the most talked about provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), C corporations aren’t the only type of entity significantly benefiting from the new law. Owners of non-corporate “pass-through” entities may see some major — albeit temporary — relief in the form of a new deduction for a portion of qualified business income (QBI).

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Tags: Small Business Accounting, Small Business, Individual Tax, TCJA

First-Year Start-Up Tax Issues

Posted by Joe Turnes on Fri, Jun 22, 2018 @ 10:29 AM

If creating a start-up business were an easy thing to do, then a lot more people would be doing it. For those who make the decision to fulfill their dreams and go for it, success relies on being fully prepared. Some of the most common stressors encountered by entrepreneurs involve tax liabilities, whether business is booming or they’re struggling to keep their head above water. The best way to avoid these pitfalls is to learn about them ahead of time. Here’s what every entrepreneur needs to know:

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Tags: Small Business Accounting, Selecting an Accounting Firm, Small Business, Business Entity

Outstanding Checks? Michigan Requires Reporting Of Unclaimed Property

Posted by Mindy Pennock on Fri, Jun 01, 2018 @ 07:00 AM

The State of Michigan requires annual reporting of ‘unclaimed property’. Unclaimed property is defined as any asset, tangible or intangible, belonging to a third party that remains unclaimed for a specific period of time by the rightful owner. Any holder who fails to file a report of unclaimed property may be subject to fines and penalties as provided in the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act, Public Act 29 of 1995.

Companies and governmental agencies need to identify properties that may be reportable as unclaimed property as of March 31, 2018 and file an unclaimed property report by July 2, 2018.

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Tags: Small Business Accounting, Bookkeeping, Small Business, Payroll

The TCJA's Affect On Employee Business Expense Deductions

Posted by Joe Turnes on Mon, Mar 26, 2018 @ 08:00 AM

If you are an employee (i.e., a W-2 wage earner) with substantial work-related business expenses, the Act was not kind to you. It suspended (and effectively repealed), for 2018 through 2025, all miscellaneous itemized deductions, which were previously only subject to a floor of 2% of adjusted gross income (AGI). Employee business expenses are included in that category of miscellaneous itemized deductions. 

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Tags: Itemizing Deductions, Small Business Accounting, Small Business, Individual Tax, TCJA

Should Your Business Have Employees or Independent Contractors?

Posted by Joe Turnes on Mon, Jul 03, 2017 @ 08:00 AM

Are your business' workers appropriately classified as either employee or independent contractors? Do you know what the IRS standards are?

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Tags: Small Business Accounting, Employees vs Independent Contractors

45 Years And Counting For Virgil Biggs, CPA

Posted by Virgil Biggs on Mon, Sep 12, 2016 @ 07:00 AM

It seems like yesterday, but it was actually 45 years ago on November 1, 1971 when Connie and I opened the office on Bridge Street in Saranac, Michigan, two doors down from Larry's Store which was owned by my Dad.

I had been working for the national CPA firm of Alexander Grand & Company when Herb Talcott honored his promise to let me know when he was ready to retire. So, with 6 business clients and about 100 personal clients, we were off and running on our new adventure.

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Tags: Individual Tax Return, Small Business Accounting

How Do I Close An Accounting Period In QuickBooks?

Posted by Dwayne Houghton on Thu, Feb 11, 2016 @ 07:51 AM

With over 4.5 million users world wide, QuickBooks is the leading software choice for small businesses.  QuickBooks is popular in large part due to how easy the program is to learn. You do not need to have an accounting degree, or for that matter really understand all accounting concepts to use the program.  For this same reason, QuickBooks can allow for some very interesting things to occur.

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Tags: Small Business Accounting, QuickBooks Tips, QuickBooks, Small Business