 On August 8, President Trump signed four executive actions, including a Presidential Memorandum to defer the employee’s portion of Social Security taxes for some people. These actions were taken in an effort to offer more relief due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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 Do you own a business but haven’t gotten around to setting up a tax-advantaged retirement plan? Fortunately, it’s not too late to establish one and reduce your 2019 tax bill. A Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) can still be set up for 2019, and you can make contributions to it that you can deduct on your 2019 income tax return. Even better, SEPs keep administrative costs low.
 You can reduce taxes and save for retirement by contributing to a tax-advantaged retirement plan. If your employer offers a 401(k) or Roth 401(k) plan, contributing to it is a taxwise way to build a nest egg.
 Given the escalating cost of employee health care benefits, your business may be interested in providing some of these benefits through an employer-sponsored Health Savings Account (HSA). For eligible individuals, HSAs offer a tax-advantaged way to set aside funds (or have their employers do so) to meet future medical needs.
 If you’re a small business owner or you’re involved in a start-up, you may want to set up a tax-favored retirement plan for yourself and any employees. Several types of plans are eligible for tax advantages.
 If you participate in a qualified retirement plan, such as a 401(k), you must generally begin taking required withdrawals from the plan no later than April 1 of the year after which you turn age 70½. However, there’s an exception that applies to certain plan participants who are still working for the entire year in which they turn 70½.
 There’s still time for small business owners to set up a SEP retirement plan for last year!
If you own a business and don’t have a tax-advantaged retirement plan, it’s not too late to establish one and reduce your 2018 tax bill. A Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) can still be set up for 2018, and you can make contributions to it that you can deduct on your 2018 income tax return.  Typically when property is sold any gain must be reported as taxable income. IRS Code Section 1031 allows for the deferral of tax of gain on sale of property by so-called like-kind exchanges, also known as 1031 exchanges. They work under the simple premise implied by the name: property is exchanged for like-kind property, and when all the rules are followed any gain that would have been taxable is deferred.
The deferral is allowed because the basis in the newly acquired property is reduced by the amount of gain recognized. Thus, the gain is eventually recognized when the new property is sold, because the decreased basis increases the amount of gain on sale (unless, somehow, the gain is deferred again by another like-kind exchange).  Are you taking advantage of Qualified Charitable Distributions ("QCDs")?
Many people withdraw money from their IRA to make charitable contributions. The IRA distribution becomes taxable income, and the charitable contribution reduces taxable income. It's a wash, so no big deal, right? |
Next Step BlogOur blog is intended as a tool to keep people informed about relevant tax and accounting issues. If you have a question or an idea for a post, let us know! Categories
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