IRS Letters: Tax Scam or Something You Need to Address?
Your taxes contain an array of sensitive information, from financial data to your Social Security number or tax ID number. Because of this, there are many scams that unsavory characters attempt to perpetrate by impersonating the IRS or another tax authority. It can be difficult to tell when the IRS is really seeking information versus…
Congress Does Away with the Stretch IRA
Article Highlights: Taxability of Distributions Stretching Distributions SECURE Act Changes Ten-Year Rule Spouse Exception Other Exceptions Naming Beneficiaries On December 20, 2019, President Trump signed into law the Appropriations Act of 2020, which included a number of tax law changes, including extending certain tax provisions that expired after 2017 or were about to expire, a…
Running Low on Money? Congress Has Made it Easier for You to Tap Your Retirement Savings
Article Highlights: COVID-19 Tax Benefits Retirement Plan Withdrawals Waiver of 10% Early Withdrawal Penalty Retirement Plan Loans Roth IRAs Other Sources of Income Way to Reduce Payments If you are struggling financially due to the COVID-19 epidemic, you will be happy to know Congress, as part of the CARES Act enacted on March 27, has…
Tips to Keep Your Business Afloat During COVID-19
COVID-19 has had an unprecedented impact on all aspects of American businesses, but perhaps none have been as severely affected as small business owners. Surviving this disaster will require more than just time: you will need to take a pragmatic view of what has happened and what steps you are willing and able to take…
Delaying Payment of Old Tax Bills Is A Big Mistake
You know that long list of ways that the coronavirus has affected our lives? Well, here’s another one. The Internal Revenue Service has completely flipped a switch on its priorities, and it is not even looking at paper tax returns that are being sent to it. The idea of all those envelopes piling up somewhere…
What’s Best for You – Traditional or Roth IRA?
Article Highlights Traditional IRA Roth IRA Selecting the IRA Type for You Penalties Conversions Spousal IRAs Retirement Distributions The tax code offers two types of IRAs; one is referred to as the traditional individual retirement account (IRA), so named because it was the first type of IRA available, having been created by Congress back in…
Checking Your Federal Refund Status Is Easy
Article Highlights 24/7 Access Quick Posting Direct Deposit Necessary Information If you have already filed your federal tax return and are due to receive a refund, you can check the status of your refund online. Where’s My Refund? is an interactive tool on the IRS website. Regardless of whether you have split your refund among several…
IRS Guidance: PPP Loan Expenses Not Tax-Deductible
On April 30th, the IRS released guidance announcing that expenses related to Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) forgivable loans will not be tax-deductible. The PPP was originally created as part of the CARES Act, a $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief bill. The program provides low-interest loans to small businesses that will be forgivable as long as the…
Not All PPP “Forgivable” Loans Will be Forgiving
In the face of the global pandemic and the subsequent economic crisis it has spurred, the federal government has taken several steps to protect small business owners. One of the most notable of these steps is the offering of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, which are being trumpeted as forgivable loans. Though the loans are indeed…
North Carolina is officially not charging interest if you pay by July 15th
The North Carolina Department of Revenue confirmed they will not charge interest between now and July 15th on balances related to the 2019 tax year. The exact wording from the notice is below. Please note that the interest waiver does not apply to balances related to tax years prior to 2019. Those balances will continue…