taxes – Shanikwa Davis CPA EA

July 18, 2018June 11, 2023

Do you have a Mileage Log?

Although the tax benefit for mileage used for work is no longer deductible as an unreimbursed employee expense, business mileage deduction is still an option for business owners.

Business mileage deduction has always been a hot area to audit for the IRS.

They know taxpayers do not keep or maintain appropriate contemporaneous logs necessary to substantiate their tax deductions.

**You should keep a record of your travel whether you take standard mileage or actual expenses on your return**

I see it time and time again. Taxpayers are so busy managing and growing their business they do not have time to kept a required log.

IRS Publication 463 defines Adequate evidence as “documentary evidence ordinarily… adequate if it shows the amount, date, place, and essential character of the expense.” (see page 25)

As a customer, you receive an exclusive 20% discount off an annual MileIQ Premium Plan. If you are subscribed to our newsletters, check your email for promo code sent. Otherwise, contact us directly to receive the promo code.

December 16, 2017May 3, 2019

Let’s Look at Tax Reform: Conference Bill Changes

Much of the tax reform won’t take effect until January 2018 and likely will not affect 2017 filing season. However, there are some planning factors that may affect what is done during this final month of 2017.

Medical Expenses

The common deduction (the bill is over 1000 pages long, so there may be others) that is retroactively affected by the tax reform is medical expenses.

State and Local Tax Deductions

This itemized deduction has been a hot topic over the last few weeks. The elimination of this deduction has caused concern. States have attempted to accommodate prepayment of 2018 income and property taxes. However, it appears that under the conference bill, prepayment of state and local income taxes will not circumvent the new $10,000 cap.

Mortgage Interest Deduction

This itemized deduction was put in place to encourage home ownership. Caps are already placed on the mortgage and equity debt amounts. The concern was for the elimination or reduction of one of the deductions.

The conference bill, will (temporarily) reduce the mortgage cap for loans taken after yesterday, December 15, 2017 (also known as grandfathered in). Any home equity debt deduction will be eliminated starting in 2018.

Both of those deductions and respective reductions are slated to return in 2026.

Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT)

Alternative Minimum Tax exemptions are increased for individuals; therefore it applies to fewer taxpayers.

ObamaCare

The ObamaCare minimum coverage mandate penalty for individuals that do not have minimum health care coverage has been eliminated. I’m not clear if this is for 2017 or applies beginning 2018.

Standard Deduction/Personal Exemptions

The standard deduction is applied when taxpayers opt to not itemize their deductions. Many of the itemized deductions are eliminated or reduced in the new bill. The increased standard deduction will be more beneficial for those taxpayers affected by the new rules for itemized deductions. However, the personal exemptions will affect those with multiple dependents on their returns. Although the personal exemptions have been considered ‘consolidated’ with the higher standard deduction rates – single parents (claiming Head of Household) will lose out if they have more than 1.1 children. This is also the case if married individuals (claiming Married Filing Jointly) have more than 1 child.

This is not a complete summary of the proposed changes. Check out this article to learn more. It also has the complete PDF of the conference bill at the end of the article.

Erb, Kelly Phillips. “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Tax Reform: Here’s What’s In The Final Version.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 16 Dec. 2017, http://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2017/12/15/its-beginning-to-look-a-lot-like-tax-reform-heres-whats-in-the-final-version/#20924c4c4d63.

November 15, 2017June 11, 2023

Passport may be Revoked if you have Tax Issues

There was a law passed, sometime ago now, that allows your tax issues to affect your international travel plans.

The Internal Revenue Service is set to enforce the directives beginning January of 2018.

Under this law, governed by Internal Revenue Code Section 7345, the IRS will notify the State Department to revoke your current passport and/or deny passport applications due to ‘certain’ tax delinquencies.

The law also gives the IRS discretionary enforcement options.

The State Department generally will not issue a passport to you after receiving certification from the IRS.

What does this mean for your current or future travel plans?

If you already have a U.S. passport, you can use your passport until you are notified by the State Department that it has been revoked.

What if I need my passport to keep my job?

You must fully pay the balance, or make an alternative payment arrangement to have your certification reversed.

How will I know if my passport is revoked?

The IRS will send written notice by regular mail to your last known address. This is usually the address provided on your last filed tax return.

However, Taxpayer Advocate Service has identified cases in which taxpayers affected are not receiving proper written notification of revocation status.

“The passport language in the broader [Collection Due Process] notice is delivered at a time when the taxpayer is focusing on resolution of the debt and claiming [Collection Due Process] rights – thus the language is buried among the other information and may not constitute effective notice.’ – National Taxpayer Advocate. (2017, July 7). The IRS’s New Passport Program: Why Notice to Taxpayers Matters (Part 1 of 2). Retrieved November 07, 2017, from https://taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/news/the-irs-s-new-passport-program-why-notice-to-taxpayers-matters-part-1-of-2

What if I satisfied or ‘settled’ my tax debt?

The IRS will make this reversal within 30 days and provide notification to the State Department as soon as practical.

Because revocation will not be reversed automatically, there are cases in which an application of reversal may be required. You should receive a written notice of reversal in the mail.

Contact your tax professional to determine actions appropriate to ‘settle’ your seriously delinquent tax debt.

Once you ‘settle’ your tax debt or make appropriate arrangements, there are remedies to reverse the delinquent status with the State Department and remove restrictions for your passport.

You may contact the State Department at the National Passport Information Center to verify if your passport status: 1.877.487.2778.

If you have tax issues – obtaining representative may be crucial. Review our blog on benefits of tax representation.