The IRS recently announced its 2020 edition of its annual Dirty Dozen list of tax scams with a special emphasis on aggressive and evolving schemes related to COVID-19 tax relief, including Economic Impact Payments. Here are six of the more common scams. Phishing. Phishing refers to potential fake emails or websites looking to steal your personal information. Remember the IRS will never initiate contact with you via email about an outstanding tax bill, refund or Economic

This month: September 15 – Extension deadline for 2019 S corporation and partnership tax returns – 3rd quarter 2020 estimated income tax is due (individuals, corporations, trusts & estates)

What is normally a reliable estimate of your taxes – the amount of money withheld from your paychecks by your employer – may be an unreliable estimate this year thanks to the current pandemic. Even worse, using the safety net of paying in what you did last year may not be practical if your financial situation changed due to the coronavirus. Many taxpayers wrote a large check to the IRS this year for the very first

Students can earn college credits while still in high school With the cost of college rising rapidly, it can be overwhelming to think about how to pay your way through school for either yourself or your kids. Fortunately, saving hundreds, even thousands, is possible. Teenagers can help keep down the cost of their future college tuition by taking the following classes and exams while in high school: Advanced Placement (AP) classes and exams provide the opportunity

More than 70% of small businesses in America now have loan proceeds from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to help retain employees during the current pandemic. The entire amount of a PPP loan is eligible to be forgiven if the funds are used for qualified expenses. Recent legislation liberalizes the terms of loan forgiveness for funds used for payroll, utilities and rent. It is now based on a 24-week period, not just eight weeks. But how

With 30-year fixed rate mortgages approaching historical lows of 3%, you may be thinking about refinancing an existing mortgage. But you better read the fine print before signing on the dotted line to avoid paying too much money. Here are some common mistakes homeowners make when refinancing their mortgage. Not shopping around. When looking to refinance a mortgage, many homeowners simply check a couple advertised rates and pick the lowest one. But there are many factors

You may have started your business as a simple sole proprietorship that files its taxes as a Schedule C on your Form 1040. As your business grows, you may want to change the structure. Here are several scenarios where it may make sense to do just that. Reasons to Create Business Entities Establishing limited liability. The primary reason businesses form corporations and limited liability companies is to create a separate legal entity that provides legal protection.

Here are several new tax laws passed this year to consider as you start planning your 2020 tax obligation. Make up to $300 of charitable contributions. For the 2020 tax year only, an above-the-line deduction of $300 is available to all Americans who want to make a charitable contribution. You can donate to more than one charity, but the total amount of contributions must be $300 or less to be able to take an above-the-line deduction.

– September 7 – Labor Day – September 15 – Filing deadline for 2019 calendar-year S corporation and partnership tax returns on extension – September 15 – 3rd quarter installment of 2020 estimated income tax is due for individuals, calendar-year corporations and calendar-year trusts & estates

How swapping products and services could benefit your business Bartering, the act of trading goods or services with other goods or services instead of money, is more popular than ever. With high unemployment rates and cash flow being stressed, bartering is a good way to create value for your business. The new world of bartering Bartering traditionally worked something like this: You know someone who has something you need and you have something they need. You