Tax-smart domestic travel: Combining business with pleasure
Summer is just around the corner, so you might be thinking about getting some vacation time. If you’re self-employed or a business owner, you have a golden opportunity to combine a business trip with a few extra days of vacation and offset some of the cost with a tax deduction. But be careful, or you might not qualify for the write-offs you’re expecting. Basic rules Business travel expenses can potentially be deducted if the travel is within the United States and the expenses
Hire your children this summer: Everyone wins
If you’re a business owner and you hire your children (or grandchildren) this summer, you can obtain tax breaks and other nontax benefits. The kids can gain on-the-job experience, save for college and learn how to manage money. And you may be able to: Shift your high-taxed income into tax-free or low-taxed income, Realize payroll tax savings (depending on the child’s age and how your business is organized), and Enable retirement plan contributions for the children. It must be
Consider a Roth 401(k) plan — and make sure employees use it
Roth 401(k) accounts have been around for 13 years now. Studies show that more employers are offering them each year. A recent study by the Plan Sponsor Council of America (PSCA) found that Roth 401(k)s are now available at 70% of employer plans, up from 55.6% of plans in 2016. However, despite the prevalence of employers offering Roth 401(k)s, most employees aren’t choosing to contribute to them. The PSCA found that only 20% of participants who have access to a Roth 401(k) m
Check on your refund — and find out why the IRS might not send it
Are you wondering where your tax refund is? According to the IRS, most refunds are issued in less than 21 calendar days. If you’re curious about when yours will arrive, you can use the IRS “Where’s My Refund?” tool. Go to https://www.irs.gov/refunds and click “Check My Refund Status.” In some cases, taxpayers may be notified that all or part of their refunds aren’t going to be paid because they’re going to “offset” past-due debts. These include federal or state tax obligation
What type of expenses can’t be written off by your business?
If you read the Internal Revenue Code (and you probably don’t want to!), you may be surprised to find that most business deductions aren’t specifically listed. It doesn’t explicitly state that you can deduct office supplies and certain other expenses. Some expenses are detailed in the tax code, but the general rule is contained in the first sentence of Section 162, which states you can write off “all the ordinary and necessary expenses paid or incurred during the taxable year
