For business owners with questions about deducting expenses for travel, meals, entertainment, and gifts, here is a small overview. Generally meals and entertainment are deductible as long as they are ordinary and necessary expenses that are directly business related. An ordinary expense is one
Upcoming tax and credit deadlines
Individual 1040's: On October 15th all Individual tax returns (form 1040) are due to be filed with the IRS. If you fail to file your return by the October 15th deadline you will be subject to a late filing penalty. The late filing penalty is usually 5% of the tax due per month with a maximum
Expanded 529 Plan Features
What is a 529 Plan? It is a way to invest your money to be used for future educational expenses for college. Distributions from 529 plans can be used to pay for tuition, books, and other expenses for college. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has added computer technology to the
2009 Tax Legislation/American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
OVERVIEW On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This $787 billion law was intended to jump start the US economy by triggering a surge of direct spending and tax incentives. Overall, the new law creates over 300 changes
Employee or Independent Contractor?
If you are a business owner wondering whether to treat an individual working within your business as an employee or an independent contractor, here is what you should consider: 1. Does your company have the right to control what the worker does and how they do it? Are they allowed to work for
American Opportunity Credit
For 2009 and 2010 the existing Hope education credit has been modified and is now referred to as The American Opportunity Credit. This credit is designed to help students and their parents pay for the first 4 years of college. The modification to the Hope credit makes it aviailbe to a larger range
Sales Tax on New Vehicle Purchases
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides for new incentives for the purchase of new cars in 2009. This applies to vehicles purchases after February 16, 2009 and before January 1, 2010. Taxpayers who qualify may deduct the sales tax (state, local, and excise) on the purchase of new cars,
Summer Day Camp and the Dependent Care Credit
For all you working parents out there - here is what you need to know about the Dependent Care Credit when it comes to Summer Day Camps. If your child is under 13 and you need to arrange for additional care for them during the summer months then summer day camps are one way to accomplish this while