Business owners can claim a qualified business income deduction

Eligible taxpayers may now deduct up to 20 percent of certain business income from domestic businesses operated as sole proprietorships or through partnerships, S corporations, trusts, and estates.  The deduction may also be claimed on certain dividends.  Eligible taxpayers can claim the deduction for the first time on the 2018 federal income tax return they file in 2019. This provision is the result of tax reform legislation passed in December 2017.

Here are some things business owners should know about this deduction:

• The deduction applies to qualified:
  – Business income 
  – Real estate investment trust dividends
  – Publicly traded partnership income

• Qualified business income is the net amount of qualified items of income, gain, deduction and loss connected to a qualified U.S. trade or business. Only items included in taxable income are counted.

• The deduction is available to eligible taxpayers, whether they itemize their deductions on Schedule A or take the standard deduction.

• The deduction is generally equal to the lesser of these two amounts: 
  – Twenty percent of qualified business income plus 20 percent of qualified real estate investment trust dividends and qualified publicly traded partnership income.
  – Twenty percent of taxable income computed before the qualified business income deduction minus net capital gains.

• For taxpayers with taxable income computed before the qualified business income deduction that exceeds $315,000 for a married couple filing a joint return, or $157,500 for all other taxpayers, the deduction may be subject to additional limitations or exceptions. These are based on the type of trade or business, the taxpayer’s taxable income, the amount of W-2 wages paid by the qualified trade or business, and the unadjusted basis immediately after acquisition of qualified property held by the trade or business.

• Income earned through a C corporation or by providing services as an employee is not eligible for the deduction.

• Taxpayers may rely on the rules in the proposed regulations until final regulations appear in the Federal Register.

At Zhong & Sanchez, we provide high-quality tax and financial reporting services to privately-held entities and small business owners. Our expertise ranges from income tax filing and accounting services to international compliance and financial analysis. Located in the Silicon Valley, you can reach us at 510-458-4451 or schedule your first consultation today at https://calendly.com/zhongsanchez

More Information
REG-107892-18, Qualified Business Income Deduction 
Notice 2018-64, Methods for Calculating W-2 Wages for Purposes of Section 199A
FAQs

Source: IRS

IRS launches easy-to-use tax reform webpage

The IRS has launched an easy-to-use webpage, IRS.gov/taxreform, with information about how the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act affects your taxes, with a special section focused on tax exempt entities.

The tax reform page features three areas designed specifically for:

• Individuals – For example, standard deduction increase, child tax credit, withholding. Use the Withholding Calculator to make sure you’re withholding enough tax from your paycheck.

• Businesses – For example, depreciation, expenses and qualified business income deductions.

• Tax Exempt Entities – For example, tax reform affecting retirement plans, tax-exempt organizations and governments.

Under the Tax Exempt Entities tab, you’ll find highlights of how tax reform affects retirement plans, tax-exempt organizations and tax-advantaged bonds.

Retirement plans

• Rollovers of retirement plan loan offsets – If your plan offsets an outstanding loan balance when you leave employment, you have until the due date of your individual tax return, plus extensions, to rollover those amounts to another plan or IRA.

• Roth recharacterizations – You can no longer recharacterize amounts rolled over to a Roth IRA from other retirement plans, such as 401(k) or 403(b) plans, or a conversion from a traditional IRA, SEP or SIMPLE to a Roth IRA.

Tax-exempt organizations

• Tax reform imposes a 1.4 percent excise tax on the investment income of certain educational institutions.

• An exempt organization with more than one unrelated trade or business must calculate unrelated business taxable income separately for each trade or business.

Tax-advantaged bonds

• Tax reform repealed the authority to issue tax-credit bonds and direct-pay bonds.

• The IRS will not process applications for, or issue allocations of, the remaining unused authority to issue new clean renewable energy bonds.

At Zhong & Sanchez, we provide high-quality tax and financial reporting services to privately-held entities and small business owners. Our expertise ranges from income tax filing and accounting services to international compliance and financial analysis. Located in the Silicon Valley, you can reach us at 510-458-4451 or schedule your first consultation today at https://calendly.com/zhongsanchez

Source: IRS

Tax reform brings changes to fringe benefits that can affect an employer’s bottom line

The IRS reminds employers that several programs have been affected as a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed last year. This includes changes to fringe benefits, which can affect an employer's bottom line and its employees' deductions.

Here’s information about some of these changes that will affect employers:

Entertainment Expenses & Deduction for Meals
The new law generally eliminated the deduction for any expenses related to activities generally considered entertainment, amusement or recreation.
 
However, under the new law, taxpayers can continue to deduct 50 percent of the cost of business meals if the taxpayer or an employee of the taxpayer is present, and the food or beverages are not considered lavish or extravagant. The meals may be provided to a current or potential business customer, client, consultant or similar business contact. Food and beverages that are purchased or consumed during entertainment events will not be considered entertainment if either of these apply:

• they are purchased separately from the entertainment

• the cost is stated separately from the entertainment on one or more bills, invoices or receipts

Qualified Transportation 
The new law also disallows deductions for expenses associated with qualified transportation fringe benefits or expenses incurred providing transportation for commuting. There is an exception when the transportation expenses are necessary for employee safety.

Bicycle Commuting Reimbursements 
Under the new law, employers can deduct qualified bicycle commuting reimbursements as a business expense. The new tax law suspends the exclusion of qualified bicycle commuting reimbursements from an employee’s income. This means that employers must now include these reimbursements in the employee’s wages.
  
Qualified Moving Expenses Reimbursements 
Employers must now include moving expense reimbursements in employees’ wages. The new tax law suspends the exclusion for qualified moving expense reimbursements.

There is one exception as members of the U.S. Armed Forces can still exclude qualified moving expense reimbursements from their income if they meet certain requirements.

Employee Achievement Award 
Special rules allow an employee to exclude achievement awards from their wages if the awards are tangible personal property. An employer also may deduct awards that are tangible personal property, subject to certain deduction limits. The new law clarifies the definition of tangible personal property.

At Zhong & Sanchez, we provide high-quality tax and financial reporting services to privately-held entities and small business owners. Our expertise ranges from income tax filing and accounting services to international compliance and financial analysis. Located in the Silicon Valley, you can reach us at 510-458-4451 or schedule your first consultation today at https://calendly.com/zhongsanchez

Source: IRS

Picture credt: Jaclyn Morgan, Foodable