Author: Wolfe

Individuals are always looking for tax deductions that can reduce their tax liability. But what is the actual tax benefit derived from a tax deduction? There is no straightforward answer because some deductions are “above the line”, others must be itemized, some must exceed a threshold amount before being deductible, and certain ones are not deductible for alternative minimum tax purposes, while business deductions can offset both income and self-employment tax. In other words, there are many factors to consider, and the tax benefits differ for everyone, depending on their particular situation and tax bracket.

For most non-business deductions, the savings are based upon your tax bracket. For example, if you are in the 12% tax bracket, a $1,000 deduction would save you $120 in taxes. On the other hand, if you are in the 32% tax bracket, the $1,000 deduction will save you $320 in taxes. Even so, if your taxable income is close to transitioning into the next-lower tax bracket, the benefit will be lower.

You also need to consider whether the deduction is allowed on your state return and what your state tax bracket is to determine the total tax savings. Currently, the maximum federal tax bracket is 37%, meaning the most benefit that can be derived from a $1,000 income tax deduction is $370. Some individuals justify making discretionary purchases just because they are tax-deductible. Even in the highest tax bracket, you are still paying $630 out of pocket ($1,000 − $370), so it does not make sense to incur a tax-deductible expense just for the tax deduction.

Some deductions, such as IRA and self-employed retirement plan contributions, alimony, and student loan interest, are adjustments to income or what we call above-the-line deductions. These deductions, to the extent permitted by law, provide a dollar deduction for every dollar claimed. On the other hand, deductions that fall into the itemized category must exceed the standard deduction for your filing status before any benefit can be derived. In addition, medical deductions are reduced by 7.5% of your adjusted gross income (AGI), and most cash charitable deductions are limited to a maximum of 60% of your AGI. Under the tax reform that became effective in 2018, the deduction for state and local taxes is currently capped at $10,000 per year.

The most beneficial deductions are business deductions that offset both income tax and, depending upon the circumstances, self-employment tax. For 2023, the self-employment tax rate is 12.4% of the first annually inflation adjusted $160,200 of net self-employment income plus 2.9% for the Medicare tax, with no cap. Contact this office for rates applicable to other years. Some high-income taxpayers may pay an additional 0.9% Medicare tax. For self-employed businesses with less than $160,200 of net income, the self-employment tax rate is 15.3%. Thus, for small businesses with profits of less than $160,200, the benefit derived from deductions generally will include the taxpayer’s tax bracket plus 15.3%. For example, for a taxpayer in the 24% tax bracket, the benefit could be as much as 39.3% (24% + 15.3%) of the deduction. If the deduction were $2,000, the tax savings could be as much as $806 or more, when the taxpayer’s state income tax bracket is included.

In addition to deductions, taxpayers also benefit from tax credits. Tax credits reduce the tax, not the taxable income, dollar for dollar. These credits come in different varieties. Some, referred to as non-refundable will only reduce a taxpayer’s tax liability to zero while refundable credits will reduce the tax liability to zero and any balance is refunded. In addition, some unused non-refundable credits can be carried to other years. The following are examples of 2023 tax credits:

• Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) – This inflation adjusted credit is for lower income taxpayers based on their earned income and overall income for the year. The credit can be as much as $7,430, and is a refundable credit.
• Home Solar Credit – Is 30% of the cost of a home solar electric system put into service in 2023. The credit is non-refundable, but unused credit carries over to future years.
• Credit for Energy Efficient Home Modifications – This credit is 30% of the cost ofmaking qualifying energy saving improvements to your existing home. The costs, and thus the credit, is limited by the type of home improvement and the annual maximum credit is $1,200. However, this is a non-refundable credit and there is no carryover.

So when evaluating the tax benefit of a tax credit one must consider whether it is a refundable credit; if any unused amounts carry over to be used in other years; and whether there are any limits on the dollar amount of the credits.

If you are planning an expenditure and expect the tax deduction or tax credit to help cover the cost, please call before making the purchase to ensure that the tax benefit will be what you anticipate.

If your 2022 refund or balance due turns out not to be the desired amount, you may want to consider adjusting your withholding based on your projected tax for 2023. If you need assistance, please call this office.

W-9 Collection – If you are operating a business, then you are required to issue a Form 1099-NEC to each service provider to which you have paid at least $600 during a given year. It is a good practice to collect a completed W-9 form from every service provider (even if you are paying less than $600), as you may use that provider again later in the year and may have difficulty getting a W-9 after the fact—especially from providers that do not plan to report all of their income for the year.

Estimated Tax Payments – If you are self-employed, then you prepay each year’s taxes in quarterly estimated payments by sending 1040-ES payment vouchers or making electronic payments. For the 2023 tax year, the first three payments are due on April 18, June 15, and September 15, 2023, and the final payment is due on January 16, 2024. Generally, these payments are based on the prior year’s taxable income; if you expect any significant changes in either income or deductions relative to the previous year, please contact this office for help in adjusting your payments accordingly.

Charitable Contributions – If you marginally itemize your deductions, then you can employ the bunching strategy, which involves taking the standard deduction one year but itemizing your deductions in the next. However, you must make this decision early in the year so that you can make two years’ worth of charitable contributions in the bunching year.

Required Minimum Distributions – Each year, if you are 73 (a recent law change increased it from 72 in 2022) or older, you must take a required minimum distribution from each of your retirement accounts or face a substantial penalty. By taking this distribution early in the year, you can ensure that you do not forget and accidentally subject yourself to penalties.

Gifting – If you are looking to reduce your estate-tax exposure or if you just want to give some money to family members, know that each year, you can gift up to an inflation-adjusted amount, which for 2023 is $17,000, to each of an unlimited number of beneficiaries without affecting your lifetime estate-tax exclusion amount or paying a gift tax.

Retirement-Plan Contributions – Review your retirement-plan contributions to determine whether you can afford to increase your contribution amounts and to make sure that you are taking full advantage of your employer’s contributions to the plan.

Beneficiaries – Marriages, divorces, births, deaths, and even family clashes all affect whom you include as a beneficiary. It is good practice to periodically review not just your will or trust but also your retirement plans, insurance policies, property holdings, and other investments to be sure that your beneficiary designations are up to date.

Reasonable Compensation – With the advent a few years ago of the 20% pass-through deduction, which is available to most businesses other than C-corporations, the issue of reasonable compensation took on new importance, particularly for shareholders of S corporations. This has been a contentious issue in the past, as it has allowed shareholders who are not just investors but who are actually working in the business to take a minimum salary (or no salary at all) so that all their income passed through the K-1 as investment income. This strategy allows such shareholders and the S corporation to avoid payroll taxes on income that should be treated as W-2 compensation. A number of issues factor into a discussion of reasonable compensation, including comparisons to others working in similar businesses and to employees within the same business, as well as the cost of living in the business’s locale. This is a subjective amount, and it generally must be determined by a firm that specializes in making such determinations.

Business-Vehicle Mileage – Generally, vehicles with business use also have some amount of nondeductible personal use in a given year. It is always a good practice to record a vehicle’s mileage at the beginning and at the end of each year so as to determine its total mileage for that year. The total mileage figure is then used when prorating the personal- and business-use expenses related to that vehicle.

College-Tuition Plans – Contribute to your child’s Section 529 plan as soon as possible; the funds begin accumulating earnings as soon as they are in the account, which is important because the student will likely begin using that money at age 18 or 19.

Only a few of the tax-related actions that you take during a year will benefit yourself or others. The most important of these actions is keeping timely and accurate tax records; for businesses in particular, this is of the utmost importance. Those who have well-documented income and expense records generally come out on top when the IRS challenges them.

If you have any questions related to your taxes or if would like an appointment for tax projections or tax planning, please contact our office.

People who think accountants aren’t very fun have never met our team! Throughout the year, we shared meals, laughs, and even threw a few axes.

Here are a some highlights from our 2022 firm activities:

It was coworker vs. coworker at Battle of the Stars: Coworker Feud. It was a very close match between the Blue Star team (left) and the White Star team (right), but in the end, the Blue Star team won!

2022 was a fun year for our firm. We can’t wait to see what 2023 has in store!

As the name suggests, cash flow is a term used to describe the money coming into and out of a business. Cash received – like money being paid to the business from its customers – would be inflow. Cash spent – like the funds being paid to vendor partners and other operational costs – would be outflow.

Obviously, it’s always important to have more money coming into your business than going out in most situations. But whether this is true is not the only factor you should be accounting for. Instead, it should be seen for what it really is – a metric that tells just one small part of a much larger story.

The Ins and Outs of Business Cash Flow: Breaking Things Down

One of the reasons why keeping an eye on cash flow is so important is because it helps paint a vivid picture of a business’s liquidity. The more liquid a company is, the more flexible it is

A significant amount of positive cash flow relative to outflow indicates that a company’s liquid assets are increasing. This is something that should happen naturally over time as a business continues to grow and scale. This doesn’t just mean that they’re comfortable when it comes to handling their financial obligations. They can take some of that money and strategically invest it back into the business itself where it can make the biggest impact.

This type of positive cash flow also acts as a viable buffer against any uncertainty or even challenges that may develop. Case in point: everything that has been going on over the last few years with the still-ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. When the pandemic first hit in March 2020, businesses of all types found their doors suddenly closed. The ones that were able to survive to the point where they could re-open again – or at least remain afloat for as long as possible – were those that had liquidity through positive cash flow.

In a larger sense, there are a few different types of cash flow to concern yourself with. Operating cash flow refers to the amount of money that a company is generating via everyday activities. Investment cash flow, as the name suggests, is income generated from investment actions like purchasing securities.

Financing cash flow goes into more detail about how money is moving between a business and a number of other entities like investors, owners, and even creditors.

Again, tracking business cash flow is all about the insight it generates. Not only does it allow you to keep the doors open because you know you have enough money to handle your obligations, but it also helps to meet your short and long-term goals for expansion as well. In essence, it helps those business leaders come up with the best possible plan for the future – which is also why this is something you need to be taking a look at on a regular basis.

Tracking Cash Flow: An Overview

All told, tracking cash flow over the long term is something that will be accomplished through a few different financial statements. The first of these is the balance sheet, which simply puts together an outline of a company’s current assets and liabilities.

Next, we have the income statement. This is a document that helps highlight a company’s profitability at a particular moment in time.

Finally, you have the actual cash flow statement. Think of this as something like a checkbook in nature – the cash flow statement confirms that all the other data on the statements mentioned above is as accurate as possible.

The cash flow statement provides a detailed overview of a company’s cash-based transactions, both going in and coming out of the business. It can also help indicate how many unpaid invoices may be out there. Collecting them can help reconcile the books and improve cash flow as much as possible.

In the end, business cash flow is always an essential part of any organization. You need visibility into where money is coming from and where it’s going in order to make the most informed decisions possible at all times. That’s why it’s always recommended that you enlist the help of a professional to handle this critical matter on your behalf – that way you can leverage their expertise to your advantage, all so that you can focus more on your business, the way it should be.

So if you’d like to get additional insight into business cash flow, or if you just have any additional questions that you’d like to go over with someone in a bit more detail, please don’t delay – contact us today.