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Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021
Dear Valued Clients and Friends of Burkhart & Company, On December 21, 2020, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. The bill consists of $300 billion in aid for small businesses, stimulus payments to individuals, additional unemployment...
Individual Year-End Planning
Each individual taxpayer’s year-end planning should consider the unique challenges and opportunities that this year presents. By the Numbers The tax rates for 2020 are 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, and 37%. The standard deduction for 2020 is $24,800 for married filing...
Business Year-End Planning
Each business should consider the unique challenges and possible opportunities that this year presents. Please see below a list of potential strategies and provisions that you may be able to utilize and should keep in mind as we approach year end. Deferring Income and...
Tennessee SERG Program
Dear Valued Clients and Friends of Burkhart & Company, 2020 has certainly been a year to remember. As challenges related to COVID-19 continue, it is important to stay informed as new relief measures are released. Even as Congress continues to work on a new round...
COVID-19 Relief Provisions
Dear Valued Clients and Friends of Burkhart & Company, The COVID-19 crisis has given rise to unprecedented economic relief legislation. It is important that every business owner and individual, whether employed or not, come to understand what provisions apply to...
Paycheck Protection Program
A major component of the CARES Act is the Paycheck Protection Program. It is aimed at keeping workers employed during this pandemic and economic decline. The initiative provides for 100% federally guaranteed loans to small businesses. If borrowers maintain their...
Tennessee Extends Hall Income Tax Deadline
The Tennessee Department of Revenue has extended the due date for filing and paying the Hall income tax from April 15, 2020 to July 15, 2020. Taxpayers will have until July 15, 2020, to file returns and make any payments originally due on April 15, 2020. Interest and...
Tennessee Extends Franchise and Excise Tax Deadline
The Tennessee Department of Revenue has extended the due date for filing and paying franchise and excise tax from April 15, 2020 to July 15, 2020. Taxpayers will have until July 15, 2020, to file returns and make any payments (including quarterly estimated payments)...
IRS Allows Businesses to Recoup Virus-Related Leave Costs
Small and mid-size businesses will be able to recover some of their coronavirus-related costs under new guidelines from the IRS and the Treasury and Labor departments. IRS and Treasury announced in a news release Friday that those businesses would be able to take...
IRS Extends Filing Deadline, Allows Unlimited Tax Deferral
The IRS and Treasury pushed the tax filing deadline to July 15, aligning the due date with the extended deadline for payments. The guidance released Friday will give filers and advisers coping with the Covid-19 pandemic more time to prepare tax returns. It also...
Taxpayers Can Delay Payments for 90 Days, Must File by April 15
Treasury guidance clarifies that tax forms still due April 15Individuals, businesses can defer some payments until July 15 The Treasury Department issued guidance saying that taxpayers can delay paying some federal income taxes for 90 days but still must submit their...
COVID-19 Update from Burkhart & Company, P.C.
Dear valued clients and friends of Burkhart & Company, In response to COVID-19 and governmental and health agency guidelines, we are writing to update you on our Firm’s adjustments. Effective today, March 17, 2020, Burkhart & Company team members will be...
IRS updates rules for mileage-related deductions
The IRS has issued new guidance updating the rules for using optional standard mileage rates when calculating “above-the-line” deductions for the costs of operating an automobile for certain purposes. IRS Revenue Procedure 2019-46 also lays out rules for establishing...
Factor 2020 cost-of-living adjustments into your year-end tax planning
The IRS recently issued its 2020 cost-of-living adjustments. With inflation remaining largely in check, many amounts increased slightly, and some stayed at 2019 levels. As you implement 2019 year-end tax planning strategies, be sure to take these 2020 adjustments into...
Business year-end tax planning in a TCJA world
The first tax-filing season under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) was a time of uncertainty for many businesses as they struggled with the implications of the law’s sweeping changes for their bottom lines. With the next filing season on the horizon, you can...
It’s not too late to trim your 2019 tax bill
Fall is in the air and that means it’s time to turn your attention to year-end tax planning. While several clear strategies and tactics emerged during the first tax filing season under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), 2019 and subsequent years bring potential twists...
The U.S. Department of Labor finalizes the new overtime rule
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has released the finalized rule on overtime exemptions for white-collar workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The rule updates the standard salary levels for the first time since 2004. While it is expected to expand the pool of...
IRS issues final QBI real estate safe harbor rules
Earlier this year, the IRS published a proposed safe harbor giving owners of certain rental real estate interests the opportunity to take advantage of the qualified business income (QBI) deduction. The QBI write-off was created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) for...
IRS provides additional guidance on bonus depreciation under the TCJA
The IRS has released final regulations and another round of proposed regs for the first-year 100% bonus depreciation deduction. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) expanded the deduction to 100% if the qualified property is placed in service through 2022, with the amount...
DOL expands retirement plan options for smaller businesses
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has released a final rule which should make it easier for smaller businesses to provide retirement plans to their employees. According to the DOL, the rule will enable more small and midsize unrelated businesses to join forces in...
Congress acts to reform the IRS, enhance taxpayer protections
The U.S. Senate has passed, and President Trump is expected to sign into law, a broad package of reforms aimed at the IRS. Among other things, the Taxpayer First Act contains several new protections for taxpayers, along with provisions intended to improve the IRS’s...
IRS wheels out additional guidance on company cars
The IRS has updated the inflation-adjusted “luxury automobile” limits on certain deductions taxpayers can take for passenger automobiles — including light trucks and vans — used in their businesses. Revenue Procedure 2019-26 includes different limits for purchased...
IRS updates rules for personal use of employer-provided vehicles
The IRS recently announced the inflation-adjusted maximum value of an employer-provided vehicle under the vehicle cents-per-mile rule and the fleet-average value rule. Employers can use the rules to value an employee’s personal use of such a vehicle for income and...
TCJA glitches and the extenders: Uncertainty looms over some federal income tax provisions
Congress has yet to tackle several outstanding uncertainties frustrating both businesses and individual taxpayers. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), for example, contains several “glitches” requiring legislative fixes. Congress also has neglected to pass the...
The Department of Labor proposes updated overtime rule
The Trump administration has released its long-awaited proposed rule to update the overtime exemptions for so-called white-collar workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The rule increases the minimum weekly standard salary level for both regular workers and...
2019 tax calendar
To help you make sure you don’t miss any important 2019 deadlines, we’ve provided this summary of when various tax-related forms, payments and other actions are due. Please review the calendar and let us know if you have any questions about the deadlines or would like...
IRS provides QBI deduction guidance in the nick of time
When President Trump signed into law the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) in December 2017, much was made of the dramatic cut in corporate tax rates. But the TCJA also includes a generous deduction for smaller businesses that operate...
IRS waives 2018 underpayment tax penalties for many taxpayers
The IRS has some good news for certain taxpayers — it’s waiving underpayment penalties for those whose 2018 federal income tax withholding and estimated tax payments came in under their actual tax liabilities for the year. The waiver recognizes that the Tax Cuts and...