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Did you get a large refund this past April? More than $1,000? Or perhaps you owed money and had to write a check you didn’t want to write? It may be time to sit down, sip your beverage, and learn a bit about how to adjust your tax withholdings. Withholdings are the taxes your employer takes from your pay each check, and it all starts with your payroll department. It’s not too tough once you...

Running a restaurant presents a unique set of accounting challenges for many managers and owners. Issues such as transient staff, high transaction volume and theft are key concerns for restaurant owners, and having a robust system in place to handle these situations can go a long way. From general purpose accounting software to restaurant-specific accounting software, there are several options to...

A simple and basic estate planning tool is a revocable living trust (RLT). Revocable means it can be changed; living, because you are alive; and trust which is a legal document. The point of a RLT is to protect your assets from probate, the long and drawn out process that can take sometimes a year to get the assets of a decedent to their intended heir. A trust is made up of three parties: the...

The IRS offers a variety of payment options where taxpayers can pay immediately or arrange to pay in installments. Those who receive a bill from the IRS should not ignore it. A delay may cost more in the end. As more time passes, the more interest and penalties accumulate. Here are some ways to make payments using IRS electronic payment options: Direct Pay. Pay tax bills directly from a checking...

The IRS is warning nonprofits and their advisors that many tax-exempt organizations have a filing deadline for 990-series information returns next Monday, May 15. Form 990 information returns and notices are due on the 15th day of the fifth month after an organization’s tax year ends. For calendar-year organizations, May 15 is the deadline to file for 2016. By law, organizations that fail to file...

Most people don’t think about taxes on their way to the track or casino, but what might seem like nothing more than the chance to win some extra money actually carries significant tax implications. As is often the case, federal and state governments single out casino winnings for unique taxes of their own. Failure to properly report your haul may result in penalties and headaches, so be aware of...

Welcome to the merry, merry month of May, which is particularly joyous for folks who’ve finished up their 2016 tax returns. That’s almost 136 million of us, with around 17 million of those 1040 forms arriving at Internal Revenue Service processing centers in the final days of this year’s main filing season. While the 2017 filing season got off to a slow start, the IRS says by the time it wrapped...

Eligible small business startups can now choose to apply part or all of their research credit against their payroll tax liability, instead of their income tax liability, according to the Internal Revenue Service. During National Small Business Week—April 30 to May 6—the IRS is highlighting tax benefits and resources designed to help new and existing small businesses. This new option will be...

The Internal Revenue Service is planning June 18 as the tentative date for moving its e-Services platform to what it promises will be more secure and modern technology. In recent years, the IRS has experienced security breaches from identity thieves targeting several of its online self-service applications, including the Get Transcript app, the Identity Protection Personal Identification Number...

The restaurant industry has areas that are totally specific to it. Those who want to get into that area, who want to do it right, need to become experts in those areas that really differentiate that industry: Most restaurant clients are tax oriented clients; sometimes you will have audits if you have a large restaurant group or franchise with a significant amount of debt level. Within the tax...