Back-to-School Time Means a Tax Break for Teachers

31When teachers are setting up their classrooms for the new school year, it’s common for them to pay for a portion of their classroom supplies out of pocket. A special tax break allows these educators to deduct some of their expenses. This educator expense deduction is especially important now due to some changes under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).

The old miscellaneous itemized deduction

Before 2018, employee expenses were potentially deductible if they were unreimbursed by the employer and ordinary and necessary to the “business” of being an employee. A teacher’s out-of-pocket classroom expenses could qualify.

But these expenses had to be claimed as a miscellaneous itemized deduction and were subject to a 2% of adjusted gross income (AGI) floor. This meant employees, including teachers, could enjoy a tax benefit only if they itemized deductions (rather than taking the standard deduction) and all their deductions subject to the floor, combined, exceeded 2% of their AGI.

Now, for 2018 through 2025, the TCJA has suspended miscellaneous itemized deductions subject to the 2% of AGI floor. Fortunately, qualifying educators can still deduct some of their unreimbursed out-of-pocket classroom costs under the educator expense deduction.

The above-the-line educator expense deduction

Back in 2002, Congress created the above-the-line educator expense deduction because, for many teachers, the 2% of AGI threshold for the miscellaneous itemized deduction was difficult to meet. An above-the-line deduction is one that’s subtracted from your gross income to determine your AGI.

You don’t have to itemize to claim an above-the-line deduction. This is especially significant with the TCJA’s near doubling of the standard deduction, which means fewer taxpayers will benefit from itemizing.

Qualifying elementary and secondary school teachers and other eligible educators (such as counselors and principals) can deduct up to $250 of qualified expenses. If you’re married filing jointly and both you and your spouse are educators, you can deduct up to $500 of unreimbursed expenses — but not more than $250 each.

Qualified expenses include amounts paid or incurred during the tax year for books, supplies, computer equipment (including related software and services), other equipment and supplementary materials that you use in the classroom. For courses in health and physical education, the costs of supplies are qualified expenses only if related to athletics.

Many rules, many changes

Some additional rules apply to the educator expense deduction. Contact us for more details or to discuss other tax deductions that may be available to you this year. The TCJA has made significant changes to many deductions for individuals.

© 2018

Keep it SIMPLE: A Tax-Advantaged Retirement Plan Solution for Small Businesses

If your small business doesn’t offer its employees a retirement plan, you may want to consider a SIMPLE IRA. Offering a retirement plan can provide your business with valuable tax deductions and help you attract and retain employees. For a variety of reasons, a SIMPLE IRA can be a particularly appealing option for small businesses. The deadline for setting one up for this year is October 1, 2018.

The basics

SIMPLE stands for “savings incentive match plan for employees.” As the name implies, these plans are simple to set up and administer. Unlike 401(k) plans, SIMPLE IRAs don’t require annual filings or discrimination testing.

SIMPLE IRAs are available to businesses with 100 or fewer employees. Employers must contribute and employees have the option to contribute. The contributions are pretax, and accounts can grow tax-deferred like a traditional IRA or 401(k) plan, with distributions taxed when taken in retirement.

As the employer, you can choose from two contribution options:

1. Make a “nonelective” contribution equal to 2% of compensation for all eligible employees. You must make the contribution regardless of whether the employee contributes. This applies to compensation up to the annual limit of $275,000 for 2018 (annually adjusted for inflation).

2. Match employee contributions up to 3% of compensation. Here, you contribute only if the employee contributes. This isn’t subject to the annual compensation limit.

Employees are immediately 100% vested in all SIMPLE IRA contributions.

Employee contribution limits

Any employee who has compensation of at least $5,000 in any prior two years, and is reasonably expected to earn $5,000 in the current year, can elect to have a percentage of compensation put into a SIMPLE IRA.

SIMPLE IRAs offer greater income deferral opportunities than ordinary IRAs, but lower limits than 401(k)s. An employee may contribute up to $12,500 to a SIMPLE IRA in 2018. Employees age 50 or older can also make a catch-up contribution of up to $3,000. This compares to $5,500 and $1,000, respectively, for ordinary IRAs, and to $18,500 and $6,000 for 401(k)s. (Some or all of these limits may increase for 2019 under annual cost-of-living adjustments.)

You’ve got options

A SIMPLE IRA might be a good choice for your small business, but it isn’t the only option. The more-complex 401(k) plan we’ve already mentioned is one alternative. Some others are a Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) and a defined-benefit pension plan. These two plans don’t allow employee contributions and have other pluses and minuses. Contact us to learn more about a SIMPLE IRA or to hear about other retirement plan alternatives for your business.

© 2018

Behavioral Job Interviews Offer a Glimpse of What Could Be

Once an employer identifies a prospect for an open position and sets up an interview, another great challenge arises: How do you effectively use the interview to determine whether this person is right for your organization?

One way is behavioral interviewing — a technique in which you frame your questions to candidates to elicit real-world stories from previous work experience. The answers your interviewees give can offer a glimpse of what could be.

Examples to consider

It’s important to structure your questions so that the candidate can’t reply with only a “yes” or “no” answer. In some cases, your “questions” might not literally be questions.

For example, if you’re looking for a customer service rep, you could say, “Tell me about a time you’ve had to handle a dissatisfied customer.” Look for detailed responses that appear honest and heartfelt.

Or let’s say the open position is for a manager or executive. You might ask something along the lines of, “Talk about a situation in which you were asked to do something or tackle a strategic objective that tested your personal values. How did you react? What was the ultimate result?” Listen for how the candidate describes his or her value system and what steps he or she took to resolve the situation.

Best practices

When coming up with behavioral interview questions, begin with the job description. (If it hasn’t been updated in a while, you may want to do that first.) Be sure the queries you come up with are relevant to the duties and skills listed in the description, as well as the challenges the candidate will face if hired and the culture of your organization. To keep the interview from going too long, devise, say, three to five questions that will offer the most insight.

Instruct your managers to use identical language and present the questions in the same order to interviewees. Consistency is key when trying to weigh applicants’ responses against one another.

More revealing

Behavioral interviews may take a little more preparation than a more ad hoc, impromptu approach. But many employers believe these types of questions reveal much more about how an employee will perform when on the job. Our firm can provide more information and ideas.

© 2018

Assessing the S Corp

The S corporation business structure offers many advantages, including limited liability for owners and no double taxation (at least at the federal level). But not all businesses are eligible – and, with the new 21% flat income tax rate that now applies to C corporations, S corps may not be quite as attractive as they once were.

Tax comparison

The primary reason for electing S status is the combination of the limited liability of a corporation and the ability to pass corporate income, losses, deductions and credits through to shareholders. In other words, S corps generally avoid double taxation of corporate income — once at the corporate level and again when distributed to the shareholder. Instead, S corp tax items pass through to the shareholders’ personal returns and the shareholders pay tax at their individual income tax rates.

But now that the C corp rate is only 21% and the top rate on qualified dividends remains at 20%, while the top individual rate is 37%, double taxation might be less of a concern. On the other hand, S corp owners may be able to take advantage of the new qualified business income (QBI) deduction, which can be equal to as much as 20% of QBI.

You have to run the numbers with your tax advisor, factoring in state taxes, too, to determine which structure will be the most tax efficient for you and your business.

S Eligibility Requirements

If S corp status makes tax sense for your business, you need to make sure you qualify – and stay qualified. To be eligible to elect to be an S corp or to convert to S status, your business must:

  • Be a domestic corporation and have only one class of stock,
  • Have no more than 100 shareholders, and
  • Have only “allowable” shareholders, including individuals, certain trusts and estates. Shareholders can’t include partnerships, corporations and nonresident alien shareholders.

In addition, certain businesses are ineligible, such as insurance companies.

Reasonable compensation

Another important consideration when electing S status is shareholder compensation. The IRS is on the lookout for S corps that pay shareholder-employees an unreasonably low salary to avoid paying Social Security and Medicare taxes and then make distributions that aren’t subject to payroll taxes.

Compensation paid to a shareholder should be reasonable considering what a nonowner would be paid for a comparable position. If a shareholder’s compensation doesn’t reflect the fair market value of the services he or she provides, the IRS may reclassify a portion of distributions as unpaid wages. The company will then owe payroll taxes, interest and penalties on the reclassified wages.

Pros and cons

S corp status isn’t the best option for every business. To ensure that you’ve considered all the pros and cons, contact us. Assessing the tax differences can be tricky — especially with the tax law changes going into effect this year.

© 2018

4 ways to Encourage Use of an Employee Assistance Program

Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for good employees to battle personal problems, such as substance dependence, financial or legal woes, or mental health issues. These struggles can negatively affect their productivity and the working environment around them.

Employers can help by offering an employee assistance program (EAP). An EAP helps assist at-risk employees in finding the professional help they need. An employee who enrolls in the EAP may, for example, immediately be put in touch with a counselor or social worker.

A common problem faced by many employers who establish an EAP is lack of participation. Whether because of lack of awareness of the program or the stigmas attached to certain personal issues, employees often don’t actively pursue enrollment. Here are four ways to encourage use:

1. Put it in writing — everywhere. Update educational materials, both electronic and print, to highlight EAP services and the issues they address. Use bold graphics and clear, easy-to-read text. Don’t limit a description of your EAP to your employee handbook. Mention it regularly in other employee communications, such as benefits materials and your company newsletter.

2. Offer electronic entry points. Maximize the use of online technology so employees can discreetly gather information and understanding of both what your EAP offers and their personal challenges. You might, for example, add an interactive self-assessment tool to your website that helps users gauge their level of stress, other mood issues, and excessive use of alcohol or other drugs.

3. Go public. To the extent that it’s appropriate and feasible, open up topics to face-to-face discussion. Doing so can help minimize the shame and misunderstandings that may accompany certain forms of struggle. For example, offer brown bag lunch-’n-learn events with presentations on topics such as time management, overcoming financial challenges and stress management.

4. Be comprehensive. Put all your work-life balance initiatives under the EAP umbrella. Many employees are more comfortable starting slow rather than leaping immediately into a behavioral health-related service. Use work-life balance as an introductory step, where appropriate counseling on depression, anxiety and other issues may eventually come into play.

These are just a few ways to take the mystery out of your EAP and make it more effective. Doing so can help you retain good employees and maximize productivity. Let us know if you’d like more information or other ideas.

© 2018

Choosing the Right Accounting Method for Tax Purposes

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) liberalized the eligibility rules for using the cash method of accounting, making this method — which is simpler than the accrual method — available to more businesses. Now the IRS has provided procedures a small business taxpayer can use to obtain automatic consent to change its method of accounting under the TCJA. If you have the option to use either accounting method, it pays to consider whether switching methods would be beneficial.

Cash vs. accrual

Generally, cash-basis businesses recognize income when it’s received and deduct expenses when they’re paid. Accrual-basis businesses, on the other hand, recognize income when it’s earned and deduct expenses when they’re incurred, without regard to the timing of cash receipts or payments.

In most cases, a business is permitted to use the cash method of accounting for tax purposes unless it’s:

1. Expressly prohibited from using the cash method, or
2. Expressly required to use the accrual method.

Cash method advantages

The cash method offers several advantages, including:

Simplicity. It’s easier and cheaper to implement and maintain.

Tax-planning flexibility. It offers greater flexibility to control the timing of income and deductible expenses. For example, it allows you to defer income to next year by delaying invoices or to shift deductions into this year by accelerating the payment of expenses. An accrual-basis business doesn’t enjoy this flexibility. For example, to defer income, delaying invoices wouldn’t be enough; the business would have to put off shipping products or performing services.

Cash flow benefits. Because income is taxed in the year it’s received, the cash method does a better job of ensuring that a business has the funds it needs to pay its tax bill.

Accrual method advantages

In some cases, the accrual method may offer tax advantages. For example, accrual-basis businesses may be able to use certain tax-planning strategies that aren’t available to cash-basis businesses, such as deducting year-end bonuses that are paid within the first 2½ months of the following year and deferring income on certain advance payments.

The accrual method also does a better job of matching income and expenses, so it provides a more accurate picture of a business’s financial performance. That’s why it’s required under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).

If your business prepares GAAP-compliant financial statements, you can still use the cash method for tax purposes. But weigh the cost of maintaining two sets of books against the potential tax benefits.

Making a change

Keep in mind that cash and accrual are the two primary tax accounting methods, but they’re not the only ones. Some businesses may qualify for a different method, such as a hybrid of the cash and accrual methods.

If your business is eligible for more than one method, we can help you determine whether switching methods would make sense and can execute the change for you if appropriate.

© 2018

Nonprofits Should be Prepared for a Sudden Outpouring of Support

Americans gave unprecedented sums to charity in response to the devastating hurricanes last year. Large organizations, such as the American Red Cross, were equipped to handle the huge influxes of donations. However, some smaller charities were overwhelmed. Although it may seem like an unlikely problem, your not-for-profit needs a plan to handle a potential outpouring of support.

Know what’s normal

Perhaps the biggest lesson to learn from recent disasters is to always have an expansion plan in place. When the influx of online giving reached critical mass, many organizations found that their websites overloaded and went offline. Their sites had to be moved to more powerful servers to handle the increased traffic.

Keep track of “normal” website hits, as well as the numbers of calls and email inquiries received, so you won’t be caught off guard when you start to surpass that amount. Also, know your systems’ ultimate capacity so you can enact a contingency plan should you approach critical mass.

Mobilize your troops

Having an “early warning system” is only one part of being prepared. You also need to be able to mobilize your troops in a hurry. Do you know how to reach all of your board members at any time? Can you efficiently organize volunteers when you need extra hands quickly? Be sure you have:

• An up-to-date contact list of board members that includes home, office and mobile phone numbers,
• A process, such as a phone tree, so you can communicate with the board quickly and efficiently, and
• One or more emergency volunteer coordinators who can call and quickly train people when you need them.

Also conduct a mock emergency with staff and volunteers to learn where you’re prepared to ramp up and where you’re not.

Build relationships

A surge in donor interest may mean a surge in media attention. While it might be tempting to say, “not now, we’re busy,” don’t pass up the opportunity to publicize your organization’s mission and the work that’s garnering all the attention.

In most cases, the immediate surge of interest eventually wanes. Before that happens, start to build lasting relationships with new donors and media contacts. Inform them about the work your organization does under “normal” circumstances and suggest ways to get them involved.

© 2018

Upskilling: The next frontier in employee training

In the face of a tight job market and a widening skills gap, employers in many industries are catching on to the benefits of “upskilling.” More than just your typical employee training, upskilling takes a broad approach to development.

It can involve teaching workers additional skills in areas related to but outside their current positions to help fulfill the employer’s existing or anticipated needs. Or it can simply give employees access to learning that will help them progress in their careers, either with their current employer or elsewhere.

Real-world examples

Take, for example, Starbucks’ College Achievement Plan. It offers workers tuition reimbursements to earn an online bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University. The coffee company doesn’t stop at tuition — it also provides coaches, advisors and 24/7 tutoring.

Another example is Boeing’s recent launch of a program that will give employees access to online lessons, certification courses and degree programs, as well as several programs to help enhance technical skills, starting with digital literacy.

Potential perks

The potential perks for employers are many, including:

• Improved employee retention,
• Reduced recruiting costs,
• Higher productivity,
• Better engagement, and
• Stronger branding.

Companies also are finding that many customers increasingly prefer to do business with organizations that invest in society by investing in their employees. And financial investors often prefer companies that demonstrate a commitment to their long-term success by arming their employees with the tools needed to compete in the future.

Best practices

So, what makes upskilling programs effective? Successful programs generally share several hallmarks. For starters, they take the time to craft individualized development plans, rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach. These personal plans identify clear goals for each employee and chart a course to meet them.

Making multiple avenues of learning available is also advisable. People learn in different ways — while some employees might thrive in online education, others may get more out of traditional classroom settings. Some people are visual learners; others prefer text.

Regardless of the delivery mechanisms, employers should offer upskilling on an ongoing basis. Experts estimate that skills today have an average shelf life of only five years, so learning should be a constant.

Finally, successful programs usually focus on instructing employees in areas adjacent to their existing skills, instead of “re-skilling” (for example, teaching a coal miner to code). Employees are less daunted and more confident in such circumstances.

Considerable upside

Finding the time and resources to offer upskilling to employees isn’t always easy. But the upside for both your organization’s productivity and its public image can be considerable. For further ideas, contact us.

© 2018

Auditing the Use of Estimates and Specialists

Complex accounting estimates — such as allowances for doubtful accounts, impairments of long-lived assets, and valuations of financial and nonfinancial assets — have been blamed for many high-profile accounting scams and financial restatements. Estimates generally involve some level of measurement uncertainty, and some may even require the use of outside specialists, such as appraisers or engineers.

As a result, examining estimates is a critical part of an audit. Companies that understand the audit process are better equipped to facilitate audit fieldwork and can communicate more effectively with their auditors. Here’s what you need to know about auditing the use of estimates as we head into next audit season.

Audit techniques

Some estimates may be easily determinable, but many are inherently complex. Auditing standards generally provide the following three approaches for substantively testing accounting estimates and fair value measurements:

1. Testing management’s process. Auditors evaluate the reasonableness and consistency of management’s assumptions, as well as test whether the underlying data is complete, accurate and relevant.
2. Developing an independent estimate. Using management’s assumptions (or alternate assumptions), auditors come up with an estimate to compare to what’s reported on the internally prepared financial statements.
3. Reviewing subsequent events or transactions. The reasonableness of estimates can be gauged by looking at events or transactions that happen after the balance sheet date but before the date of the auditor’s report.

When performing an audit, all three approaches might not necessarily be appropriate for every estimate. For each estimate, the auditor typically selects one or a combination of these approaches.

Regulatory oversight

Accounting estimates have been on the agenda of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) since it was established by Congress under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Although the leadership of PCAOB changed hands in early 2018, proposals to enhance the auditing standards for the use of accounting estimates and the work of specialists remain top priorities.

Earlier this summer, Chairman William Duhnke told the PCAOB’s Standard Advisory Group (SAG) that he hopes to complete these projects in the coming months. The updated auditing standards would help reduce diversity in practice, provide more-specific direction and be better aligned with the risk assessment standards.

Prepare for next audit season

Improvements on the audit standards for the use of estimates and the work of specialists could be coming soon. As companies plan for next year’s audit, they should contact their audit partners for the latest developments on the standards for auditing the use of estimates and specialists to determine what (if anything) has changed.

We can help you understand how estimates and specialists are used in the preparation of your company’s financial statements and minimize the risk of financial misstatement.

© 2018

Six Ways to Run a Better Meeting

There are few more self-destructive acts for an employer than to waste its employees’ time. You not only squander productivity but also hurt morale. Among the most common culprits of wasted time are bad meetings. A sloppily managed one can leave employees grumbling and frustrated for hours, even days, afterward. Here are six ways to run a better meeting:

1. Start on time. Beginning promptly shows you respect people’s time and encourages punctuality as an aspect of your organizational culture. Train and encourage meeting leaders to adhere to firm start times. Managers should address chronic latecomers verbally first (but after the meeting), and in writing later if necessary.

2. Lead with something positive. Poorly run meetings can quickly devolve into unproductive gripe sessions. Set the tone for a more constructive discussion of your agenda items by leading off with some good news highlighting an organizational or individual accomplishment.

3. Clear the air. After a positive start, if there’s an “elephant in the room,” confront it. Examples include a sudden staff change, bad sales report or unflattering story in the media. Say whatever needs to be said to acknowledge it and, if appropriate, discuss it. Then move on to a more constructive topic.

4. Deploy multiple voices. Depending on the agenda and meeting length, it’s usually a good idea to ask more than one team member to address a topic and lead a discussion. This will give the meeting more of a dynamic feel — lessening the likelihood that attendees will tune out a single voice. It also eases the burden on one person to run the whole show.

5. Follow a “no rehash” rule. Every topic should be thoroughly discussed. But backtracking to previous agenda items can turn meetings into a chaotic, confusing and laborious mess. Establish and enforce a clearly stated policy that, once the meeting has moved forward, previous discussions cannot be restarted.

6. Conclude optimistically with actionable tasks. Just as you started positively, also try to end the meeting on an upbeat, motivational note. Not every agenda item will require follow-up action, but many will. Identify those that do call for action and assign clear tasks to the appropriate attendees. Otherwise, dismiss everyone with a renewed sense of urgency to work on the items discussed. Contact us for more ideas on how to better accomplish your strategic objectives.

© 2018