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

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

What’s excluded from the balance sheet?

Financial statements help investors and lenders monitor a company’s performance. However, financial statements may not provide a full picture of financial health. What’s undisclosed could be just as significant as the disclosures. Here’s how a CPA can help stakeholders identify unrecorded items either through external auditing procedures or by conducting agreed upon procedures (AUPs) that target specific accounts.

Start with assets

Revealing undisclosed liabilities and risks begins with assets. For each asset, it’s important to evaluate what could cause the account to diminish. For example, accounts receivable may include bad debts, or inventory may include damaged goods. In addition, some fixed assets may be broken or in desperate need of repairs and maintenance. These items may signal financial distress and affect financial ratios just as much as unreported liabilities do.

Some of these problems may be uncovered by touring the company’s facilities or reviewing asset schedules for slow-moving items. Benchmarking can also help. For example, if receivables are growing much faster than sales, it could be a sign of aging, uncollectible accounts.

Evaluate liabilities

Next, external accountants can assess liabilities to determine whether the amount reported for each item seems accurate and complete. For example, a company may forget to accrue liabilities for salary or vacation time.

Alternatively, management might underreport payables by holding checks for weeks (or months) to make the company appear healthier than it really is. This ploy preserves the checking account while giving the impression that supplier invoices are being paid. It also mismatches revenues and expenses, understates liabilities and artificially enhances profits. Delayed payments can hurt the company’s reputation and cause suppliers to restrict their credit terms.

Identify unrecorded items

Finally, CPAs can investigate what isn’t showing on the balance sheet. Examples include warranties, pending lawsuits, IRS investigations and an underfunded pension. Such risks appear on the balance sheet only when they’re “reasonably estimable” and “more than likely” to be incurred.

These are subjective standards. In-house accounting personnel may claim that liabilities are too unpredictable or remote to warrant disclosure. Footnotes, when available, may shed additional light on the nature and extent of these contingent liabilities.

Need help?

An external audit is your best line of defense against hidden risks and potential liabilities. Or, if funds are limited, an AUP engagement can target specific high-risk accounts or transactions. Contact our experienced CPAs to gain a clearer picture of your company’s financial well-being.

© 2018

Family Limited Partnerships & Succession Planning

One of the biggest concerns for family business owners is succession planning — transferring ownership and control of the company to the next generation. Often, the best time tax-wise to start transferring ownership is long before the owner is ready to give up control of the business.
A family limited partnership (FLP) can help owners enjoy the tax benefits of gradually transferring ownership yet allow them to retain control of the business.

How it works

To establish an FLP, you transfer your ownership interests to a partnership in exchange for both general and limited partnership interests. You then transfer limited partnership interests to your children.

You retain the general partnership interest, which may be as little as 1% of the assets. But as general partner, you can still run day-to-day operations and make business decisions.

Tax benefits

As you transfer the FLP interests, their value is removed from your taxable estate. What’s more, the future business income and asset appreciation associated with those interests move to the next generation.

Because your children hold limited partnership interests, they have no control over the FLP, and thus no control over the business. They also can’t sell their interests without your consent or force the FLP’s liquidation.

The lack of control and lack of an outside market for the FLP interests generally mean the interests can be valued at a discount — so greater portions of the business can be transferred before triggering gift tax. For example, if the discount is 25%, in 2018 you could gift an FLP interest equal to as much as $20,000 tax-free because the discounted value wouldn’t exceed the $15,000 annual gift tax exclusion.

To transfer interests in excess of the annual exclusion, you can apply your lifetime gift tax exemption. And 2018 may be a particularly good year to do so, because the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act raised it to a record-high $11.18 million. The exemption is scheduled to be indexed for inflation through 2025 and then drop back down to an inflation-adjusted $5 million in 2026. While Congress could extend the higher exemption, using as much of it as possible now may be tax-smart.

There also may be income tax benefits. The FLP’s income will flow through to the partners for income tax purposes. Your children may be in a lower tax bracket, potentially reducing the amount of income tax paid overall by the family.

FLP risks

Perhaps the biggest downside is that the IRS scrutinizes FLPs. If it determines that discounts were excessive or that your FLP had no valid business purpose beyond minimizing taxes, it could assess additional taxes, interest and penalties.

The IRS pays close attention to how FLPs are administered. Lack of attention to partnership formalities, for example, can indicate that an FLP was set up solely as a tax-reduction strategy.

Right for you?

An FLP can be an effective succession and estate planning tool, but it isn’t risk free. Please contact us for help determining whether an FLP is right for you.

© 2018

401(k) Hardship Withdrawals

Many employers sponsor 401(k) plans to help employees save for retirement, but sometimes those employees need access to plan funds well before they retire. In such cases, if the plan allows it, participants can make a hardship withdrawal.

If your organization sponsors a 401(k) with this option, you should know that there are important changes on the way next year.

What will be different

Right now, 401(k) hardship withdrawals are limited to only funds an employee has contributed, and the employee must first take out a plan loan from the account. The employee also cannot participate in the plan for six months after a hardship withdrawal.

However, important changes take effect in 2019 under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (BBA). First, employees’ withdrawal limits will include not only their own contributed amounts, but also accumulated employer matching contributions plus earnings on contributions. If an employee has been participating in your 401(k) for several years, this could add substantially to the amount of funds available for withdrawal in the event of a legitimate hardship.

In addition, the BBA eliminates the current six-month ban on employee participation in the 401(k) plan following a hardship withdrawal. This means employees can stay in the plan and keep contributing, which allows them to begin recouping withdrawn amounts right away. And, for you, the plan sponsor, it means no longer having to re-enroll employees in the 401(k) after the six-month hiatus.

What remains the same

Some things haven’t changed. Hardship withdrawals are still subject to a 10% tax penalty, along with regular income tax. This combination could take a substantial bite out of the amount withdrawn, effectively forcing account holders to take out more dollars than they otherwise would have to, so as to wind up with the same net amount.

The BBA also didn’t change the reasons for which hardship withdrawals can be made. According to the IRS, such a withdrawal “must be made because of an immediate and heavy financial need of the employee and the amount must be necessary to satisfy the financial need.” This can include the need of an employee’s spouse or dependent, as well as that of a nonspouse, nondependent beneficiary.

The agency has said that the meaning of “immediate and heavy” depends on the facts of the situation and assumes the employee doesn’t have any other way to meet the need.

Examples offered by the IRS include:

  • Qualified medical expenses
  • Tuition and related educational fees and expenses
  • Burial or funeral expenses

The agency has also cited costs related to a principal residence as usually qualifying. These include expenses related to the purchase of a principal residence, its repair after significant damage, and costs necessary to prevent eviction or foreclosure.

Further guidance

If your organization sponsors a 401(k) plan that permits hardship withdrawals, be sure to read up on all the details related to the BBA’s changes. Our firm can provide more information and further guidance.

© 2018

Transitioning to Remote Audits

Are you comfortable communicating electronically with your auditors? If so, a logical next step might be to transition from on-site audit procedures to a more “remote” approach. Remote audits can help reduce the time and cost of preparing audited financial statements.

21st century audits

Traditionally, audit fieldwork has involved a team of auditors camping out for weeks (or even months) in one of the conference rooms at the headquarters of the company being audited. Now, thanks to technological advances — including cloud storage, smart devices and secure data-sharing platforms — many audit firms are testing the feasibility of remote auditing as a replacement for sending auditors on-site.

In addition to saving time and audit fees, allowing auditors to work remotely improves the work-life balance for auditors and in-house accounting personnel. Your employees won’t need to stay glued to their desks for the duration of the audit, because they can respond to the auditor’s inquiries and document requests remotely.

Best practices

Changing the format of an audit requires flexibility, including a willingness to embrace the technology needed to facilitate the exchange, review and analysis of relevant documents. You can facilitate the transition process by:

Being responsive to electronic requests. Auditors who are out of sight shouldn’t be out of mind. Answer all remote requests from your auditors in a timely manner. If a key employee will be on vacation or out of the office for an extended period, give the audit team the contact information for the key person’s backup.

Giving employees access to the requisite software. Sharing documents with remote auditors may require you to install specific software on employees’ computers. But your company’s policies may prohibit employees from downloading software without approval from the IT department.

Before remote auditors start “fieldwork,” ask for a list of software and platforms that will be used to interact with in-house personnel. Give the appropriate employees access and authorization to share audit-related data from your company’s systems. Work with IT specialists to address any security concerns they may have with sharing data with the remote auditors.

Tracking audit progress. With less face-to-face time with your auditors, you have fewer opportunities to receive updates on the team’s progress. Ask the engagement partner to explain how they’ll track the performance of their remote auditors, and how they plan to communicate the team’s progress to in-house accounting personnel.

Wave of the future

Like remote working arrangements with employees and contractors, remote audits are a growing trend that could potentially reduce the costs of preparing financial statements. But not every audit firm or business is ready to embrace remote auditing. Contact us to discuss ways to make next year’s audit more efficient and cost-effective.

© 2018

Federal Tax Breaks Restored

Federal Tax Breaks Restored

Individual and business taxpayers can benefit from a variety of federal tax breaks that were extended or made permanent by the Protecting America from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act, and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016. Here are selected highlights.

State and local sales tax deduction

The law gives individuals who itemize their deductions the option of deducting state and local sales taxes instead of state and local income taxes. Taxpayers who elect to do so may deduct the actual amount of sales taxes paid during the year or a preset amount from an IRS table. This provision has been made permanent.

Nontaxable IRA transfers to charities

Taxpayers age 70 ½ or older who directly transfer up to $100,000 annually from their individual retirement accounts (IRAs) to qualifying charities can exclude these contributions from gross income. If all qualifications are met, these contributions will still count toward the taxpayer’s required minimum distribution for the year. This provision has been made permanent.

Increase in expensing limits

The law permanently extends the increased Section 179 expensing limit, allowing eligible businesses to expense, rather than depreciate, up to $500,000 per year of the cost of equipment and other eligible property placed in service during the tax year. The election is subject to a dollar-for-dollar phase out as the cost of expensing-eligible property rises from $2 million to $2.5 million. The IRS will adjust the 179 limits for inflation.

First-year bonus depreciation

Eligible businesses may claim bonus depreciation for qualifying property acquired and placed in service during 2015 through 2019. The available bonus depreciation percentage depends on the year the property is placed in service: 50% for 2015 through 2017, 40% for 2018, and 30% for 2019. For certain longer-lived and transportation properties, these percentages apply one year later than indicated, and bonus depreciation will be available through 2020.

Increase in “luxury auto” limits

The new law increases the dollar limits on depreciation deductions (and Section 179 expensing) by $8,000 for vehicles placed in service after 2015 and before 2018. The limits are increased by $6,400 for vehicles placed in service in 2018 and by $4,800 in 2019.

Standard Mileage Rates for 2016

Standard Mileage Rates for 2016

If you use a car for business purposes and figure your tax deduction using the IRS’s standard mileage rate—you won’t be able to deduct as much for the miles you drive in 2016 as you could in 2015.

NEW RATES

As of January 1, 2016, the IRS set the standard mileage rate for business use of an owned or leased auto at 54¢ per mile (3.5¢ lower than the 2015 rate). Other IRS optional standard mileage rates for the use of a car (or van, pickup, or panel truck) are:

  • 19¢ per mile for medical purposes
  • 19¢ per mile for moving purposes

Additionally, a rate of 14¢ per mile, which is set by statute, applies to the use of a vehicle for charitable purposes.

SOME DETAILS

The standard mileage rates are used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an auto for business, charitable, medical, or moving purposes. Tax Payers may claim deductions based on the actual costs of using a vehicle. Important to keep in mind though is the use of the standard mileage rate is simpler because it does not require the taxpayer to keep track of specific costs for maintenance, repairs, tires, oil, insurance, etc.

Many employers have an “accountable plan” in place to reimburse employees for their business expenses on a tax-free basis. The standard mileage rate may be used to reimburse employees who use their personal autos for business.

All in the Family Tax 2016

All in the Family Tax 2016

As summer approaches, you may be thinking about hiring one of your children to work in the family business. It can be a good move for both you and your child. You could benefit from a reduction in taxes, while your child has a chance to earn a paycheck and develop valuable workplace skills.

 SAVING TAXES

Hiring your child to work in the family business is a smart strategy from a tax perspective. Since your child is a minor he or she can qualify as a deduction from your business income, which would otherwise be taxed at your own rates.

If you are a sole proprietor, or operate a partnership with only your spouse, wages paid to your child would be exempt from Social Security and Medicare (FICA) taxes until your child turns 18 and from federal unemployment taxes until age 21.

Your child can offset what wages he or she earns with the standard deduction, which is $6,300 for 2016. Wages your child earns beyond the standard deduction will be taxed at his or her lower rates. Most likely, your child’s taxable income would fall in the 10% bracket, which applies to taxable income of $9,275 or less (in 2016).

 UNDERSTAND THE REQUIREMENTS

Any work your child does must be ordinary and necessary for your trade or business. Your child’s wages must also be “reasonable” in relation to the services performed. For example, paying your child $2,500 a week to answer the company’s phones is unlikely to fly with the IRS.

Have your child sign a written employment agreement that specifies his or her duties, hours, and wages. You then have documentation if the IRS ever questions the nature of your child’s work. Your child should be paid by check, not cash, and the check should be deposited in a bank account in his or her name.