Tax Tips

Defeat the $10,000 SALT Cap with the PTE Tax – Part 2

We explained in Part 1, a majority of states now allow pass-through entity (PTE) owners to get around the federal $10,000 state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap on individual taxpayers by having their PTE pay state income tax on its income at the entity level.

Read more

RUSSO CPA Blog: Standard vs. itemized deductions

Closing a Business for Good

If you’re a small business owner who is thinking about closing your business for good, you should be aware that there is more to closing a business than laying off employees, selling office furniture, and closing the doors – you must also take certain actions as required by the IRS to fulfill your tax obligations. For example, if you have employees, you must file final employment tax returns as well as make final federal tax deposits of these taxes.

Read more

Russo CPA, small business rent expenses may be tax deductable

Federal Tax Obligations During Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

The most common type of bankruptcy for individuals is Chapter 13, which allows individuals and small business owners in financial difficulty to repay their creditors. Often, it is a last resort for wage earners (individuals and those filing jointly as spouses), the self-employed and sole proprietor businesses to get out of their debts. While the overall bankruptcy rate has been dropping in recent years, Chapter 13 appears to be increasing, according to the US Courts. If you’re considering filing for Chapter 13, here’s what you should know about federal tax obligations:

Read more

Lending Money to a friend, plan ahead

Lending Money to a Friend? It Pays To Plan Ahead

Lending money to a cash-strapped friend or family member is a noble and generous offer that just might make a difference. But before you hand over the cash, you need to plan ahead to avoid tax complications for yourself down the road.

Read more

Tax Tips Image: Neatly stacked pennies in an ascending line. Russo CPA Tax Tips 2023

Early Withdrawals from Retirement Plans

Many people find themselves in situations where they need to withdraw money from their retirement plan earlier than planned. Doing so, however, can trigger an additional tax on top of any income tax taxpayers may have to pay. Here are five things taxpayers should know about early withdrawals from retirement plans:

Read more

RUSSO CPA Tax Tips, how filing status affects your tax return 2022

Filing Payroll Taxes Electronically Using E-file

Business owners can simplify things by filing payroll taxes electronically. E-file software performs calculations and populates forms and schedules using a step-by-step process. It will also alert the filer if they are missing information which reduces the chances of receiving an IRS notice.

Read more

RUSSO CPA Tax Tips, how filing status affects your tax return 2022

Penalty Relief for Certain 2019 and 2020 Tax Returns

Penalty relief for struggling taxpayers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic is now available to most people and businesses who file certain 2019 or 2020 returns late. Eligible income tax returns must be filed on or before September 30, 2022, to qualify for this relief. Furthermore, the nearly 1.6 million taxpayers who have already paid these penalties will automatically receive more than $1.2 billion in refunds or credits. Many of these payments will be completed by the end of September.

Read more

Russo CPA Tax Tips Image: Social Security card artwork

Requesting a Tax Transcript From the IRS

Filing an error-free tax return is key to taxpayers getting any refund they are due as soon as possible. Using Online Account on the IRS website is the fastest and easiest way to see account information such as estimated tax payments, prior year adjusted gross income, and economic impact payment amounts. Taxpayers who don’t have an account will need to create one.

Read more

Unexpected cash gifts can have tax consequences and how to spend them should be carefully considered.

Got Cash? What To Do With a Windfall

A cash windfall is any amount of money that you didn’t expect to receive and is over your regular income. Most would consider it to be any amount over $1,000 – and quite often, the amount of money is much more than that. For example, you may have received a bonus at work, an inheritance, a legal settlement, a profit from selling a property or business, or won the lottery.

Read more