Blog - Page 19 of 24 - Payne Nickles & Company - Ohio Accounting Firm, Business CPAs & Advisors

The end of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) is approaching quickly. LIBOR is to be phased out by the end of 2021 and will be replaced by another benchmark rate. LIBOR is an interest rate calculation used globally. Floating Rate Notes use the LIBOR as a reference for calculating the coupon rate. LIBOR reflects …

Leverage What You Can Learn from Your Tax Return

What does your tax return say about your financial situation? The fact is, the paperwork you file each year offers excellent information about how you are managing your money—and highlights areas where it might be wise to make changes in your financial habits. If you have questions about your financial situation, we can help. Our …

Get Tax Withholding Right; Do a Paycheck Checkup at Least Once Every Year

The Internal Revenue Service reminds taxpayers to review their 2019 tax withholding using the IRS Withholding Calculator and make any changes with their employer as soon as possible. This is especially true for anyone who adjusted their withholding during the middle or later parts of 2018. That’s because a mid-year withholding change, only affecting part …

Processing Error Causes Medicare Lapse for 250,000 Seniors

As the result of a processing error, a quarter of a million Medicare beneficiaries may receive bills for up to five months of premiums. Don’t toss this bill in the garbage; it is not a mistake or scam! The processing error that occurred in January caused premiums to not be deducted from some Social Security …

IRS Issues Further Opportunity Zone Regulations Guidance

The Qualified Opportunity Zone Program will only work if investors can confidently follow the breadcrumbs to their prize. Regulatory confusion has kept many investors paralyzed in uncertainty. In the update below, we provide an overview of the highly sought-after guidance, which was released by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the US Treasury Department on …

What you Need to Know about Qualified Opportunity Zones

The Opportunity Zone Provision gives taxpayers an option to defer recognized capital gains by investing in a Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund (QOZF). The Opportunity Zones provision is based on the bipartisan Investing in Opportunity Act, which defines Opportunity Zones (OZ) as low-income census tracts that have been nominated by governors and certified by the U.S. …

Determining Employee Vs. Independent Contractor Status

Much of today’s workforce is part of a growing gig economy. According to a study by Intuit Inc., by 2020 40% of the American labor market will be considered independent contractors. Contract employment can have many perks such as safeguarding a business against the high cost of benefits, office space and taxes. Becoming an independent …

Minimize Your Chances of Being Targeted for an Audit

The thought of being selected for an audit keeps many business owners up at night. But did you know the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) won’t arbitrarily make your company the subject of an audit investigation? According to IRS.gov, out of the 196 million returns filed in 2016, only 1.1 million (0.5%) came under examination in …

Developing a Disaster Preparedness Plan

The widespread media coverage of natural disasters has left business owners with little excuse to be unprepared for hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, forest fires, floods, and super storms. These calamities can strike wherever and whenever, and while there is no preparation for the physiological impact of a disaster, there is a way to give your business …

Understanding Your Cash Flow and Financial Statements

As a business owner, it is important to be able to read and understand the accounting terms found in your financial statements. Once you understand the basics of the financial statements, you can interpret what they mean to your organization’s financial health. Understanding your Financial Statements A Statement of Financial Position, also known as a …