Entries by IslerNW

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The Ins and Outs of Bookkeeping: All the Best Practices to Get the Best Financial Outcome From Your Organization 

If you had to make a list of some of the most critical elements of running a business that most new entrepreneurs don’t think enough about until it’s far too late, bookkeeping would undoubtedly be right at the top. On a surface level, bookkeeping is simply the process of keeping accurate, thorough records of the […]

Fall Tax Planning May Be Wise

 Article Highlights: Maximize Education Tax Credits Employer Health Flexible Spending Accounts Maximize Health Savings Account Contributions Convert Traditional IRAs to Roth IRAs Don’t Forget Your 2021 Minimum Required Distributions Bunching Deductions Take Advantage of the Zero Capital Gains Rate Defer Deductions Increase IRA Distributions Defer Capital Gains by Investing in an Opportunity Zone Fund Sell […]

The IRS Backlog Is Causing Taxpayer Heartburn

Article Highlights: COVID-19 and Tax-Return Processing Delays Congress Helped to Create the Backlog Taxpayer Advocate’s Assessment Backlog Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the IRS was getting refunds out swiftly and responded to calls and correspondence in a reasonable amount of time. However, COVID-19 brought about a perfect storm of delays, initially caused by employees having to […]

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Filing as Married Separate? Better Read This.

Article Highlights: Filing Requirements Changing Filing Status Social Security Benefits Traditional IRA Deductibility Roth IRA Contribution Restrictions Higher Education Interest Deduction Itemized Deductions Medicare Premiums Child & Dependent Care Credit Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Premium Tax Credit (PTC) Tax Rates Other Limitations Married taxpayers have two options when filing their 1040 or 1040-SR tax […]

October 2021 Due Dates

October 2021 Individual Due Dates October 12 – Report Tips to Employer If you are an employee who works for tips and received more than $20 in tips during September, you are required to report them to your employer on IRS Form 4070 no later than October 12. Your employer is required to withhold FICA […]

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Post-Pandemic Savings Burning a Hole in Your Pocket?

Not to overstate the obvious, but the last 18 months have seen major modifications in the ways that most Americans spent their money. Without the ability to visit department stores, malls, and big-box stores, retail therapy was significantly curtailed. Spending on travel, entertainment, restaurants, and bars all plummeted, and even with consumers splurging on grocery […]

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Complications to the IRA-to-Charity Distribution Provision

Article Highlights IRA Contribution Age Restrictions Removed Required Minimum Distributions Qualified Charitable Distribution Tax Trap Individuals are required to begin taking distributions from their IRA when they reach a certain age. That age was 70½ until Congress passed the SECURE Act in late 2019 which made significant changes to the retirement plan provisions of the […]

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Tax Breaks for Grandparents

Article Highlights: Head of household filing status Earned income tax credit Child tax credit Child care credit for certain working grandparents Grandchild education credits Medical and dental expenses More and more individuals who thought their child-rearing days were over are now raising their grandchildren. It is estimated that 6.5 million children in the United States […]

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When Is Your Business No Longer a “Startup”?

Where’s a specific sensibility and respect that gets attached to businesses that are referred to as “startups.” There’s a general feeling of risk taking and future-facing enterprise that owners enjoy. But the actual definition of what a startup is can be murky, and even if your business meets the definition in the eyes of the […]