View this email in your browser. January 2017 Newsletter To all our clients, friends, and customers, Happy New Year and welcome to 2017. With the transition of political power, we can expect ongoing debate and changes in the coming year. Rest assured, we stay abreast of all the important issues and will keep you informed through our client newsletter and social media postings. To start off 2017, we are highlighting some important changes for employer IRS filing deadlines, tax tips for single parents, new rules for health reimbursement arrangements, business tips and much more. Our goal is to provide you an unparalleled level of client service. If you see something that you want to talk about, please contact us to explore the possibilities. We rely on satisfied clients as the primary source of new business, and your referrals are both welcomed and most sincerely appreciated! Dodging Tax Penalties Most taxpayers do not intentionally incur tax penalties, but many who are penalized are simply not aware of the penalties or the impact they can have on their wallet. As tax season approaches, let's look at some of the more commonly encountered penalties and how they may be avoided. Article Highlights: Unintentional Penalties Underpayment of Estimated Tax and Withholding Late Payment Penalty Late Filing Penalty Negligence Penalty Dishonored Check Penalty Missing ID Number Penalty Most taxpayers don’t intentionally incur tax penalties, but many who are penalized are simply not aware of the penalties or the impact they can have on their wallet. As tax season approaches, let’s look at some of the more commonly encountered penalties and how they may be avoided. Underpayment of Estimated Taxes and Withholding – Taxpayers are required to pay their tax liability as they go during the year, either through withholding or by making estimated tax payments. If the taxpayer owes more than $1,000 when filing his or her return for the year, the IRS will assess the underpayment of estimated tax penalty, which is currently 4% of the underpayment computed quarterly. There are “safe harbor” payments that can protect you from this penalty, which include payments in the following amounts: 90% of the current year’s tax liability or 100% (110% for high-income taxpayers) of the prior year’s tax liability. Farmers and fishermen need only prepay 66-2/3% of the current liability or 100% of the prior year’s liability. Late Paying Penalty – When the tax owed on a return is paid after the unextended due date of the tax return (usually April 15), the taxpayer is subject to a penalty of 1/2% per month (maximum 25%) on the unpaid balance. Taxpayers are frequently caught by this penalty when they need an extension to file their tax return. Many fail to realize that the extension does not include an extension to pay. The only way to avoid or minimize this penalty is to have no or little balance due on the return when it is finally filed. The extension form includes a provision to pay the projected balance owed when filing the extension. Late Filing Penalty – If the return is filed after the due date, including extensions, a late filing penalty of 4.5% per month (maximum 22.5%) applies. The automatic extended due date for 2016 returns is October 18, 2017, but an extension request form must be filed by the April 2017 due date to qualify. Thus, the penalty would generally apply to 2016 returns filed after October 18, 2017. If the return is over 60 days late, the minimum penalty for failure to file is the lesser of $205 or 100% of the tax shown on the return. While the obvious way to avoid a late filing penalty is to file in a timely fashion, the IRS will consider abating the penalty if it can be proven that there was reasonable cause and no willful neglect for filing late. Negligence – When underpayment is due to negligence on the part of the taxpayer or when there are errors in tax valuations, 20% of the tax underpayment is charged. This penalty is frequently encountered when the IRS adjusts a filed return due to unreported income or overstated deductions. To reduce the chance that you may be subject to this penalty, be sure you provide all of your W-2s, 1099s, K-1s, etc. for the preparation of your return, complete any organizer that have been requested and ensure that you can substantiate all of the deductions you claim. Dishonored Check – The penalty for dishonored checks is 2% of the check amount, but if the amount is $1,250 or less, the penalty is the amount of the check or $25, whichever is less. If you don’t have sufficient funds to pay your tax when you file your return, rather than writing a check that you know will bounce, you may be able to arrange an installment payment plan with the IRS. You may still incur late payment charges, but the penalty rate is lower if you are on a payment plan. Missing ID Number – This penalty of $50 for each missing number is charged when a taxpayer doesn’t provide a required Social Security number (SSN) for him or herself, a dependent or another person on his or her tax return or doesn't. It is also charged when the taxpayer doesn’t provide his or her SSN to another person or entity when required. There are more severe penalties not mentioned here that apply to fraudulent actions or claims. In addition to the late filing penalty, it is possible to have some of the other penalties abated for reasonable causes. If you have questions related to the application of any of these penalties, please give this office a call. Not Business As Usual For Employers: W-2 and 1099-MISC Filing Dates Moved Up The IRS, in an effort to combat rampant tax filing fraud, has introduced what they hope will be two new fraud-prevention measures for the upcoming filing season. The first will purposely delay until February 15 the issuance of refunds for tax returns where there is an earned income tax credit (EITC) and/or a refundable child tax credit (CTC), giving the IRS more time to match the income reported on these returns to the income reported by employers. These two tax credits have been the favorite target of scammers who have been filing fraudulent returns with stolen IDs and fabricated income before the IRS is able to verify the income and withholding claimed on the returns. read more Tax Benefits for Single Parents If you are a single parent dealing with the complicated tasks of working and raising a family, there are some tax benefits and issues you should be aware of. read more Congress Gives Small Employer HRAs the Green Light Congress has approved the 21st Century Cures Act, which includes a provision allowing small employers to reimburse their employees for medical expenses under a health reimbursement arrangement without being liable for the draconian, $100 per day penalty for violating the Affordable Care Act's rules. President Obama has indicated his approval of the bill. read more Thinking of Becoming a Real Estate Flipper? Here's a Primer on the Tax Rules With mortgage interest rates low and home prices finally making a comeback, flipping real estate appears to be on the rise. This activity is even the theme of several popular reality TV shows. House flipping is, essentially, purchasing a house or property, improving it and then selling it (presumably for a profit) in a short period of time. The key is to find a suitable fixer-upper that is priced under market for its location, fix it up and resell it for more than it cost to buy, hold, fix up and resell. read more Better to Sell or Trade a Business Vehicle? As the end of the year approaches, business owners may be thinking about replacing a business vehicle. Profits from the business may be up, so the timing may be right to acquire a new vehicle, or the current vehicle may finally be on its last legs. A question then comes up: Is it better to sell the current vehicle outright or trade it in for a new vehicle? read more Use Recurring Transactions in QuickBooks Online You know how much time QuickBooks Online already saves you. Customer, vendor, and item records need never be entered again once they're created for the first time. Pre-built forms use your record data to complete transactions quickly and accurately. Customizable report templates provide real-time overviews of your financial status in every area. read more 10 Questions to Ask Your Financial Team When Starting Up Starting up your business is an exciting time, but it is also a time with many questions. While it may seem initially very easy to create a product, open a store, and start selling, the financial aspects of being successful are a bit more challenging. As you consider the process of starting up, work with a local financial planning team and tax professional to ensure you get your financial footing in place now. Ask these questions. read more January 2017 Individual Due Dates Here are the January 2017 Individual Due Dates read more January 2017 Business Due Dates Here are the January 2017 Business Due Dates read more 1040+ Quality Tax & Financial Services 5625 Cypress Creek Parkway #321 Houston, TX 77069 Ph: (281) 397-7777 joeb@tenfortyplus.com 1040+ Quality Tax & Financial Services 710 Vassar St Orlando, FL 32804 Ph: (407) 362-7808 joeb@tenfortyplus.com Copyright ©2017 1040+ Quality Tax & Financial Services All rights reserved.