If you give someone money or property during your lifetime, you may be subject to federal gift tax. The federal gift tax exists for one reason: to prevent taxpayers from avoiding the federal estate tax by giving away their money before they die. When it comes into play, the tax is owed by the gift giver and not by the recipient. You probably have never paid it and probably will never have to.
Read more
Quickbooks Tip: Use Customer Notes to Help Your Business Thrive
If your business is actively invoicing and billing clients, the “Note” function in Quickbooks online may be something you want to use. This function could become a powerful selling tool for your business. You can keep notes on all client contacts and even the client’s preferences: what color he likes, his favorite products, her love of cats. The more details you have about a client, the more impressed s/he will be.
Read more
Mandatory Paid Sick Leave Enacted in New Jersey
Beginning on October 29, 2018 employees in New Jersey may earn up to 40 hours of paid sick leave per year. A benefit year can be defined by the employer and cannot be changed without the approval of the Department of Labor. All New Jersey employers, except governments, are subject to this law. Employers who already have policies in place should confirm that they are in compliance with the new law.
Read more
New Jersey Tax Amnesty- Act Now for Relief
New Jersey has just announced a tax amnesty for taxpayers with liabilities for the tax years 2008-2016. The Division of Taxation has proactively contacted some taxpayers with liabilities already assessed and/or unfiled tax returns. This amnesty does not extend to liabilities with the Department of Labor or fees imposed by any other state agency.
Almost all taxpayers qualify for relief except those under criminal investigation or with debts in appeal in bankruptcy. The amnesty applies to returns due between February 1, 2009 and September 1, 2017 or for the calendar years 2008-2016.
For more information or assistance contact us. The amnesty period runs from now until January 15, 2019.
Social Security: Types of Benefits and Marriage/Divorce Considerations
There are a many different benefits offered by the Social Security Administration, and knowing your options and requirements is essential. Don’t expect the Social Security Administration to know who you married, who you divorced, whether your spouse or ex-spouse died, whether or not you are caring for a young or disabled child, or if you are taking care of dependent parents. You need to equip yourself with some knowledge of the benefit provisions, ask if you don’t know, and/or find a well-informed advisor. Decisions made regarding claiming Social Security are critically important. This is the third piece of a series of articles with the objective of assisting you in making better decisions regarding claiming Social Security.
Read more
Should I Give My Home to My Children?
I am often asked whether it is a good idea for elderly parents to transfer their home to their children. I always ask: “Why do you want to do this?” The most common reason is to protect the house in the event one or both of the parents need nursing home care.
First, I want to emphasize that there is no easy answer to this question without knowing the full asset and income picture, as well as the health status of the parents. If I get all that information, the answer can be easy (for me!).
Read more
Filing for 501c (3) Tax Exempt Status: Easing the Burden on Smaller Nonprofit Organizations
Most organizations seeking 501c (3) tax exempt status must file an application with the IRS. Until 2014, the only means available to organizations was filing Form 1023: Application for Recognition of Exemption Under Section 501c (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Preparing this 26 page application is a cumbersome and time consuming process as organizations are required to disclose information in regards to organizational structure, governance, charitable purpose and related activities, sources of funding, and current and prior financial statement data. In addition, organizations are also required to submit their articles of organization and bylaws with the application. The overall process of preparing the application as well as the related recordkeeping can take over 100 hours to complete, followed by an IRS approval process that can take over a year.
Read more
Charitable Giving Strategies
While there may be a lot of wisdom in the proverb “May your charity increase as much as your wealth,” there can also be wealth in properly planning your charitable giving. This wealth is derived from the economic benefit that can result from tax savings achieved by implementing certain charitable giving strategies.
Bunching of deductions is one such charitable contribution strategy. Because the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act limits many allowable itemized deductions beginning in 2018 and increases the standard deduction, many taxpayers will find that the standard deduction is more beneficial than itemizing, thus losing the tax benefit of making the gift.
Read more
New Status for Therese Connell
Therese Connell, one of the firm’s Partners and Director of its Estate and Trust department, marks 25 years with the firm this year. She has decided to move to part-time status at Capaldi Reynolds & Pelosi effective August 31, 2018.
Therese has served in her current role since 1999, where she has been integral in managing firm software and internal processes. She joined the Firm in 1993, after working in another local accounting firm. Therese graduated from Immaculata College with a degree in Home Economics.
During her tenure with the firm, she developed the estate and trust work of the Firm into one of its key divisions. Therese is a mentor to a number of the Firm’s professionals and a trusted advisor to many of the Firm’s clients and business partners. She also plays a critical role in helping the Firm develop and maintain its information technology systems as well as relationships with tax and information systems vendors.
“In the 25 years of her tenure with Capaldi Reynolds & Pelosi, Tese has attained the status as one of the area’s premier experts in her field. Her incredible knowledge base, dedication to excellence, and service philosophy have really made an impact,” said Donna Buzby, one of the Managing Partners of Capaldi Reynolds & Pelosi. “Tese is an inspiration to everyone here, and I hope she continues to work with us for many years.”
Quickbooks Quick Tip
Have you ever posted to incorrect accounts or classes for a few months in Quickbooks? One way to resolve the problem is to go back to each transaction and change it manually. This is both tedious and time consuming. Fortunately, Quickbooks has an accountant’s tool called “Reclassify Transactions.”
Read more