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The mileage rate decreased 1.5 cents from 2020 for Business use mileage, and 1 cents for medical, or moving purposes for qualified active duty members.
IR-2020-279, December 22, 2020 WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today issued the 2021 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes. Beginning on January 1, 2021, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be:
The standard mileage rate for business use is based on an annual study of the fixed and variable costs of operating an automobile. The rate for medical and moving purposes is based on the variable costs. It is important to note that under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, taxpayers cannot claim a miscellaneous itemized deduction for unreimbursed employee travel expenses. Taxpayers also cannot claim a deduction for moving expenses, unless they are members of the Armed Forces on active duty moving under orders to a permanent change of station. For more details see Moving Expenses for Members of the Armed Forces. Taxpayers always have the option of calculating the actual costs of using their vehicle rather than using the standard mileage rates. Taxpayers can use the standard mileage rate but must opt to use it in the first year the car is available for business use. Then, in later years, they can choose either the standard mileage rate or actual expenses. Leased vehicles must use the standard mileage rate method for the entire lease period (including renewals) if the standard mileage rate is chosen. contains the optional 2021 standard mileage rates, as well as the maximum automobile cost used to calculate the allowance under a fixed and variable rate (FAVR) plan. In addition, the notice provides the maximum fair market value of employer-provided automobiles first made available to employees for personal use in calendar year 2021 for which employers may use the fleet-average valuation rule in or the vehicle cents-per-mile valuation rule. 
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https://ramlcpa.link/3d56d | Journal of Accountancy
While not law just yet, it is expected to be signed by the president as soon as today. While we know many key details, there are some key details we don't know, especially regarding the PPP Loan Program. The most pressing in my mind are bank participation and when applications will be accepted as some time will be needed to restart the program. Additional details will be forthcoming and the below summary will probably be updated over the coming days for additional details and clarifications. Below, I summarize the key provisions in the bill: PPP Round 2 & EIDL $325 billion in aid for small businesses struggling after nine months of pandemic-induced economic hardships. Allocations
Stimulus Checks $166 billion for economic impact payments of
Supplemental Unemployment$120 billion to provide workers receiving unemployment benefits a
Other Provisions $25 billion in emergency rental aid and an extension of the national eviction moratorium through Jan. 31, 2021. $45 billion in transportation funding, including
$82 billion in funding for colleges and schools, including support for HVAC repair and replacement to mitigate virus transmission, and $10 billion in child care assistance. $22 billion for health-related expenses incurred by state, local, Tribal, and territorial governments. $13 billion for emergency food assistance, including a 15% increase for six months in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. $7 billion for broadband expansion. The bill also extends the and temporarily allows a Business Meals 100% Deductible
PPP Round two (2) Who is eligible to applyPPP Round one (1) recipients (PPP1) may apply for another loan of up to $2 million, provided they:
PPP loan terms As with PPP Round 1 (PPP1), the costs eligible for loan forgiveness in PPP Round 2 (PPP2) include payroll, rent, covered mortgage interest, and utilities. PPP2 also makes (adds) the following potentially forgivable:
To be eligible for full loan forgiveness, PPP borrowers will have to spend no less than 60% of the funds on payroll over a covered period of either eight (8) or twenty-four (24) weeks — the same parameters PPP1 had when it stopped accepting applications in August. PPP borrowers may receive a loan amount of up to 2.5 times their average monthly payroll costs in the year prior to the loan or the calendar year, the same as with PPP1, but the maximum loan amount has been cut from $10 million in the first round to the previously mentioned $2 million maximum. PPP borrowers with NAICS codes starting with 72 (hotels and restaurants) can get up to 3.5 times their average monthly payroll costs, again subject to a $2 million maximum. Simplified application and other terms of note The new COVID-19 relief bill also:
Tax deductibility for PPP expensesThe bill also specifies that business expenses paid with forgiven PPP loans are tax-deductible. This supersedes IRS guidance that such expenses could not be deducted and brings the policy in line with what the AICPA and hundreds of other business associations have argued was Congress’s intent when it created the original PPP as part of the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, P.L. 116-136 (see the Dec. 3 letter from the AICPA and state societies to congressional leaders).
The COVID-19 relief bill clarifies that “no deduction shall be denied, no tax attribute shall be reduced, and no basis e shall be denied, by reason of the exclusion from gross income provided” by Section 1106 of the CARES Act (which has been redesignated as Section 7A of the Small Business Act). This provision applies to loans under both the original PPP and subsequent PPP loans. As many employers look to closeout and forget 2020, Maryland employers face yet another challenge as a sizeable hike in unemployment tax rates is coming in 2021.
It's important to note that Governor Hogan signed an executive order (copy below, FAQs) that excludes 2020 employer data from the formula used to determine the 2021 unemployment rate. If the Governor had not done this, all employers would have had an even higher tax rate for 2021. For employers with zero claims over the prior three (3) years (the measurement period will remain 2017, 2018, and 2019, for 2021) the per annual amount due per employee will increase from $25.50 to $187 per employee for 2021, which is almost 7.5 times the 2020 experience rate. While obviously not good news, at first glace it might not sound all that punitive at first glance. However, imagine you have 50 employees, all of which require an unemployment contribution. That comes out to an extra $8,075 that employers will have to pay in for 2021. In higher turnover businesses such as retail and hospitality, it's very possible to have on average 10 to 15 employees per year, but because of attrition this equals 50 or more total employees per year, all of which require their own unemployment contribution. While unemployment rates will reduce over time as we saw a similar situation occur during and after the financial crisis (great recession). Unfortunately, in the short term, this is one more hit businesses are going to have to contend with. Consider these tips to help offset these costs: 1) Have a plan for 2021, as no plan almost always means no success, and those who are successful are just incredibly lucky. 2) Investigate ways to streamline operations & improve efficiency in the short and medium term. No is not the time for long term decision making if possible, as there is still much uncertainty. 3) Review and make cash savings measures (both for the business, and personally), and do the easiest ones immediately. This doesn't mean slash essential services, but it means giving up the luxuries. Contact us if you need help with these or similar small business savings strategies.
It's a fallacy to think that you achieve absolute security and complete peace of mind, especially with your finances. You can prepare and save huge sums of money only to find out it was enough to cover situation X, but situation Y, the one you hadn't considered, not even close. If the pandemic taught us anything, it's that no industry, business, or our economy is immune from significant disruption given the right circumstances. That said, there are steps we can take to better address the inherent risk we face in and our lives and especially with our finances, The below list comes from an article by Michael Kay and while I've used these points when providing professional advice, the way they're stated here is unlike how they're normally presented by an accountant or financial planner. I especially appreciate items #2, #4.and #6 as they don't require a degree in accounting or finance to see their importance.
 1) Make sure your mileage log is in order for the first 10 Months of 2020. Waiting is only going to give you more work to do later, plus it will give you a good idea of your total mileage expense for the year. 2) Get W-9's now from contractors you need to 1099 at year-end. Waiting until after year-end makes it much more likely that you'll never get them, especially if the contractor will not be working with you again. 3) Identify expenses to be paid by year-end to lower your taxes. This is a key tax planning step and one of the easiest to do, as paying expenses by year-end, vs. in January will give you a deduction in 2020.
Courtesy of the Tax Foundation | https://ramlcpa.link/jq22021 Federal Income Tax Brackets and Rate In 2021, the income limits for all tax brackets and all filers will be adjusted for inflation and will be as follows (Tables 1). The top marginal income tax rate of 37 percent will hit taxpayers with taxable income of $523,600 and higher for single filers and $628,300 and higher for married couples filing jointly. 2021 Federal Income Tax Brackets and Rates for Single Filers, Married Couples Filing Jointly, and Heads of Households 2021 Standard Deduction and Personal Exemption The standard deduction for single filers will increase by $150 and by $300 for married couples filing jointly (Table 2). The personal exemption for 2021 remains eliminated.  2021 Alternative Minimum Tax The Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) was created in the 1960s to prevent high-income taxpayers from avoiding the individual income tax. This parallel tax income system requires high-income taxpayers to calculate their tax bill twice: once under the ordinary income tax system and again under the AMT. The taxpayer then needs to pay the higher of the two. The AMT uses an alternative definition of taxable income called Alternative Minimum Taxable Income (AMTI). To prevent low- and middle-income taxpayers from being subject to the AMT, taxpayers are allowed to exempt a significant amount of their income from AMTI. However, this exemption phases out for high-income taxpayers. The AMT is levied at two rates: 26 percent and 28 percent. The AMT exemption amount for 2021 is $73,600 for singles and $114,600 for married couples filing jointly (Table 3).  In 2021, the 28 percent AMT rate applies to excess AMTI of $199,900 for all taxpayers ($99,950 for married couples filing separate returns). AMT exemptions phase out at 25 cents per dollar earned once taxpayer AMTI hits a certain threshold. In 2021, the exemption will start phasing out at $523,600 in AMTI for single filers and $1,047,200 for married taxpayers filing jointly (Table 4). 2021 Alternative Minimum Tax Exemption Phaseout Thresholds  2021 Earned Income Tax Credit Parameters The maximum Earned Income Tax Credit in 2021 for single and joint filers is $543, if the filer has no children (Table 5). The maximum credit is $3,618 for one child, $5,980 for two children, and $6,728 for three or more children. All these are relatively small increases from 2020.  2021 Child Tax Credit The child tax credit totals at $2,000 per qualifying child and is not adjusted for inflation. However, the refundable portion of the Child Tax Credit is adjusted for inflation but will remain at $1,400 for 2021. 2021 Capital Gains Tax Rates & Brackets (Long-Term Capital Gains) Long-term capital gains are taxed using different brackets and rates than ordinary income.  2021 Qualified Business Income Deduction (Sec. 199A) The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act includes a 20 percent deduction for pass-through businesses against up to $164,900 of qualified business income for unmarried taxpayers and $329,800 for married taxpayers (Table 7).  2021 Annual Exclusion for Gifts In 2021, the first $15,000 of gifts to any person are excluded from tax. The exclusion is increased to $159,000 for gifts to spouses who are not citizens of the United States. Tags
Time sensitive advice regardless of what and how you sell, and why sales enablement plays a key part in your business success.Forrester Blog Post: ramlcpa.link/z9yn The timing of the Forrester blog post is almost just as good as the message. While the events of 2020 impacted the entire world, winners and losers have emerged which happens almost always with any kind of major event. A significant issue with COVID is the list is heavily skewed to few (bigger and better capitalized businesses) winners, and far too many losers. That's a bit of what drew my attention to this post as while we continue to deal with new waves of the pandemic, we're also entering a critical business phase with many businesses intently focused on the upcoming holiday shopping season and making the most of Q4 2020. However, if that is to the detriment of 2021, it could be disastrous. All too often businesses (especially small businesses) expect Q4 to be the quarter that you make up for the rest of the year, but it often comes as a detriment to sales in the first part of the following year. Why, well everything else is secondary, and plans and strategies are often developed to late in the process with the new year just a couple weeks away or already here. Additionally, because the plans come together in a hasty manner, lessons learned, new insights, and data analysis are glossed over, thus causing more problems in the new year. To this point, since the events of this year destroyed most business plans in early 2020, almost all businesses have been stuck in a cycle of reacting to each problem without solving them. While that's not going to change much for the rest of the year, to get any kind of control over the situation in 2021, the process needs to start now and include plenty of planning and analysis. A few of the key areas Stephanie highlighted that can be adopted by almost any business are:
Personally, I believe these points can be applied to any business by adding or dropping a few words or terms. One of my own that I will add and important to keep in mind:
#sales #strategy #pandemic #covid19 #salesenablement #businessplan #smallbusiness #business #budget
12 Crucial Actions to Protect Your BusinessHow to Move On After Losing a Big Client. The list below comes from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) and provides a good reference point in establishing an action plan. 1. Get a Guarantor for the Contracts 2. Ask for Payment Upfront 3. Get a Lawyer 4. Begin Negotiating ASAP 5. Ensure Constant Communication 6. Get a Realistic Projection 7. Offer a Reduced Payment 8. Auto-Charge Credit Cards 9. Restructure Your Payment Terms 10. Get Trade Credit Insurance 11. Move On and Find New Clients 12. Diversify Your Client Base #business #businessowner #smallbusiness #clients #COVID-19 #Coronavirus #negotiations #riskmanagement #lossprevention #creditinsurance #tradecredit #insurance #negotiations #restructure #restructuring 
Additionally, I see more situations like this (big and small) on the horizon as some of the best opportunities of our lifetimes are going to be available at deep discounts! | https://ramlcpa.link/d2yh REI's decision not occupy it's brand new work campus, and instead sell it is a great example of the type of value business and their advisors should be preparing for.  QR Code to this blog post |
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COLUMBIA MD ACCOUNTANT & CPA FIRM SUMMARY
Travis Raml, CPA & Associates, LLC
is an accounting firm in Columbia MD which offers, tax services, outsourced CFO, outsourced controller, businesses advisory, and coaching services to businesses and individuals thorough out the Greater Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD area. We also provide service in Ellicott City, Columbia, Annapolis, Severn, Odenton, Crofton, Silver Spring, Rockville, Bethesda, Gaithersburg, Potomac, Reston, Tysons Corner, Fairfax, Alexandria, Arlington. We're also a local cpa firm conveniently located in Columbia Maryland directly across from Columbia Mall. Travis Raml, CPA has been an accountant since 1998 and a certified public accountant (CPA) since 2003 and prides his firm on delivering high quality small business CPA services. He specializes in Columbia Tax Preparation, and Columbia Maryland Accounting Firm. |
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