Some businesses may have an easier path to financial statements
There’s no getting around the fact that accurate financial statements are imperative for every business. Publicly held companies are required to not only issue them, but also have them audited by an independent CPA. Audited financial statements provide the highest level of assurance to third-party users that the documents in question are free of material misstatements.
The good news for privately held companies — particularly small businesses — is you may not need to incur the cost or undertake the effort that goes with formally audited financial statements. There are other less expensive and less arduous paths to follow.
The most basic: Preparations
True to its name, a financial statement preparation is simply the product of an accountant preparing a set of financial statements in accordance with an acceptable financial reporting framework. It’s usually done as part of bookkeeping or tax-related work.
A preparation provides no assurance of the accuracy and completeness of the financial statements in question. And assurance is typically critical if you plan to share the financial statements with third parties such as lenders and investors.
That said, some lenders may accept preparations in support of small lending arrangements. However, more often than not, preparations are used only for internal purposes to provide a business’s leadership with information on the company’s current financial condition and as a basis of comparison against future accounting periods. In fact, professional standards don’t even require a CPA to be independent of a business to perform a preparation.
To avoid misleading any third parties who might eventually receive a preparation, each page of the financial statements should include a disclaimer or legend stating that no CPA provides any assurance on the accuracy of the documents. In addition, a preparation must adequately refer to or describe the applicable financial reporting framework that’s used and disclose any known departures from that framework.
The next step up: Compilations
If you want to fortify the trust of potential third-party financial statement users a little more, consider a compilation. Like a preparation, a compilation is simply a set of financial statements generated in accordance with an acceptable financial reporting framework that provides no assurance of the documents’ accuracy and completeness.
The primary difference is a compilation includes a formal report by a CPA attesting that this professional has fully read the financial statements and evaluated whether they’re free from obvious material errors. If the CPA isn’t independent of the business, this fact must be disclosed in the report as well.
The use of a compilation can extend beyond the business’s leadership to third parties such as lenders, investors and collaborative partners who may view the input of a CPA as reassuring. However, many third parties might still insist on some level of formal assurance to accept your company’s financial statements.
The right level
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention there’s another level in between audit (highest assurance) and preparation and compilation (no assurance). That would be a financial statement review. A review is performed by an independent CPA, who provides limited assurance that no material modifications should be made to the financial statements in question. If you need help deciding which level of financial statement services is right for your business, please contact us.
Smaller companies: Explore pooled employer plans for retirement benefits
Most businesses today need to offer a solid benefits package. Failing to do so could mean falling behind in the competition to hire and retain talent in today’s tight job market.
When it comes to retirement benefits, however, smaller companies may struggle with the financial and administrative burdens of sponsoring their own plans. The good news is, thanks to the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019, a relatively new solution is available: pooled employer plans (PEPs).
Meet the MEP
PEPs are a variation on an existing retirement plan model: multiple employer plans (MEPs). MEPs are qualified defined contribution plans, typically 401(k)s, maintained by two or more employers. MEP sponsors may be one of the participating employers or a third party, such as a trade association or professional employer organization.
MEPs offer several advantages. Group purchasing power and other economies of scale tend to lower plan sponsorship costs. Also, participating employers avoid time-consuming and often disruptive administrative tasks. Plus, they can shift some — though not all — of their fiduciary duties and liability exposure to the MEP sponsor.
MEP sponsors are responsible for plan design and day-to-day management. This includes:
- Coordinating with various third-party service providers,
- Handling compliance issues, and
- Overseeing annual audit and reporting requirements.
Sponsors can also provide participating employers with access to expertise and advanced technology that the participants might otherwise be unable to afford.
MEP drawbacks
However, traditional MEPs have some drawbacks. For one thing, to be treated as a single employer plan for reporting, audit and administrative purposes, a MEP must be “closed.” That is, its members must share some “commonality of interest,” such as being in the same industry or geographical location.
Employers that join “open” MEPs, which don’t require a commonality of interest, are treated as if they maintained separate plans with their own reporting, audit and other compliance responsibilities. (Note: Certain smaller plans — generally, those with fewer than 100 participants — aren’t subject to audit requirements.)
Another drawback of traditional MEPs is the “one-bad-apple” rule. Under this rule, a compliance failure by one participating employer can expose the entire MEP to the risk of disqualification.
PEPs step up
Properly designed PEPs avoid both the commonality-of-interest requirement and the one-bad-apple rule. PEPs are treated like single employer plans for reporting, audit and other compliance purposes — even if they allow unrelated employers to join. One participating employer’s compliance failure won’t jeopardize a PEP’s qualified status so long as the plan contains certain procedures for dealing with a participant’s noncompliance.
PEPs are available from “pooled plan providers,” which include financial services companies, insurers, third-party administrators and other firms that meet certain requirements. Although PEPs eliminate some of the obstacles that make traditional MEPs impractical for many companies, they’re not without disadvantages. For instance, PEPs have limited flexibility to customize plan designs or investment options to meet the needs of specific employers.
Also, while one of the advantages of PEPs is cost savings, they may increase one type of cost for some participants. That is, though small employers generally aren’t subject to annual audit requirements, PEPs are. So, small businesses that join a PEP will have to bear annual audit costs they otherwise wouldn’t. These costs can, however, be spread out among participants.
Dip your toes in
If you’re intrigued by the prospect of a PEP, dip your toes in slowly. Discuss the idea with your leadership team and professional advisors before you dive in. We’d be happy to help you estimate the costs and potential cost savings involved.
Key 2024 inflation-adjusted tax amounts for individuals
The IRS recently announced various 2024 inflation-adjusted federal tax amounts that affect individual taxpayers.
Most of the federal income tax rate bracket thresholds are about 5.4% higher than for 2023. That means that you can generally have about 5.4% more income next year without owing more to the federal government.
Standard deduction
Here are the inflation-adjusted standard deduction numbers for 2024 for those who don’t itemize:
- $14,600 if you’re single or use married filing separate status (up from $13,850 in 2023).
- $29,200 if you’re married and file jointly (up from $27,700).
- $21,900 if you’re a head of household (up from $20,800).
Older taxpayers and those who are blind are entitled to additional standard deduction allowances. In 2024 for those age 65 or older or blind, the amounts will be: $1,550 for a married taxpayer (up from $1,500 in 2023) and $1,950 for a single filer or head of household (up from $1,850 for 2023).
For an individual who can be claimed as a dependent on another taxpayer’s return, the 2024 standard deduction will be the greater of: 1) $1,300 (up from $1,250 for 2023) or 2) $450 (up from $400 for 2023) plus the individual’s earned income, not to exceed $14,600 (up from $13,850 for 2023).
Ordinary income and short-term capital gains
Here are the 2024 inflation-adjusted bracket thresholds for ordinary income and net short-term capital gains:
- 10% tax bracket: $0 to $11,600 for singles, $0 to $23,200 for married joint filers, $0 to $16,550 for heads of household;
- Beginning of 12% bracket: $11,601 for singles, $23,201 for married joint filers, $16,551 for heads of household;
- Beginning of 22% bracket: $47,151 for singles, $94,301 for married joint filers, $63,101 for heads of household;
- Beginning of 24% bracket: $100,526 for singles, $201,051 for married joint filers, $100,501 for heads of household;
- Beginning of 32% bracket: $191,951 for singles, $383,901 for married joint filers, $191,951 for heads of household;
- Beginning of 35% bracket: $243,726 for singles, $487,451 for married joint filers and $243,701 for heads of household; and
- Beginning of 37% bracket: $609,351 for singles, $731,201 for married joint filers and $609,351 for heads of household.
Long-term capital gains and dividends
Here are the 2024 inflation-adjusted bracket thresholds for net long-term capital gains and qualified dividends:
- 0% tax bracket: $0 to $47,025 for singles, $0 to $94,050 for married joint filers, and $0 to $63,000 for heads of household;
- Beginning of 15% bracket: $47,026 for singles, $94,051 for married joint filers, and $63,001 for heads of household; and
- Beginning of 20% bracket: $518,901 for singles, $583,751 for married joint filers and $551,351 for heads of household.
Gift and estate tax
The annual exclusion for gifts made in 2024 will be $18,000 (up from $17,000 for 2023). That means you can give away up to $18,000 to as many individuals as you wish without incurring gift tax or using up any of your unified federal gift and estate tax exemption.
In 2024, the unified federal gift and estate tax exemption will be $13,610,000 (up from $12,920,000 for 2023).
For gifts made in 2024, the annual exclusion for gifts to a noncitizen spouse will be $185,000 (up from $175,000 in 2023).
Conclusion
This article only covers some of the inflation-adjusted tax amounts. There are others that may potentially apply, including: alternative minimum tax parameters, kiddie tax amounts, limits on the refundable amount of the Child Tax Credit, limits on the adoption credit, IRA contribution amounts, contributions to your company’s retirement plan and health savings account amounts. Various other inflation-adjusted amounts may affect your tax situation if you own an interest in a sole proprietorship or a pass-through business. Contact us with questions.
There still may be time to reduce your small business 2023 tax bill
In the midst of holiday parties and shopping for gifts, don’t forget to consider steps to cut the 2023 tax liability for your business. You still have time to take advantage of a few opportunities.
Time deductions and income
If your business operates on a cash basis, you can significantly affect your amount of taxable income by accelerating your deductions into 2023 and deferring income into 2024 (assuming you expect to be taxed at the same or a lower rate next year).
For example, you could put recurring expenses normally paid early in the year on your credit card before January 1 — that way, you can claim the deduction for 2023 even though you don’t pay the credit card bill until 2024. In certain circumstances, you also can prepay some expenses, such as rent or insurance and claim them in 2023.
As for deferring income, wait until close to year-end to send out invoices to customers with reliable payment histories. Accrual-basis businesses can take a similar approach, holding off on the delivery of goods and services until next year.
Buy assets
If you’re thinking about purchasing new or used equipment, machinery or office equipment in the new year, it might be time to act now. Buy the assets and place them in service by December 31, and you can deduct 80% of the cost as bonus depreciation in 2023. This is down from 100% for 2022 and it will drop to 60% for assets placed in service in 2024. Contact us for details on the 80% bonus depreciation break and exactly what types of assets qualify.
Bonus depreciation is also available for certain building improvements.
Fortunately, the first-year Section 179 depreciation deduction will allow many small and medium-sized businesses to write off the entire cost of some or all of their 2023 asset additions on this year’s federal income tax return. There may also be state tax benefits.
However, keep in mind there are limitations on the deduction. For tax years beginning in 2023, the maximum Sec. 179 deduction is $1.16 million and a phaseout rule kicks in if you put more than $2.89 million of qualifying assets into service in the year.
Purchase a heavy vehicle
The 80% bonus depreciation deduction may have a major tax-saving impact on first-year depreciation deductions for new or used heavy vehicles used over 50% for business. That’s because heavy SUVs, pickups and vans are treated for federal income tax purposes as transportation equipment. In turn, that means they qualify for 100% bonus depreciation.
Specifically, 100% bonus depreciation is available when the SUV, pickup or van has a manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating above 6,000 pounds. You can verify a vehicle’s weight by looking at the manufacturer’s label, which is usually found on the inside edge of the driver’s side door. If you’re considering buying an eligible vehicle, placing one in service before year end could deliver a significant write-off on this year’s return.
Think through tax-saving strategies
Keep in mind that some of these tactics could adversely impact other aspects of your tax liability, such as the qualified business income deduction. Contact us to make the most of your tax planning opportunities.
Don’t forget to empty out your flexible spending account
If you have a tax-saving flexible spending account (FSA) with your employer to help pay for health or dependent care expenses, there’s an important date coming up. You may have to use the money in the account by year-end or you’ll lose it (unless your employer has a grace period).
As the end of 2023 gets closer, here are some rules and reminders to keep in mind.
Health FSA
A pre-tax contribution of $3,050 to a health FSA is permitted in 2023. This amount will be increasing to $3,200 in 2024. You save taxes in these accounts because you use pre-tax dollars to pay for medical expenses that might not be deductible. For example, expenses won’t be deductible if you don’t itemize deductions on your tax return. Even if you do itemize, medical expenses must exceed a certain percentage of your adjusted gross income in order to be deductible. Additionally, the amounts that you contribute to a health FSA aren’t subject to FICA taxes.
Your employer’s plan should have a list of qualifying items and any documentation from a medical provider that may be needed to get reimbursed for these expenses.
FSAs generally have a “use-it-or-lose-it” rule, which means you must incur qualifying medical expenditures by the last day of the plan year (December 31 for a calendar year plan) — unless the plan allows an optional grace period. A grace period can’t extend beyond the 15th day of the third month following the close of the plan year (March 15 for a calendar year plan).
What if you don’t spend the money before the last day allowed? You forfeit it.
Take a look at your year-to-date expenditures now. It will show you what you still need to spend. What are some ways to use up the money? Before year end (or the extended date, if permitted), schedule certain elective medical procedures, visit the dentist or buy new eyeglasses.
Dependent care FSA
Some employers also allow employees to set aside funds on a pre-tax basis in dependent care FSAs. A $5,000 maximum annual contribution is permitted ($2,500 for a married couple filing separately).
FSAs are for:
- A child who qualifies as your dependent and who is under age 13, or
- A dependent or spouse who is physically or mentally incapable of self-care and who has the same principal place of abode as you for more than half of the tax year.
Like health FSAs, dependent care FSAs are subject to a use-it-or-lose-it rule, but the grace period relief may apply. Therefore, it’s a good time to review your expenses to date.
Other rules and exceptions may apply. Your HR department can answer any questions about your specific plan. Contact us with any questions you have about the tax implications.
A company car is a valuable perk but don’t forget about taxes
One of the most appreciated fringe benefits for owners and employees of small businesses is the use of a company car. This perk results in tax deductions for the employer as well as tax breaks for the owners and employees driving the cars. (And of course, they enjoy the nontax benefit of using a company car.) Even better, current federal tax rules make the benefit more valuable than it was in the past.
Rolling out the rules
Let’s take a look at how the rules work in a typical situation. For example, a corporation decides to supply the owner-employee with a company car. The owner-employee needs the car to visit customers and satellite offices, check on suppliers and meet with vendors. He or she expects to drive the car 8,500 miles a year for business and also anticipates using the car for about 7,000 miles of personal driving. This includes commuting, running errands and taking weekend trips. Therefore, the usage of the vehicle will be approximately 55% for business and 45% for personal purposes. Naturally, the owner-employee wants an attractive car that reflects positively on the business, so the corporation buys a new $57,000 luxury sedan.
The cost for personal use of the vehicle is equal to the tax the owner-employee pays on the fringe benefit value of the 45% personal mileage. In contrast, if the owner-employee bought the car to drive the personal miles, he or she would pay out-of-pocket for the entire purchase cost of the car.
Personal use is treated as fringe benefit income. For tax purposes, the corporation treats the car much the same way it would any other business asset, subject to depreciation deduction restrictions if the auto is purchased. Out-of-pocket expenses related to the car (including insurance, gas, oil and maintenance) are deductible, including the portion that relates to personal use. If the corporation finances the car, the interest it pays on the loan is deductible as a business expense (unless the business is subject to the business interest expense deduction limitation under the tax code).
On the other hand, if the owner-employee buys the auto, he or she isn’t entitled to any deductions. Outlays for the business-related portion of driving are unreimbursed employee business expenses, which are nondeductible from 2018 to 2025 due to the suspension of miscellaneous itemized deductions under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. And if the owner-employee finances the car personally, the interest payments are nondeductible.
One other implication: The purchase of the car by the corporation has no effect on the owner-employee’s credit rating.
Careful recordkeeping is essential
Supplying a vehicle for an owner’s or key employee’s business and personal use comes with complications and paperwork. Personal use needs to be tracked and valued under the fringe benefit tax rules and treated as income. This article only explains the basics.
Despite the necessary valuation and paperwork, a company-provided car is still a valuable fringe benefit for business owners and key employees. It can provide them with the use of a vehicle at a low tax cost while generating tax deductions for their businesses. (You may even be able to transfer the vehicle to the employee when you’re ready to dispose of it, but that involves other tax implications.) We can help you stay in compliance with the rules and explain more about this fringe benefit.
Solving the riddles of succession planning for family businesses
Every established company will encounter challenges when confronting the thorny issue of succession planning. Family-owned businesses, however, often face particularly complex issues. After all, their owners may have to consider both family members who work for the company and those who do not.
If yours is a family business, you may run into some confounding riddles as you develop your succession plan. As difficult as it may seem, always bear in mind that there are solutions to be found.
Divergent financial needs
One tough quandary for many family businesses is that the financial needs of older and younger generations conflict. For instance, the business owner is counting on the sale of the company to serve as a de facto retirement fund while the owner’s family wants to take over the business without a significant investment.
Fortunately, several strategies are available to generate cash flow for the owner while minimizing the burden on the next generation. For example, an installment sale of the business to children or other family members can provide liquidity for owners while easing the burden on children and grandchildren. An installment sale may also increase the chance that cash flows from the business can fund the purchase. Plus, so long as the price and terms are comparable to arm’s-length transactions between unrelated parties, the sale shouldn’t trigger gift or estate taxes.
Trust alternatives
Alternatively, owners may transfer business interests to a grantor retained annuity trust (GRAT) to obtain a variety of gift and estate tax benefits, provided they survive the trust term. They’ll also enjoy a fixed income stream for a period of years. At the end of the term, the business is transferred to the owner’s beneficiaries. GRATs are typically designed to be gift-tax-free.
Similarly, a properly structured installment sale to an intentionally defective grantor trust (IDGT) allows an owner to sell the business on a tax-advantaged basis while enjoying an income stream and retaining control during the trust term. Once installment payments are complete, the business passes to the owner’s beneficiaries free of gift taxes.
The answers are out there
There’s no doubt that every family business is a little bit different. Nevertheless, there are probably answers out there to your distinctive questions. We can help you put together a succession plan that’s right for you and your family.
Could value-based sales boost your company’s bottom line?
If your company sells products or services to other businesses, you’re probably familiar with the challenge of growing your sales numbers. At times, you might even struggle to maintain them. One way to put yourself in a better position to succeed is to diversify your approaches, so you’re not limited to a single method by which salespeople interact with customers.
Have you ever considered value-based sales? Under this method, sales reps act as sort of business consultants, working closely with customers or prospects to identify specific needs or solve certain problems. The objective is to provide as much value as possible from the sales that result. This approach has its risks but, under the right circumstances, it can pay off.
What is value?
Before embarking on a value-based sales initiative, you’ll need to identify what kinds of value you may be able to provide. This can’t be a fuzzy concept; sales reps should be able to put dollars and cents to their value-based sales propositions or at least build a compelling case. Value generally takes four forms:
- Dollars gained; your product or service will lead to an increase in revenue for the subject based on a reasonable financial projection,
- Dollars saved; your product or service will demonstrably save the customer or prospect money,
- Risk reduced; your product or service will address and help minimize one or more identifiable threats to the business in question, and
- Qualitative; if you can’t make a case for one of the other three value types, you may still be able to argue that your product or service improves the quality of the subject’s operations in some way.
At least one of these four types of value will be the ultimate objective when salespeople engage customers or prospects. However, to identify that objective, your sales team will need to put in considerable effort.
How does the process work?
Perhaps the biggest downside of a value-based sales approach is that it’s labor-intensive. As opposed to, say, making cold calls with a product or service list and a series of talking points, your salespeople will need to do a “deep dive” into targeted businesses. They’ll need to learn details such as each company’s mission, history, management structure, financial status, strengths and weaknesses.
Then, when interacting with customers or prospects, they’ll need to focus on education — both their own and the subject’s. In other words, a sales rep will need to ask the right questions to learn as much as possible about the customer’s or prospect’s business needs and challenges. Meanwhile, the salesperson will need to act much like a consultant, informing the subject about industry trends, potential solutions and perhaps how comparable companies have overcome similar issues.
As you can see, value-based sales is more about relationship building and knowledge sharing than straight selling. Because of this, it can be a gamble. Some sales reps may spend extensive time and effort with a customer or prospect, even helping that business in certain ways, only to reap little to no sales revenue. On the other hand, when the approach works well, your company may be able to build a dynamic, long-lasting relationship with a lucrative customer.
Are there such sales in your pipeline?
If value-based sales sounds like something that could benefit your business, discuss it with your leadership team and sales staff. You’ll likely want to review your sales pipeline and determine which customers or prospects would be good fits for the approach. Contact us for help tracking, organizing and analyzing your sales numbers.
The tax implications of renting out a vacation home
Many Americans own a vacation home or aspire to purchase one. If you own a second home in a waterfront community, in the mountains or in a resort area, you may want to rent it out for part of the year.
The tax implications of these transactions can be complicated. It depends on how many days the home is rented and your level of personal use. Personal use includes vacation use by you, your family members (even if you charge them market rent) and use by nonrelatives if a market rent isn’t charged.
Short-term rentals
If you rent the property out for less than 15 days during the year, it’s not treated as “rental property” at all. In the right circumstances, this can produce revenue and significant tax benefits. Any rent you receive isn’t included in your income for tax purposes. On the other hand, you can only deduct property taxes and mortgage interest — no other operating costs or depreciation. (Mortgage interest is deductible on your principal residence and one other home, subject to certain limits.)
If you rent the property out for more than 14 days, you must include the rent received in income. However, you can deduct part of your operating expenses and depreciation, subject to certain rules. First, you must allocate your expenses between the personal use days and the rental days. This includes maintenance, utilities, depreciation allowance, interest and taxes for the property. The personal use portion of taxes can be deducted separately. The personal use part of interest on a second home is also deductible (if eligible) when it exceeds the greater of 14 days or 10% of the rental days. However, depreciation on the personal use portion isn’t allowed.
Losses may be deductible
If the rental income exceeds these allocable deductions, you report the rent and deductions to determine the amount of rental income to add to your other income. But if the expenses exceed the income, you may be able to claim a rental loss. This depends on how many days you use the house for personal purposes.
Here’s the test: if you use it personally for more than the greater of 14 days or 10% of the rental days, you’re using it “too much” and can’t claim your loss. In this case, you can still use your deductions to wipe out rental income, but you can’t create a loss. Deductions you can’t claim are carried forward and may be usable in future years. If you’re limited to using deductions only up to the rental income amount, you must use the deductions allocated to the rental portion in this order:
- Interest and taxes,
- Operating costs, and
- Depreciation.
If you “pass” the personal use test, you must still allocate your expenses between the personal and rental portions. However, in this case, if your rental deductions exceed your rental income, you can claim the loss. (The loss is “passive,” however, and may be limited under passive loss rules.)
Navigate a plan
These are only the basic rules. There may be other rules if you’re considered a small landlord or real estate professional. Contact us if you have questions. We can help plan your vacation home use to achieve optimal tax results.
How IRS auditors learn about your business industry
Ever wonder how IRS examiners know about different industries so they can audit various businesses? They generally do research about specific industries and issues on tax returns by using IRS Audit Techniques Guides (ATGs). A little-known fact is that these guides are available to the public on the IRS website. In other words, your business can use the same guides to gain insight into what the IRS is looking for in terms of compliance with tax laws and regulations.
Many ATGs target specific industries, such as construction, aerospace, art galleries, architecture and veterinary medicine. Other guides address issues that frequently arise in audits, such as executive compensation, passive activity losses and capitalization of tangible property.
Issues unique to certain taxpayers
IRS auditors need to examine all different types of businesses, as well as individual taxpayers and tax-exempt organizations. Each type of return might have unique industry issues, business practices and terminology. Before meeting with taxpayers and their advisors, auditors do their homework to understand various industries or issues, the accounting methods commonly used, how income is received, and areas where taxpayers might not be in compliance.
By using a specific ATG, an IRS auditor may be able to reconcile discrepancies when reported income or expenses aren’t consistent with what’s normal for the industry or to identify anomalies within the geographic area in which the business is located.
Updates and revisions
Some guides were written several years ago and others are relatively new. There isn’t a guide for every industry. Here are some of the guide titles that have been revised or added in recent years:
- Entertainment Audit Technique Guide (March 2023), which covers income and expenses for performers, producers, directors, technicians and others in the film and recording industries, as well as in live performances;
- Capitalization of Tangible Property Audit Technique Guide (September 2022), which addresses potential tax issues involved in capital expenditures and dispositions of property.
- Oil and Gas Audit Technique Guide (February 2023), which explains the complex tax issues involved in the exploration, development and production of crude oil and natural gas;
- Cost Segregation Audit Technique Guide (June 2022), which provides IRS examiners with an understanding of why and how cost segregation studies are performed in order for businesses to claim refunds related to depreciation deductions.
- Attorneys Audit Technique Guide (January 2022), which covers issues including retainers, contingent fees, client trust accounts, travel expenses and more;
- Child Care Provider Audit Technique Guide (January 2022), which enables IRS examiners to audit businesses that provide care in homes or day care centers; and
- Retail Audit Technique Guide (March 2021), which details tax issues unique to businesses that purchase items from a supplier or wholesaler and resell them at a profit.
Although ATGs were created to help IRS examiners uncover common methods of hiding income and inflating deductions, they also can help businesses ensure they aren’t engaging in practices that could raise audit red flags. For a complete list of ATGs, visit the IRS website.