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The IRS Mailbox Rule for Tax Returns

No doormat rule akin to mailbox rule Undoubtedly, the grand majority of people reading this are aware the mailbox rule deems a return filed as it is placed in the mailbox and correspondingly postmarked the same day. An enterprising taxpayer unsuccessfully attempted to extend the rationale of the mailbox rule in Plato v. Commissioner, USTC […]

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Deductions for Meals and Entertainment after Tax Reform

Prior to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, a meal incurred during, directly before or after a sporting event or associated with entertainment was complimentary and inseparable. Both the meal and the entertainment qualified for a 50% deduction. With the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the question yet to be determined is – does the […]

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Preparing for the Implementation of ASU No. 2016-14

Not-for-profit entities with 12/31/18 year-ends will be implementing ASU No. 2016-14, Presentation of Financial Statements of Not-for-Profit Entities in their financial statements. With limited exceptions (related to comparative financial statements in the areas of the new functional and natural expense analysis and the new liquidity and availability disclosures) ASU No. 2016-14 is required to be […]

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Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Amends Changing the Inflationary Adjustment Calculation from Utilizing“CPI index” to a “Chained-CPI index”

Hidden beneath the towering waves of the tax transformation tsunami commonly referred to as the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” of 2017; lies a somewhat over-shadowed verse which may presently fail to excite many appetites. The seemingly shallow amendment applies to the very first code section. Code §1 refers to the imposition of tax. It […]

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Coming This Summer, a Revised Yellow Book

If you are a movie fan, you are likely looking forward to this summer’s releases of Solo, A Star Wars Story, Incredibles 2, or perhaps Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Well, if you audit governments and/or not-for-profits, another summer blockbuster to watch for is the 2018 Yellow Book revision. It is estimated that the new Yellow […]

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Adopting Topic 606: What Private Companies Can Learn From Public Business Entities’ Implementation of the New Revenue Standard

One of the best treats in life is to be able to learn from the challenges of others. For private companies implementing Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, 2018 is providing just this opportunity. Most public business entities (PBEs) adopted Topic 606 on January 1, 2018. This represented the culmination of, for many PBEs, […]

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Proposed Changes to Lease Accounting – Topic 842

As both public and private companies scramble to complete the new revenue standard, Topic 606, they should not lose track of the fast approaching effective date for the FASB’s new lease accounting guidance, Topic 842. In addition to requiring the capitalization of all leases by companies, along with the related lease liability, the new lease […]

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Home Equity Loan Interest Could Still be Deductible

The Service recently responded to widespread confusion surrounding changes made through the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act by announcing that taxpayers can often still deduct interest on a home equity loan, home equity line of credit or second mortgage, without regard to the label placed on the loan. Tax reform imposed a lower limit of […]

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IRS Recalculates HSA Family Coverage Deduction

Last week, IRS recalculated the previously released 2018 figures for Health Saving Account (HSA) family coverage deductions. Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, inflation adjusted figures previously utilizing the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) would be indexed under the Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U). Though of little […]

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