Latest posts
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Benchmarking: Why Normalizing Adjustments are Essential
Financial statements aren’t particularly meaningful without a relevant basis of comparison. There are two types of “benchmarks” that a company’s financials can be compared to — its own historical performance and the performance of other comparable businesses. Before you conduct a benchmarking study, however, it’s important to make normalizing adjustments to avoid any misleading comparisons.…
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COVID-19: A Reminder of Why Cross-Training Your Accounting Staff is Yey
Imagine this scenario: A company’s controller is hospitalized for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), and she’s the only person inside the company who knows how its accounting and payroll software works. She also is the only person with check signing authority, besides the owner, who is in lockdown at his second home out of state. Meanwhile,…
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Independent Assurance Inspires Confidence in Sustainability Reports
Sustainability reports explain the impact of an organization’s activities on the economy, environment and society. During the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, stakeholders continue to expect robust, transparent sustainability reports, with a stronger emphasis on the social and economic impacts of the company’s current operations than on environmental matters. Investors, lenders and even the public at…
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New COVID-19 Law Makes Favorable Changes to “Qualified Improvement Property”
The law providing relief due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic contains a beneficial change in the tax rules for many improvements to interior parts of nonresidential buildings. This is referred to as qualified improvement property (QIP). You may recall that under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), any QIP placed in service after December…
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Hiring Independent Contractors? Make Sure They’re Properly Classified
As a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, your business may be using independent contractors to keep costs low. But you should be careful that these workers are properly classified for federal tax purposes. If the IRS reclassifies them as employees, it can be an expensive mistake. The question of whether a worker is an…
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Determine a Reasonable Salary for a Corporate Business Owner
If you’re the owner of an incorporated business, you probably know that there’s a tax advantage to taking money out of a C corporation as compensation rather than as dividends. The reason is simple. A corporation can deduct the salaries and bonuses that it pays executives, but not its dividend payments. Therefore, if funds are…
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Coronavirus (COVID-19): Tax Relief for Small Businesses
Businesses across the country are being affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19). Fortunately, Congress recently passed a law that provides at least some relief. In a separate development, the IRS has issued guidance allowing taxpayers to defer any amount of federal income tax payments due on April 15, 2020, until July 15, 2020, without penalties or…
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Business Charitable Contribution Rules Have Changed Under the CARES Act
In light of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, many businesses are interested in donating to charity. In order to incentivize charitable giving, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act made some liberalizations to the rules governing charitable deductions. Here are two changes that affect businesses: The limit on charitable deductions for corporations has…
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Answers to Questions About the CARES Act Employee Retention Tax Credit
The recently enacted Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provides a refundable payroll tax credit for 50% of wages paid by eligible employers to certain employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. The employee retention credit is available to employers, including nonprofit organizations, with operations that have been fully or partially suspended as a result…
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How Are You Going to Find Your Nonprofit’s Next Executive?
Every nonprofit needs an executive search plan. Even if you aren’t facing an imminent vacancy, your organization is smart to prepare for what can be a long process. In fact, executive searches generally take several months — even if you end up hiring someone already known to your nonprofit. So make plans now. Focusing energy…
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Here’s How to Handle Gifts In Kind and Donated Services
As unemployment and financial insecurity become widespread during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, many not-for-profit donors find themselves unable to provide monetary support to favorite charities. Instead, your organization may receive offers of gifts in kind (GIK) or donated services. Although you likely welcome these gifts, you may be unsure about how to record and…
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Donor Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic
One of the many challenges of operating a not-for-profit organization during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is that just when you desperately need financial support, many donors are unable to help. Widespread unemployment, stock market volatility and general uncertainty make even dependable donors reluctant to part with their money. Then there’s the fact that donors are…