Valuation Challenges and Pitfalls in Tax Cases
Valuing property for tax purposes is complex and can be a critical issue as it can result in significantly higher or lower taxes. The Garwood v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2004-195, case offers a...
View ArticlePaying a Fee to an S Corp to Avoid Self-Employment Taxes
Sole proprietors and partners who provide services to their partnership business have to pay self-employment taxes on the income they earn from the business. Self-employment taxes include Social...
View ArticleS Corporation Owner Subject to Self-Employment Tax
Taxpayers often establish Subchapter S corporations to avoid Social Security and Medicare taxes on a portion of their earnings. This is a very common arrangement. The Fleischer v. Commissioner, T.C....
View ArticleDeducting Back Taxes in Current Year for Defunct Business
Can an S corporation shareholder for a defunct business pay unpaid taxes in the current year, and have the defunct business deduct the payment in the current year? The court addresses this in Brown v....
View ArticleSubchapter S Corporation Losses Limited by Tax Basis
One of the benefits of Subchapter S corporations is the ability to have losses flow through from the business’ tax return to the individual shareholder’s tax return. These flow-through losses are...
View ArticleS Corporation Owner Taxed on Earnings Not Distributed
Taxpayers who own an interest in an S corporation are often not familiar with the tax rules for S corporations. They are often surprised to learn that they have to pay taxes on the business profits...
View ArticleIRS Says Personal Expenses Paid by S Corp. Not Loan Repayments
If a Subchapter S corporation pays its shareholders personal expenses, can the payments be for the repayment of loans not subject to employment instead of wages subject to employment taxes? This is a...
View ArticleCourt Says Rent Income from S Corp Not Subject to Self-Employment Taxes
In Martin v. Commissioner, 149 T.C. 12 (2017), the court concluded that S corporation shareholders can avoid self-employment taxes by holding their farming operations in their S corporation. While the...
View ArticleGuaranteeing a Loan for Your S Corporation
In Phillips v. Commissioner, No. 17-14439 (11th Cir. 2018), the court concluded that a judgment against the owner of an S corporation for guaranteeing the business debts does not increase the owners...
View ArticleS Corp Conversions: Watch out for Disappearing AAA
Small and medium-sized businesses can save quite a bit in taxes by using S corporations. But with these tax savings comes complexity. This complexity comes from how S corporations flow through profit...
View ArticleThe Timing Trap: Failed Installment Sales
One of the best tax planning strategies is simply to accept payment over time. This is a simple, but effective tax planning strategy as it can allow taxpayers to spread out their tax liability over...
View ArticleUsing Warrants to Make Future Purchases of S Corporation Stock
Can you make a gift to charity but retain the right to pull back the value of the gift in the future, and still get a charitable deduction for the gift? The court said “no” in In Re Stapley, No....
View ArticleThe IRS Recent Focus on S Corp Owners
The IRS has announced several new compliance campaigns focusing on S corporations. This is needed as the audit rate for S corporation is extremely low. The most recent IRS compliance campaign focuses...
View ArticleLoan to an S Corporation to Allow Tax Loss
Tax basis can limit a shareholder’s loss from an S corporation. If an S corporation has a tax loss but the shareholder doesn’t have sufficient tax basis to take the loss, the shareholder will typically...
View ArticleS Corp Election Terminated by Standard LLC Language
If you make an S corporation election and do not fix the standard language that is typically included in the LLC company agreement, you’ll void the S corporation election. This is an issue that is...
View ArticleS Corporation Election Not Signed by Community Property Spouse is Valid
There are tax implications for just about everything we do. Even simple business transactions present tax opportunities and pitfalls. While we prefer to focus on tax opportunities, we also spend a lot...
View ArticleDouble Tax on Inter-Company Transfers
There are those who make things happen. They are usually the ones doing what it takes even when doing so is difficult, tiring, and draining. They are the ones that often make personal sacrifices and...
View ArticleThe Late S Corporation Election
The Subchapter S corporation remains a popular choice of entity for small and medium-sized businesses. This is true even after the TCJA of 2017 lowered the income tax rate for C corporations to 21...
View ArticleS Corporation: Distribution of Appreciated Assets
Those who set up S corporations usually do so as their accountant told them that it could save taxes. This is often true. The S corporation can result in tax savings. This may include the standard...
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