Category: Private Business

On Friday, March 27, President Trump signed into legislation the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act. The $2.2 trillion legislation represents the largest stimulus package in U.S. history—dwarfing the $800 billion package signed during the 2008 financial crisis—and provides a variety of economic relief measures to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on American society. As part of the CARES Act, the federal government has also provided for disaster assistance loans through the Small Business Administration…. Read more ›

On Friday, March 27, President Trump signed into legislation the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act. The $2.2 trillion legislation represents the largest stimulus package in U.S. history—dwarfing the $800 billion package signed during the 2008 financial crisis—and provides a variety of economic relief measures to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on American society. In addition to direct cash payments and extended lending and emergency financing options, the CARES Act includes tax payment deferrals and… Read more ›

On Friday, March 27, President Trump signed into legislation the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act. The $2.2 trillion legislation represents the largest stimulus package in U.S. history—dwarfing the $800 billion package signed during the 2008 financial crisis—and provides a variety of economic relief measures to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on American society. This top-level overview represents the first of several upcoming alerts by CBM on various components of the CARES Act. Among the… Read more ›

Councilor, Buchanan & Mitchell (CBM) has published guidance for businesses that receive a notice from the IRS (Letter 226J) relating to penalties associated with compliance with the Affordable Care Act. Click here to read our guidance. Please also keep in mind the important deadlines below. Don’t Miss Early 2020 Due Dates February 28, 2020 – Paper copies of Forms 1094-C and 1095-C must be filed with the IRS by this date. Employers with less than 250 employees can paper file…. Read more ›

The IRS is currently issuing the Letter 226J proposed employer-shared responsibility payment (ESRP) notice to businesses they suspect of having not complied with the 2017 tax-year Affordable Care Act requirements. The Letter identifies the amount of the proposed penalty that the business would be responsible for paying— an amount which can be steep. CBM has seen penalty amounts ranging from $3,160 to over a million dollars. CBM advises businesses that receive such a letter to respond promptly, especially since Letter… Read more ›

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has released the finalized rule on overtime exemptions for white-collar workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The rule updates the standard salary levels for the first time since 2004. While it is expected to expand the pool of nonexempt workers by more than 1 million, it’s also more favorable to employers than a rule proposed by the Obama administration in 2016. That rule would have expanded the pool by more than 4 million… Read more ›

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has released a final rule which should make it easier for smaller businesses to provide retirement plans to their employees. According to the DOL, the rule will enable more small and midsize unrelated businesses to join forces in multiple employer plans (MEPs) that provide their employees a defined contribution plan such as a 401(k) plan or a SIMPLE IRA plan. Certain self-employed individuals also can participate in MEPs. In October 2018, the DOL issued… Read more ›

Examine Economic Drivers Profitability, in a nutshell, is revenue minus expenses. But, as law firm leaders know, increasing profitability is much more complicated than that simple equation might imply. The economy, for example, can make it difficult for firms to simply raise rates as they have in the past. How do you solve this quandary? Go back to basics and revisit your firm’s economic drivers. Needs vs. Wants For many firms, the main driver of profitability is increased rates —… Read more ›

Today, President Trump signed the reconciled tax reform bill–commonly called the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” (TCJA)–which represents the most sweeping federal tax legislation in more than three decades. While many of the new law’s provisions affect businesses, it also includes significant changes for individual taxpayers, most of which take effect for 2018 and expire after 2025. Here are some of the most notable changes. Tax brackets The TCJA maintains seven income tax brackets but temporarily adjusts the tax rates… Read more ›

  Update: On November 16, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act by a vote of 227 to 205. What are tax reform’s next few steps? On November 17, the Senate Finance Committee approved its own tax reform bill, and the full Senate is expected to weigh in on the bill after the Thanksgiving holiday. If the Senate passes its bill, the House and Senate will work to reconcile their two bills into a final… Read more ›