TaxEsqBlog -by Ronald J. Cappuccio, J.D., LL.M.(Tax)

Do you qualify for the home office deduction? Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, employees can no longer claim the home office deduction. If, however, you run a business from your home or are otherwise self-employed and use part of your home for business purposes, the home office deduction may still be available to you. Home-related expenses Homeowners know that they can claim itemized deductions for property tax and mortgage interest on their principal residences, subject to certain limits. Most other home-related expenses, such as utilities, insurance and repairs, aren’t deductible. But if you use part of your home for business purposes, you may be entitled to deduct a portion of these expenses, as well as depreciation. Or you might be able to claim the simplified home office deduction of $5 per square foot, up to 300 square feet ($1,500). Regular and exclusive use You might qualify for the home office deduction if part of your home is used as your principal place of bu...

The high tax States, including New Jersey, are suing the Federal Government because of the Tax Reform Act. They are arguing the $10k cap on State and Local Taxes is somehow Unconstitutional. They will lose. There is no right to have a Federal Tax Deduction for local taxes. It would be surprising if the Courts side with the States. Here is a good article on the lawsuit from Thompson-Reuters: NEW YORK, (Reuters) - Four U.S. states sued the federal government on Tuesday to void the new $10,000 cap on the federal deduction for state and local taxes, included as part of the President Donald Trump's 2017 tax overhaul. The lawsuit by New York, Connecticut, Maryland and New Jersey came seven months after Trump signed into law the $1.5 trillion overhaul, which also lowered taxes for many wealthy Americans and slashed the corporate tax rate. It also adds to the many legal battles between Democratic-led and -leaning states, including several that impose comparatively high taxes, and t...

How to avoid getting hit with payroll tax penalties For small businesses, managing payroll can be one of the most arduous tasks. Adding to the burden earlier this year was adjusting income tax withholding based on the new tables issued by the IRS. (Those tables account for changes under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.) But it’s crucial not only to withhold the appropriate taxes — including both income tax and employment taxes — but also to remit them on time to the federal government. If you don’t, you, personally, could face harsh penalties. This is true even if your business is an entity that normally shields owners from personal liability, such as a corporation or limited liability company. The 100% penalty Employers must withhold federal income and employment taxes (such as Social Security) as well as applicable state and local taxes on wages paid to their employees. The federal taxes must then be remitted to the federal government according to a deposit schedule. If a bus...

Close-up on the new QBI deduction’s wage limit The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) provides a valuable new tax break to noncorporate owners of pass-through entities: a deduction for a portion of qualified business income (QBI). The deduction generally applies to income from sole proprietorships, partnerships, S corporations and, typically, limited liability companies (LLCs). It can equal as much as 20% of QBI. But once taxable income exceeds $315,000 for married couples filing jointly or $157,500 for other filers, a wage limit begins to phase in. Full vs. partial phase-in When the wage limit is fully phased in, at $415,000 for joint filers and $207,500 for other filers, the QBI deduction generally can’t exceed the greater of the owner’s share of: 50% of the amount of W-2 wages paid to employees during the tax year, or The sum of 25% of W-2 wages plus 2.5% of the cost of qualified business property (QBP). When the wage limit applies but isn’t yet fully phased in, the amount o...

Does your business have to begin collecting sales tax on all out-of-state online sales? You’ve probably heard about the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing state and local governments to impose sales taxes on more out-of-state online sales. The ruling in  South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc.  is welcome news for brick-and-mortar retailers, who felt previous rulings gave an unfair advantage to their online competitors. And state and local governments are pleased to potentially be able to collect more sales tax. But for businesses with out-of-state online sales that haven’t had to collect sales tax from out-of-state customers in the past, the decision brings many questions and concerns. What the requirements used to be Even before  Wayfair , a state could require an out-of-state business to collect sales tax from its residents on online sales if the business had a “substantial nexus” — or connection — with the state. The nexus requirement is part of the Comm...