Bookkeeping services New York provider and tax advices: What are my obligations as an employer? Upon being notified of a wage garnishment court order, an employer should immediately alert the employee to the situation in writing. Depending on the garnishment, there may be a form provided for this (i.e., Form 668 for a federal levy). An employer can also draft a letter detailing the specifics of the wage garnishment order, the amount to be taken from each payment, and the length of time the wages will be garnished. Concurrently, an employer should notify their HR and/or payroll departments so they can start the wage garnishment process and ensure that payments are sent to the appropriate agency or creditor (whether the employee wishes to comply or not). Taking these actions protects the business from any legal repercussions for failing to respond to the order.
In the past, if you used 10% of your home for a home office, for example, 10% of the profit when you sold did not qualify as tax-free under the rules that let homeowners treat up to $250,000 of profit as tax-free income ($500,000 for married couples filing joint returns). Since 10% of the house was an office instead of a home, the IRS said, 10% of the profit wasn’t tax-free. But the government has had a change of heart. No longer does a home office put the kibosh on tax-free profit. You do have to pay tax on any profit that results from depreciation claimed for the office after May 6, 1997. It’s taxed at a maximum rate of 25%. (Depreciation produces taxable profit because it reduces your tax basis in the home; the lower your basis, the higher your profit.) Provide dependent taxpayer IDs on your tax return! Be sure to plug in Taxpayer Identification Numbers (usually Social Security Numbers) for your children and other dependents on your return. Otherwise, the IRS will deny any dependent credits that you might be due, such as the Child Tax Credit. Be especially careful if you are divorced. Only one of you can claim your children as dependents, and the IRS has been checking closely lately to make sure spouses aren’t both using their children as a deduction. If you forget to include a Social Security number for a child, or if you and your ex-spouse both claim the same child, it’s highly likely that the processing of your return (and any refund you’re expecting) will come to a screeching halt while the IRS contacts you to straighten things out. After you have a baby, be sure to file for your child’s Social Security card right away so you have the number ready at tax time. Many hospitals will do this automatically for you. If you don’t have the number you need by the tax filing deadline, the IRS says you should file for an extension rather than sending in a return without a required Social Security number.
Harvest Your Capital Losses: If you own stocks that have lost money, you can sell them and deduct up to $3,000 on your federal taxes. Just be careful not to violate the wash-sale rule, which would disallow the deduction. This rule states you cannot purchase the same or a substantially similar stock within 30 days before or after the sale. “Some people think it’s OK if I do it using two accounts,” Zollars says. They may think they can sell a stock from a taxable account and then immediately purchase similar securities in an IRA. However, this is not allowed. “That’s not the way the rule works,” he says.
A full-charge bookkeeper can also manage payroll, handle deposits, create and maintain monthly financial reports, manage the ever-changing world of sales taxes as well as quarterly taxes and withholding. Bookkeepers also reconcile bank statements to internal accounts and even help out during an internal or IRS audit. Find additional details on Bookkeeper New York.
The cost of a part-time bookkeeper can vary widely. Hourly rates for internal, part-time bookkeepers average around $20/hour depending on job description and location. They typically are performing basic bookkeeping duties and will need to be supervised and managed. If you can manage your job and some of the accounting each month but need a little extra help, a part-time bookkeeper might be a good fit for your business. They can do work such as inputting receipts and tracking employee time sheets, accounts receivable and accounts payable. When hiring a part-time bookkeeper, management still needs to have someone reviewing the work of the bookkeeper.
With an attention to detail for bookkeeping, special relationships with many software developers, and an unhealthy obsession with Merge, we can help you Create a game plan for your back office. Set up your file; Find the right tools to help you manage and grow your business. Merge Bookkeeping: Setup services are designed to save you time while getting your books set up in an easy-to-maintain manner, including training you or your staff on day-to-day operations. Find more details on mergebookkeeping.com.