AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF 2021: CHILD TAX CREDIT

AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF 2021: CHILD TAX CREDIT

Under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the IRS will be releasing advance monthly child tax credit payments to eligible taxpayers in equal amounts starting July 15th. Following the first payment in July, the payments will go out on the 15th of each month through December of 2021.

Many taxpayers may want to unenroll using the link below if the amount of 2021 taxes owed are expected to be greater than the expected refund.

For taxpayers who are married filing jointly, each person must unenroll separately.

The payments will be as follows:

  • Up to $300 per month per child under age 6, and
  • Up to $250 per month per child ages 6-17.

For 2021, ARPA raised the child tax credit amount to up to $3,000 for each qualifying child between the ages of 6 and 17 at the end of the 2021 tax year, and $3,600 for each qualifying child under the age of 6 at the end of the 2021 tax year. ARPA also made the child tax credit for 2021 fully refundable if the taxpayer (or spouse, on a joint return) has a primary residence in the United States for more than half of the 2021 tax year.

For more detailed information and frequently asked questions about child tax credit payments, or to unenroll, visit the IRS Child Tax Credit Update Portal. Please call our office at 251-343-1012 if we can be of further assistance.

Changes To 2020 Form 1099

Changes to 2020 Form 1099

The IRS has a new Form 1099-NEC to report nonemployee compensation for tax year 2020. The IRS has also revised the Form 1099-MISC and rearranged box numbers for reporting certain income.

If your business has paid $600.00 or more in nonemployee compensation to an unincorporated entity in 2020, you will need to report the payment on Form 1099-NEC. If the payments are for legal services or for medical or health care, they must also be reported to incorporated entities.

If your business has paid $600.00 or more in rent (real property, machinery, or equipment) to an unincorporated entity in 2020, it will need to be reported on Form 1099-MISC. However, you do not have to report these payments on Form 1099-MISC if you paid them to a real estate agent or property manager.

A Form W-9 signed by the vendor should be obtained for each entity that you paid $600.00 or more and will need to report on a Form 1099-NEC or 1099-MISC. If possible, you should obtain a Form W-9 from each vendor that provides a service to your business, at the time of service. A Form W-9 can be downloaded from the IRS website at www.irs.gov.

The due date for filing 2020 Forms 1099-NEC is February 1, 2021. The due date for filing 2020 Forms 1099-MISC is March 1, 2021 for paper-filed returns and March 31, 2021 for electronically filed returns.

We will be glad to assist you with preparation and filing of your 1099s. We can also provide a spreadsheet to help input your information. If you would like for us to prepare your 1099s for you, we will need to receive your information no later than January 18, 2021. Please call us at 251-343-1012 if we can be of assistance.

Hurricane Sally Business Casualty Losses

Business Casualty Losses

For partial business losses, the deductible amount of the loss is the value of the destroyed portion or the adjusted basis of the property, whichever is less, reduced by insurance or other compensation received.

For business property that is completely destroyed, the deductible amount of the loss is the adjusted basis of the property minus any salvage value and any insurance or other compensation received or recoverable.  This is the case whether or not the fair market value (FMV) of the business property immediately preceding the total casualty is less than the adjusted basis of the property.

Two methods may be used to determine the decline in FMV of property damaged in a casualty:

  • Appraised value immediately before and immediately after the casualty to determine the amount of deductible loss.
  • Cost of repairing the damaged property to set the amount of the loss.

The IRS has announced relief related to Hurricane Sally. In summary, the filing and payment due dates for various individual and business tax returns due on or after September 14, 2020 have been extended to January 15, 2021. Please note this does not include an extension to pay your 2019 tax liability, it only extends the time to timely file the tax return. The IRS is offering this relief to any area designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as qualifying for individual assistance. Currently this includes Baldwin, Escambia and Mobile counties in Alabama, but taxpayers in localities qualifying for individual assistance added later to the disaster area, elsewhere in the state and in neighboring states, will automatically receive the same filing and payment relief. The current list of eligible localities is always available on the disaster relief page on IRS.gov. The Alabama Department of Revenue is also offering similar relief. For more information, please go to the Alabama Department of Revenue Website.

If you have any questions, please call your accountant at CSB or our main office at 251-343-1012.

Hurricane Sally Personal Casualty Losses

Personal Casualty Losses

Hurricane Sally is a federally declared disaster and therefore personal casualty losses can be taken by taxpayers who itemize deductions.  The casualty loss deduction is subject to

  • $100 floor per casualty AND
  • 10% of adjusted gross income (AGI) limitation
  • The loss must exceed the $100 floor and 10% of AGI before it “counts” as a deduction.

Casualty losses can be taken for damaged property as well as property that is totally destroyed.  The amount of the loss is the lesser of

  • The adjusted basis of the property OR
  • The reduction in the property’s fair market value caused by the casualty
  • The loss must be reduced by the amount of any salvage value and insurance or other reimbursement received.

The IRS has provided safe harbors for calculating residential real property losses.

  • Estimated Repair Cost Safe Harbor Method – This method is available for losses of $20,000 or less. A taxpayer may use the lesser of two repair estimates prepared by two separate and independent contractors licensed in accordance with state or local regulations.
  • Insurance Safe Harbor Method – A taxpayer may determine the decrease in fair market value by using the estimated loss determined in reports prepared by the taxpayer’s insurance company.
  • Contractor Safe Harbor Method – A taxpayer may use the contract price for repairs as set out in an itemized contract prepared by a licensed contractor. The contract must be binding and signed by the taxpayer and the contractor.

The IRS has also established safe harbors for personal belonging losses based on replacement cost adjusted 10% for every year the item is owned.

Additionally, the IRS has announced relief related to Hurricane Sally. In summary, the filing and payment due dates for various individual and business tax returns due on or after September 14, 2020 have been extended to January 15, 2021. Please note this does not include an extension to pay your 2019 tax liability, it only extends the time to timely file the tax return. The IRS is offering this relief to any area designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as qualifying for individual assistance. Currently this includes Baldwin, Escambia and Mobile counties in Alabama, but taxpayers in localities qualifying for individual assistance added later to the disaster area, elsewhere in the state and in neighboring states, will automatically receive the same filing and payment relief. The current list of eligible localities is always available on the disaster relief page on IRS.gov. The Alabama Department of Revenue is also offering similar relief. For more information, please go to the Alabama Department of Revenue Website.

If you have any questions, please call your accountant at CSB or our main office at 251-343-1012.