Jassen Bowman EA
Jassen Bowman EA

When your clients do better, you do better

We are in the profession of helping others. It’s what we do.

It also just so happens that the way in which we do it pays very well.

It’s a win for you, a win for your clients, and a win for society as a whole.

But here’s something you may not think about very often, but is an eternal truth: When your clients make more money, YOU make more money.

The more money your clients have to invest, or the bigger their business grows, the more of your services they consume.

Thus, doesn’t it make sense that you do everything you can to help them grow?

Providing strategic coaching to your clients, to guide them towards greater prosperity, is a service that you can offer. You become a critical asset to the financial well-being of your clients.

How to provide this particular service is the subject of my conversation with Joey Brannon, CPA, tomorrow. If you have any interest in helping your clients grow as people and business owners, you’re going to want to tune in this webinar. Join us tomorrow at 10am PDT (1pm EDT). Go here to register:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4060427578765193228… Continue reading

Federal Economic Impact Payments – Frequently Asked Questions

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress recently passed legislation authorizing stimulus payments to most Americans. These payments, called Economic Impact Payments, are being processed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) at the current time. Many people have questions about these payments, so this FAQ has been assembled to help you find answers.

Is the Economic Impact Payment considered to be taxable income?

No, this payment is not considered “income” by the IRS and you will not need to pay income tax on it. This payment will not effect your refund, or increase the amount you owe when you file your 2020 tax return in 2021. This stimulus payment will also have no impact on your eligibility for other federal assistance programs that use income to determine eligibility.

How can people who receive a Form SSA-1099 or RRB-1099 check their payment status?

Taxpayers can use the IRS Get My Payment tool to check on the status of their stimulus payment. This will require you to verify your identity by answering a set of security questions.

If my bank account information has changed since the last time I filed a tax return, how do I update my direct deposit information?

The Get My Payment tool at irs.gov does not allow you to change your direct deposit information. This is a security precaution to prevent these payments from being stolen by changing this information.

If the IRS sends your payment using the bank direct deposit information from your most recent tax return and the bank account information is now invalid, the bank will notify the IRS and reject the electronic transfer. The IRS will then mail you a check as soon as they are able, to your last known address. The Get My Payment tool will then be updated to reflect the date on which this check was mailed. Please note that the IRS says it may take up to 14 days to receive the payment after it’s been mailed.

Where can I get more information?

If you are required to file a tax return, you are encouraged to file electronically. You can find a tax professional in your area by searching our directory of tax firms.

If you are not required to file a tax return, you may use the Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here tool and submit your information to the IRS to receive an Economic Impact Payment. This online tool should only be … Continue reading

What your tax resolution clients need to know about Economic Injury Disaster Loans

With the implementation of a significant IT upgrade two weeks ago, the Small Business Administration (SBA) has suddenly gone from processing just 900 disaster loan applications per day, to over 10,000 per day. Given the fact that millions of small businesses have applied for these loans and are desperately in need of these funds in order to simply stay in existence during the COVID-19 recession, this will be welcome news for these small businesses.

However, these loans come with a LOT of strings attached. As their professional advisor, it behooves you to have an understanding of these loan conditions, some of which are quite draconian. This will help you to help your clients make a wise decision about accepting this loan or not, and if they do, how to properly utilize the funds.

This should probably be a CPE webinar, but due to other projects I’m working on this week, this blog post will need to suffice.

There are three main things that I want you, as a tax professional, to be aware of on behalf of your clients in relation to the Economic Injury Disaster Loans:

  1. The terms of the loan agreement.
  2. Restrictions on use of proceeds.
  3. The realization that this may be a once in a lifetime opportunity to “refinance” IRS tax debt into a 30 year, fixed rate loan at 3.75%.

Let’s briefly address each of these items.

 

EIDL Loan Terms and Conditions

SBA Form 1391 is the loan agreement for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan, and spells out the terms and conditions of the loan. Their are two very important things to understand about this loan agreement.

First, on loans in excess of $25,000, the SBA will secure their loan position with a general lien against all the business’ assets. This collateral for the loan is secured by use of a UCC-1, which will be filed in the county in which the business is located. The SBA deducts a $100 fee from the loan proceeds in order to cover the preparation and filing of the UCC-1. When I say that this lien covers all assets, I do mean all. It operates very similarly to a federal tax lien, and covers all property, rights to property, and property that may be acquired in the future. Heck, it even includes intangible intellectual property that the business may create in the future. It’s a very broad lien.

This may make it very difficult … Continue reading