Masters & Jorgensen, Inc.

The pass-through provisions of the TCJA: The devil is in the details

March 21, 2018

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) has been touted for cutting the corporate tax rate, but the law also contains some valuable goodies for smaller businesses that operate as pass-through entities, including partnerships, limited liability companies, S corporations and sole proprietorships. These businesses stand to see their tax liabilities fall significantly, but determining just […]

Home equity borrowers get good news from the IRS

February 27, 2018

Passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) in December 2017 has led to confusion over some of the changes to longstanding deductions, including the deduction for interest on home equity loans. In response, the IRS has issued a statement clarifying that the interest on home equity loans, home equity lines of credit and […]

2 tax credits just for small businesses may reduce your 2017 and 2018 tax bills

February 12, 2018

Tax credits reduce tax liability dollar-for-dollar, potentially making them more valuable than deductions, which reduce only the amount of income subject to tax. Maximizing available credits is especially important now that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has reduced or eliminated some tax breaks for businesses. Two still-available tax credits are especially for small businesses […]

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act offers favorable tax breaks for businesses

February 7, 2018

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which was signed into law on December 22, contains a treasure trove of tax breaks for businesses. Overall, most companies and business owners will come out ahead under the new tax law, but there are a number of tax breaks that were eliminated or reduced to make room […]

Claiming bonus depreciation on your 2017 tax return may be particularly beneficial

February 5, 2018

With bonus depreciation, a business can recover the costs of depreciable property more quickly by claiming additional first-year depreciation for qualified assets. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), signed into law in December, enhances bonus depreciation. Typically, taking this break is beneficial. But in certain situations, your business might save more tax long-term by […]

IRS issues updated 2018 withholding tables

February 1, 2018

In the wake of passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) late last year, the IRS has taken one of the first critical steps to institute the law’s overhaul of the federal income tax regime. The IRS has released updated withholding tables that indicate how much employers should hold back from their employees’ […]

New tax law gives pass-through businesses a valuable deduction

January 16, 2018

Although the drop of the corporate tax rate from a top rate of 35% to a flat rate of 21% may be one of the most talked about provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), C corporations aren’t the only type of entity significantly benefiting from the new law. Owners of noncorporate […]

How will the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act affect your estate plan?

January 3, 2018

Effective January 1, 2018, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) reduces individual and corporate tax rates, eliminates a host of deductions and credits, enhances other breaks and makes numerous additional changes. One thing the TCJA doesn’t do is repeal the federal gift and estate tax, as originally contemplated by the House of […]

Congress passes biggest tax bill since 1986

December 25, 2017

On December 20, the House passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA), which the Senate had passed the previous day. It’s the most sweeping tax legislation since the Tax Reform Act of 1986. The bill makes small reductions to income tax rates for most individual tax brackets, significantly reduces the income tax […]