Masters & Jorgensen, Inc.

How can you build a golden nest egg if you’re self-employed?

February 10, 2025

If you own a small business with no employees (other than your spouse) and want to set up a retirement plan, consider a solo 401(k) plan. This is also an option for self-employed individuals or business owners who wish to upgrade from a SIMPLE IRA or Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) plan. A solo 401(k), also […]

From flights to meals: A guide to business travel tax deductions

February 3, 2025

As a business owner, you may travel to visit customers, attend conferences, check on vendors and for other purposes. Understanding which travel expenses are tax deductible can significantly affect your bottom line. Properly managing travel costs can help ensure compliance and maximize your tax savings. Your tax home Eligible taxpayers can deduct the ordinary and […]

Self-employment tax: A refresher on how it works

January 27, 2025

If you own a growing, unincorporated small business, you may be concerned about high self-employment (SE) tax bills. The SE tax is how Social Security and Medicare taxes are collected from self-employed individuals like you. SE tax basics The maximum 15.3% SE tax rate hits the first $168,600 of your 2024 net SE income. The […]

The tax treatment of intangible assets

January 20, 2025

Intangible assets, such as patents, trademarks, copyrights and goodwill, play a crucial role in today’s businesses. The tax treatment of these assets can be complex, but businesses need to understand the issues involved. Here are some answers to frequently asked questions. What are intangible assets? The term “intangibles” covers many items. Determining whether an acquired […]

How your business can prepare for and respond to an IRS audit

January 13, 2025

The IRS has been increasing its audit efforts, focusing on large businesses and high-income individuals. By 2026, it plans to nearly triple its audit rates for large corporations with assets exceeding $250 million. Under these plans, partnerships with assets over $10 million will also see audit rates increase tenfold by 2026. This ramp-up in audits is part […]

Healthy savings: How tax-smart HSAs can benefit your small business and employees

January 6, 2025

As a small business owner, managing health care costs for yourself and your employees can be challenging. One effective tool to consider adding is a Health Savings Account (HSA). HSAs offer a range of benefits that can help you save on health care expenses while providing valuable tax advantages. You may already have an HSA. […]

Another court ruling on BOI reporting: Requirements are halted again

January 6, 2025

In a surprising turn of events, a federal appeals court has issued another ruling that suspends a requirement for businesses to file reports about their beneficial ownership information (BOI). This came just days after the same court issued a ruling that resulted in the federal government announcing that millions of small businesses did have to […]

Employers: In 2025, the Social Security wage base is going up

December 16, 2024

As we approach 2025, changes are coming to the Social Security wage base. The Social Security Administration recently announced that the wage base for computing Social Security tax will increase to $176,100 for 2025 (up from $168,600 for 2024). Wages and self-employment income above this amount aren’t subject to Social Security tax. If your business […]

Business alert: BOI reporting requirements have been suspended for now

December 16, 2024

New beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting requirements that many small businesses were required to comply with by January 1, 2025, have been suspended nationwide under a new court ruling. However, businesses can still voluntarily submit BOI reports, according to the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). How we got here Under the Corporate Transparency […]