More changes made to Affordable Care Act deadlines

On February 10, 2014, the Treasury Department issued rules that will allow mid-sized businesses to delay for one year the requirement to provide health insurance for their workers. The rules also offered some relief for larger companies.

Businesses with 50 to 99 employees will now have until January 1, 2016, to provide minimum, affordable health insurance to their employees, or face penalties. Previously, the deadline for meeting this requirement was January 1, 2015.

 

In order to qualify for this extension, employers must certify that they have not laid off employees in order to come under the 100 employee threshold.

Larger employers - those with 100 or more full-time employees - will be allowed to phase in the required health insurance coverage. These companies won't owe a penalty under the insurance mandate so long as they offer coverage to at least 70% of their full-time employees by January 1, 2015, and at least 95% by 2016.

Study reveals retirement concerns

A recent study conducted by Harris Interactive of 1,000 middle class individuals aged 25 to 75 revealed some interesting statistics about retirement attitudes.

Among the survey's findings:

* 37% of respondents say they don't expect to retire; instead they expect to work until they are too sick or die.

* 59% said retirement is not their top priority; their priority is paying day-to-day bills.

* 34% felt they would have to continue working until age 80 or beyond because they won't have saved enough to retire.

* 31% in the 40 to 59 age category say they have a retirement plan; 69% say they have no plan.

* Those who say they have a written plan say they have saved a median of $63,000 for retirement, which represents 32% of their retirement savings goal of $200,000. Those without a written plan say they have saved $20,000 or 10% of their goal.

* A third of those surveyed said that social security would be their primary source of income in retirement.

* 40% said a large unexpected health care expense was their greatest retirement fear; 37% said lower or no social security benefits was their biggest fear.

IRS publishes business vehicle deduction limits for 2014

The IRS has published depreciation limits for business vehicles first placed in service this year.

 

50% bonus depreciation is no longer allowed for business equipment purchases, including vehicles. Here's a quick review of the adjustments for 2014.

For business cars first placed in service this year, the first-year depreciation limit is $3,160. After year one, the limits are $5,100 in year two, $3,050 in year three, and $1,875 in all following years.

The 2014 first-year depreciation limit for light trucks and vans is $3,460. Limits for year two are $5,500, in year three $3,350, and in each succeeding year $1,975.

For details relating to your 2014 business vehicle purchases, contact our office.

Deadline approaching for tax-exempt groups

If you are involved with a tax-exempt (nonprofit) organization, be aware of this approaching deadline: An annual report must be filed with the IRS on the 15th day of the fifth month after the organization's year-end. For calendar-year organizations, the deadline for 2013 reporting is May 15, 2014. Organizations with gross annual receipts below $50,000 can file an E-postcard rather than a longer ve

rsion of Form 990.

IRS issues "repair regulations"

The IRS has issued regulations intended to clarify for businesses which costs related to fixed assets must be capitalized and which can be expensed currently. Included in the regulations are several safe harbors that make the capitalize-or-expense decision easier for small businesses. If your company owns or leases fixed assets, contact us for assistance in applying the rules to your business.

What to do if you can't meet the filing deadline

If you can't file your 2013 tax return by the April 15 deadline, file for an extension to get until October 15, 2014, to file. You can request the extension on paper, by phone, or online. You don't need to explain why you need more time, but be aware that an extension doesn't give you more time to pay taxes you owe. To avoid penalty and interest charges, taxes must be paid by April 15.

Making gifts may require a tax filing

Here's another filing deadline that might apply to you: April 15 is the due date for filing 2013 gift tax returns. If you made gifts last year in excess of the $14,000 annual limit to any one individual, you may need to report the transaction to the IRS. If you and your spouse agree to "gift-splitting," you could give up to $28,000 to any one individual with no gift tax liability. However, gift-splitting requires that each of you file a gift tax return.