Category Archives: Small Business

New Entity EIN and Tax Classification

Date
Posted by
Philip Falco
New Entity EIN and Tax Classification

This is one of the most important steps that could impact the entire future of your new business. Take your time before applying for an EIN with the Internal Revenue Service. Severe adverse tax consequences could impact the future of your entity.

Name selection. If you choose a name with Corp, or Inc, the default entity will likely be a C Corporation. Taxpayers almost always do not intend on being C Corporations.

If you choose LLC (limited liability company) and you are a sole owner it will most likely default to schedule C on your 1040.

In addition, if you answer questions indicating that you will have payroll, and you very well could, it will trigger the filing of payroll forms typically 940 and 941 with automatic filing dates required, which in turn trigger Colorado state withholding filings, Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, and possibly the Denver Head Tax. In additional, it could trigger worker’s compensation insurance.

Save the letter you get from the IRS CP 575 A for the life of your business.

Tax Tips:

  • Avoid Corp or Inc unless you know exactly what you are doing
  • Be prepared to set up State and local payroll accounts if you have employees
  • Most LLC’s will be on schedule C of your 1040, or form 1065 if you have more than just you as a partner

Tax Compliance Check-Up

Date
Posted by
Philip Falco

For Individuals, Small Businesses, Corporations, Partnerships, and Limited Liability Companies

Tax Compliance Checkup-Up by Philip Falco, CPA, Juris Doctor – Honors

We have IRS e-services. We can quickly find out what is not making you or your company tax compliant.

For example, an old unfiled tax return, a quarterly filing, or an IRS Form 940 might not have been filed at some point in time. You might not even know that the IRS has the non-compliance flagged until it is too late.  We can nip this in the bud and get you in 100% compliance.  We also provide tax preparation services so we can actually prepare your unfiled returns for you.

This service can help minimize exposure to an IRS Audit, issues with Unfiled Tax Returns, and Criminal Tax indictment.

Give us a call if you would like us to do a tax check-up for you (303) 626-7000.

Partnership Basis in Contributed Promissory Notes and Guarantees: Tax Tips

Date
Posted by
Philip Falco
Partnership Basis in Contributed Promissory Notes and Guarantees: Tax Tips

Philip Falco, Attorney, CPA tracks inside and outside partnership basis, prepares 1065 Tax Returns and K1’s (303) 626-7000 phil@coloradolegal.com

Partners of a partnership sometimes contribute promissory notes to the partnership.  As an example, a partner drafts a note payable to the partnership promising to pay the partnership a sum of money.  The question then becomes whether the partner has an increase in partner basis for this.  The other question is what is the partnership’s basis in the promissory note.

Another related scenario is where a partner guarantees a partnership debt owed to a third party.  The question is whether this guarantee increases the basis of the partner in the partnership.

Partnerships don’t pay income tax, but they do file  information returns, and partners are supposed to use the numbers from those returns on their own individual returns. See IRC secs. 701, 6031, 6222(a).  Partnership basis is important because it determines where a distribution such as cash is taxed or not.  It also determines the amount of taxable gain or loss upon sale. An increase in a partner’s basis is desirable.  We provide legal and tax services to partnerships.

The value of what a partner contributes to his partnership can be tricky when he contributes something other than cash–like promissory notes or guarantees. a partnership’s basis in property contributed by a partner is the adjusted basis of that property in the hands of the contributing partner at the time of the contribution. IRC sec. 723.

The Tax Court has held that the contribution of a partner’s own note to his partnership isn’t the equivalent of a contribution of cash, and without more, it will not increase his basis in his partnership interest. See Dakotah Hills Offices Ltd. P’ship v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1998-134, 75 T.C.M. (CCH) 2122.

As such, the partner’s basis does not increase and the partnership’s basis in the notes is zero.

However, a guarantee of a partnership debt to a third party does increase a partner’s basis.

For example, in Gefen v. Commissioner, 87 T.C. 1471 (1986) a partner executed a limited guaranty as a condition of her acquisition of an interest in a limited partnership. Under its terms, she assumed personal liability to the partnership’s existing creditor for her pro rata share of the partnership’s recourse indebtedness to that creditor. She also agreed that the partnership could call on her to contribute to the partnership an amount equal to the partnership’s outstanding debt.  The Tax Court upheld the partner’s increase in basis for her limited guarantee.

This can be a tricky area.  However, here are tax tips:

  1. Consider guaranteeing a preexisting third party debt rather than contributing a promissory note to the partnership.
  2. Document that the partner is providing personal credit to partnership vendors.
  3. The partner should be obliged to make additional contributions under the guarantee.
  4. The guarantee must create a liability to a third party, not the partnership.

See also our page on the sale of a partnership

Tax Preparation and Planning for Entrepreneurs and High Net Worth Individuals

Date
Posted by
Philip Falco

Tax Preparation and Planning for Entrepreneurs and High Net Worth Individuals

During Tax season, we perform the most sophisticated tax preparation for you. We optimize shareholder and member basis, losses, gains, carryovers and carrybacks.  We ensure that you receive your deductions

Because we are vertically integrated, we provide you with simulated tax returns

If we find an error in your tax plan implementation, we bring it to your attention and provide our tax opinion.

We are vertically integrated.  To us this means that we start with the pieces that compose your tax return all the way up to strategic planning, legal planning, and integrate both for you.

After Tax Season
Tax season isn’t the only time to think about taxes. Nearly every business decision you make has a tax consequence, and we believe working with a tax professional year-round can help you make informed decisions to minimize tax liabilities and take advantage of every possible incentive.

It’s absolutely necessary to gain a thorough understanding of your company’s operations, tax elections and methods, not only to prepare an accurate, complete set of returns, but also to find the most effective means to save additional tax dollars and meet your financial objectives.

From implementing tax-saving strategies and reviewing new legislation to evaluating current elections and amending returns, our staff works tirelessly throughout the entire year to find the most effective ways to save you tax dollars and keep more of your hard-earned profits.

We are working on strategies to minimize the new Healthcare (ObamaCare) 3.8% Tax on Net Investment Income.  This tax is targeted at high income individuals (married filing jointly in excess of $250,000).

Click here to visit our Tax Preparation Page: Tax Preparation

Email us for a free consultation Phil@ColoradoLegal.com

Or call (303) 626-7000.