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Preparing for Year-End 2021: Payroll Considerations

Year-end brings lots of payroll considerations to the forefront. Regardless of whether Kindred CPA processes your payrolls or you do it in-house, if you provide any of the following benefits, you'll need to gather this information to properly account for taxable income on W-2's: Group Term Life Insurance If you pay group term life insurance premiums for yourself or your…

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Charitable Giving Considerations for 2021

The CARES Act provides four temporary options for tax-deductible charitable giving in 2021. Here's a list of strategies you might want to consider in your year-end tax planning: If you take the standard deduction, normally you would not be allowed to claim a deduction for your charitable contributions, but in 2021, individuals can claim a deduction of up to $300…

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How to Access the IRS Child Tax Credit Update Portal

Taxpayers may access the Child Tax Credit Update Portal with either an ID.me Account or an IRS Online Services Account through Secure Access. An IRS Online Services Account also provides a variety of other accessibility options related to the taxpayer’s individual tax account which are not accessible with an ID.me Account. The following is a quick summary of these types…

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Two Common 401(k) Plan Administration Pitfalls

If your company has a 401(k) plan, you know it's a great benefit for your employees. Payroll deduction is an easy way to save for retirement, and can provide a tax-advantaged way to grow that important nest egg.But you also know that 401(k) plans come with some critical compliance issues. Both the IRS and Department of Labor (DOL) regulate employee…

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Things to Consider When Refinancing Your Mortgage

The combination of low interest rates and rising property values may be leading you to consider refinancing your home. Whether you should do so depends on several factors. Why Refinance? Here are four benefits to refinancing: 1. Lowering Your Interest Rate and/or Your Monthly Payment Reducing your interest rate can provide significant long-term savings, especially if your current rate is…

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Expanded and Enhanced Tax Credits for Minor Children

With the March 11, 2021 passage of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), two long-standing tax credits for taxpayers with minor children received significant enhancements. Child Tax Credit Background: The Child Tax Credit (CTC) previously provided up to a $2,000 credit per qualifying child. This credit began to phase out for taxpayers with adjusted gross income (AGI) > than $400,000…

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Employers: Be Sure to Notify Employees of the New COBRA Premium Assistance

If you have employees who are eligible for COBRA coverage because of job changes outside of their control, here's good news. They may be eligible to have their premiums fully paid between April 1, 2021 and September 30, 2021. This provision of the recent American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) applies to employees in these situations: The employee's hours were reduced…

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