If you operate a business, or you’re starting a new one, you know records of income and expenses need to be kept. Specifically, you should carefully record expenses to claim all the tax deductions to which you’re entitled. And you want to make sure you can defend the amounts reported on your tax returns in case you’re ever audited by the IRS.
Ever wonder how IRS examiners know about different industries so they can audit various businesses? They generally do research about specific industries and issues on tax returns by using IRS Audit Techniques Guides (ATGs). A little-known fact is that these guides are available to the public on the IRS website. In other words, your business can use the same guides to gain insight into what the IRS is looking for in terms of compliance with tax laws and regulations.
IRS audit rates are historically low, according to a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, but that’s little consolation if your return is among those selected to be examined. Plus, the IRS recently received additional funding in the Inflation Reduction Act to improve customer service, upgrade technology and increase audits of high-income taxpayers. But with proper preparation and planning, you should fare well.
As we discussed in the first post in our 3-part 401(k) plan audit blog series, companies that have an employee benefit plan with 100 or more participants are required by ERISA (the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974) to have an annual audit by an independent public accountant. However, in many cases plan managers may choose to engage in a limited-scope audit instead of a full-scope audit. In this last post in our series on 401(k) audits, we’ll discuss the differences between limited scope and full scope audits, and how to tell which is right for your company.
When a business reaches a certain number of eligible participants for their 401(k) plan, federal law requires an independent audit of the plan. While larger companies may be familiar with this process, many small business owners may find themselves in uncharted territory the first time their number of eligible participants increases above the threshold amount. In this 3-part blog series, we’ll cover the basics of 401(k) plan audits.
The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 created some new rules around Partnership Audits—rules that went into effect for tax years after January 1, 2018, with elections that may need to be made on this year's tax return.
Employee benefit plans have their own set of complex laws and regulations. But did you know that even small plans can be subject to audits?
Generally, if you have 100 eligible participants in your plan at the start of the year, your plan will require an audit. Note that this number includes all participants who are eligible—not just those who are enrolled.
