The Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) was introduced during the pandemic, when COVID-19 temporarily closed many businesses. The credit provided cash that helped enable struggling businesses to retain employees. Although the ERTC expired for most employers at the end of the third quarter of 2021, it could still be claimed on amended returns after that.
Starting in 2024, many entities created in or registered to do business in the United States will be required to report information about their beneficial owners – the individuals who ultimately own or control a company – to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). FinCEN has published a guide to help small businesses navigate the new rules for reporting beneficial ownership information (BOI).
On Wednesday October 4, 2023, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signed a $1 billion tax package into law. This significant legislation will increase tax credits for caregivers, renters, and seniors, and provide benefits for the business community. Through this legislation, Healey hopes to make the cost of living more affordable to families.
After issuing multiple warnings, the IRS has announced a moratorium on processing new Employee Retention Credit (ERC) refund claims through the end of the year. In combination with stepping up its audit and criminal investigation work regarding ERC claims, the IRS hopes the moratorium will slow down the ERC process to allow the organization to better identify which claims are legitimate.
The SECURE 2.0 law, which was enacted last year, contains wide-ranging changes to retirement plans. One provision in the law is that eligible employers will soon be able to provide more help to staff members facing emergencies. This will be done through what the law calls “pension-linked emergency savings accounts.”
The Federal Reserve recently announced the launch of FedNow, a new real-time payments service that will enable faster and more secure financial payments for consumers and businesses. This system has the potential to revolutionize how people make payments in the US by providing instantaneous transfer of funds between banks in a matter of seconds, available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.