Lower My Tax Now Blog

Health care mandate extended

Rules just issued by the Treasury Department give a one-year extension to the health insurance mandate for mid-sized businesses. Companies with 50 to 99 employees will now have until January 1, 2016, to provide health insurance for employees or face penalties. Employers must certify that they have not cut…

Take a penalty-free IRA withdrawal for medical expenses

Are you considering withdrawing funds from your traditional IRA to pay unexpected medical costs?

You may be hesitating because of the 10% penalty imposed on withdrawals made when you’re under age 59½. Since the 10% is calculated on the total you withdraw, the tax hit could be substantial. Worse, the…

Every small business should establish controls

Every week reporters publish stories about companies that have lost thousands, even millions of dollars because of fraud. They recount the dreadful details of business owners who learned – too late – that a lack of basic controls left their companies vulnerable to pilferage, embezzlement, and other types of…

Health insurance tax credits are good medicine for small businesses

Small businesses may be missing out on an important new tax perk related to health insurance. And the stakes are even higher in 2014.

The Affordable Care Act provides a tax incentive for small business owners who pay at least a portion of their employees’ health insurance. This year as…