Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code allows the deferral of gain on the sale and subsequent purchase of real property used for business use or investment. An exchange is much like a typical sale followed by an acquisition within 180 days but with a few rules attached.

BENEFITS OF AN EXCHANGE
This often overlooked tax strategy can help you accomplish many short and long-term real estate objectives:

• Immediate tax deferral
• Ability to acquire real estate with pre-tax dollars
• Long-term appreciation on tax deferral
• Estate preservation as deferred gain may be forgiven upon death
• Less management responsibility
• Consolidation of properties
• Greater selling and buying power
• Increased income potential
• Relocation or expansion of business facilities
• Diversification of assets or geographic locations
• Conversion to personal use property after a period of qualified use
• Exit strategy for business owners

Learn More:
COMPLIMENTS OF:
​Connie Custer, Business Development
1031 CORP.
100 Springhouse Drive, Suite 203
Collegeville, PA 19426

Office: 610.792.4880 ext. 230
Cell: 610.724.5195
Email: connie@1031CORP.com
Website: www.1031CORP.com

Taken from the Daily Herald on September 25th 2021. By KELSEY SHEEHY of NerdWallet

The pandemic isn't crushing the entrepreneurial spirit. It's fueling it.

People normally tied to a desk or working double shifts used lockdown to launch side hustles, often out of necessity. And some have turned those side gigs into full-fledged businesses.

These basic but essential steps can help you take things to the next level and give your new venture a shot at staying power.

1. CHOOSE A BUSINESS STRUCTURE
2. OPEN A BUSINESS BANK ACCOUNT
3. UPGRADE YOUR BOOKKEEPING
4. SPELL OUT YOUR BUSINESS PLAN
5. INVEST IN PROFESSIONAL HELP

Read the Whole Article here: 
​www.dailyherald.com/business/20210925/millennial-money-5-steps-to-level-up-your-side-hustle

Employers in Illinois with at least 5 employees must soon comply with the Illinois Secure Choice Savings Program Act (Secure Choice) or offer employees an employer-sponsored retirement plan.

​Background
Secure Choice requires employers to automatically withhold five percent of an employee’s compensation (up to the annual maximum allowed for IRA contributions each year as provided by the IRS), unless the employee elects a different amount or opts out of the program, and to remit those contributions to the Secure Choice program.
Under the original program, employers that satisfy these criteria are subject to the Secure Choice program:

1. Have at least 25 employees as reported to the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) for unemployment insurance payments;
2. Have been operating in Illinois for at least two years; and
3. Do not offer a qualified retirement plan to any Illinois employees. (A qualified retirement plan under sections 401(a), 401(k), 403(a), 403(b), 408(k), 408(p), or 457(b).)

New Requirements
The newly enacted law makes several notable changes to Secure Choice, including:

• The 25-employee threshold is reduced to 5 employees. Now, the program will apply to employers with at least 5 employees in the state during every quarter of the previous calendar year. The employer determines the total employee count using the annual average from the employer-reported quarterly data.
• Secure Choice now includes annual, automatic increases to the contribution rates up to a maximum of 10% of an enrollee’s wages. The Illinois Department of Revenue will establish a schedule for the automatic increase.
• The changes clarify that the second year of non-compliance need not be consecutive for applying the $500 noncompliance penalty.
• Employers now have 120 days (rather than 90 days) after issuance of a notice of proposed penalty assessment for noncompliance to file a protest with the department or come into full compliance.
• The changes allow providing notices electronically rather than only by first class mail.

When Effective
The program will notify employers before their scheduled start time to allow them time to register. The schedule is:

Wave 1: The enrollment deadline for employers with fewer than 25 employees and more than 15 employees will be no sooner than September 1, 2022

Wave 2: The enrollment deadline for employers with at least 5 employees but not more than 15 employees will be no sooner than September 1, 2023.

The Illinois Secure Choice website provides additional information, including FAQs.
https://www.ilsecurechoice.com/home/faq.html

These tax tips can help new business owners find success
Starting a business can be very rewarding. It can also be a little overwhelming. From business plans to market strategies, and even tax responsibilities…there are many things to consider. Here’s what new business owners can do to help get off to a good start.

• Choose a business structure. The form of business determines which income tax return a business taxpayer needs to file. The most common business structures are:
  • Sole proprietorship: An unincorporated business owned by an individual. There’s no distinction between the taxpayer and their business.
  • Partnership: An unincorporated business with ownership shared between two or more people.
  • Corporation: Also known as a C corporation. It’s a separate entity owned by shareholders.
  • S Corporation: A corporation that elects to pass corporate income, losses, deductions, and credits through to the shareholders.
  • Limited Liability Company: A business structure allowed by state statute.
• Choose a tax year. A tax year is an annual accounting period for keeping records and reporting income and expenses. A new business owner must choose either:
  • Calendar year: 12 consecutive months beginning January 1 and ending December 31.
  • Fiscal year: 12 consecutive months ending on the last day of any month except December.
• Apply for an employer identification number. An EIN is also called a federal tax identification number. It’s used to identify a business. Most businesses need an EIN.
• Have all employees complete these forms:
  • Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification
  • Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate
• Pay business taxes. The form of business determines what taxes must be paid and how to pay them.

Taxpayers interested in starting a business can find information for some industries on the Industries/Professions Tax Centers webpage. Each state has additional requirements for starting and operating a business. Prospective business owners should visit their state's website for info about state requirements.

More information:

• Small Business Admiration’s 10 steps to start your business.

Congratulations, Now that you sold your business, there are reports you need to fill out for the IRS. 

Form 8594 is used to report the sale and purchase of a group of assets that constitute a business. Both the purchaser and seller must file Form 8594 with their own individual income tax return.
On Form 8594, the total selling price of the business is allocated to asset classes using the residual method.
Form 8594 provides the IRS with the following information:

• The purchaser's depreciable basis in the assets transferred, and
• How the seller determined gain or loss.

Assets Classes on Form 8594
Form 8594 lists seven classes of assets. For asset acquisitions occurring after March 15, 2001, make the allocation among the following assets in proportion to (but not more than) their fair market value on the purchase date in the following order:

Class I assets:

• Cash and general deposit accounts (including savings and checking accounts).
• Does not include certificates of deposits held in banks, savings and loan associations, or other depository institutions.

Class II assets:

• Certificates of deposit
• U.S. government securities
• Foreign currency
• Publicly traded personal property, including stocks and securities.

Class III assets:

• Accounts receivable
• Other debt instruments
• Assets that you mark to market at least annually for federal income tax purposes.

Class IV assets:

• Property of a kind that would properly be included in inventory if on hand at the end of the tax year or
• Property held by the taxpayer primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business.

 Class V assets:

• All other assets other than Class I, II, III, IV, VI, and VII assets.
• Example of assets included in this class:
• Furniture and fixtures, equipment, buildings, land, and vehicles.

Class VI assets:

• Section 197 intangibles (other than goodwill and going concern value).
• Examples include, workforce in place, customer lists, clients lists, patient lists, trademarks, trade names.
• See the list of section 197 intangibles.

Class VII:
Goodwill:

• Goodwill generally represents the excess of the price paid for a business over its net asset value (also called book value). It may have the following characteristics:
• It may be associated with a company's good reputation in terms of the products it sells, the services it performs, and it's standing in the community. Other characteristics of goodwill include:
• It may be tied to the ability of a business to continue doing business with its existing customers and to attract future customers.
• It is an intangible asset that may only be acquired as part of the acquisition of a business.
• It is a section 197 intangible whose value is amortized over 15 years by the purchaser of a business.

Going concern value:

• Going-concern value is the value attributed to a business entity as an on-going enterprise.
• Going-concern value focuses mainly on the ability of the company's assets to generate a return on investment not simply goodwill.

If an asset described in (I) through (VI) is included in more than one category, include it in the lower number category. For example, if an asset is described in both (4) and (6), include it in (4).

​Overcoming Mediocrity is a podcast for success-driven women who want to empower their thoughts, design their dream careers, and build a beautiful life that’s aligned with their destiny. Hosted by Bestselling Author and Business Coach Christie Ruffino.

This show is for every woman on the edge of change who is ready to overcome mediocrity; to rise up and reinvent herself, elevate her thinking, and transform her life. Join Christie each week for powerful conversations, uplifting interviews, and mega doses of inspiration. 

Visit Overcoming Mediocrity to learn more about our authors and guests.
https://overcomingmediocrity.libsyn.com/

This week Christie sits down with Tom Gosche. Tom Gosche is a Business Strategist dedicated to helping business owners be more profitable through customized business and financial strategy. His BRAND System™ is a process of creating and implementing effective brands, business building strategies, financial insight, and business transition success.

Seeing Tom in action quickly impresses upon attendees his skills, knowledge, and expertise in a lighthearted, even humorous, presentation.

Tom is a part of GLM, Inc. as a business consultant and business developer. He has formulated the idea of the BASiC Cycle of working with business owners. BASIC was formed with business owners in mind, by combining growth strategies, business planning, and financial review on a regular basis.
​

Year-round tax planning is for everyone. An important part of that is recordkeeping. Gathering tax documents throughout the year and having an organized recordkeeping system can make it easier when it comes to filing a tax return or understanding a letter from the IRS.

Good records help:

• Identify sources of income. Taxpayers may receive money or property from a variety of sources. The records can identify the sources of income and help separate business from nonbusiness income and taxable from nontaxable income.
• Keep track of expenses. Taxpayers can use records to identify expenses for which they can claim a deduction. This will help determine whether to itemize deductions at filing. It may also help them discover potentially overlooked deductions or credits.
• Prepare tax returns. Good records help taxpayers file their tax return quickly and accurately. Throughout the year, they should add tax records to their files as they receive them to make preparing a tax return easier.
• Support items reported on tax returns. Well-organized records make it easier to prepare a tax return and help provide answers if the return is selected for examination or if the taxpayer receives an IRS notice.

In general, the IRS suggests that taxpayers keep records for three years from the date they filed the tax return. Taxpayers should develop a system that keeps all their important information together. They can use a software program for electronic recordkeeping. They could also store paper documents in labeled folders.
​
Records to keep include:

• Tax-related records. This includes wage and earning statements from all employers or payers, interest and dividend statements from banks, certain government payments like unemployment compensation, other income documents and records of virtual currency transactions. Taxpayers should also keep receipts, canceled checks, and other documents – electronic or paper - that support income, a deduction, or a credit reported on their tax return.
• IRS letters, notices and prior year tax returns. Taxpayers should keep copies of prior year tax returns and notices or letters they receive from the IRS. These include adjustment notices when an action is taken on the taxpayer’s account, Economic Impact Payment notices, and letters about advance payments of the 2021 child tax credit. Taxpayers who receive 2021 advance child tax credit payments will receive a letter early next year that provides the amount of payments they received in 2021. Taxpayers should refer to this letter when filing their 2021 tax return in 2022.
• Property records. Taxpayers should also keep records relating to property they dispose of or sell. They must keep these records to figure their basis for computing gain or loss.
• Business income and expenses. For business taxpayers, there's no particular method of bookkeeping they must use. However, taxpayers should find a method that clearly and accurately reflects their gross income and expenses. Taxpayers who have employees must keep all employment tax records for at least four years after the tax is due or paid, whichever is later.
• Health insurance. Taxpayers should keep records of their own and their family members' health care insurance coverage. If they're claiming the premium tax credit, they’ll need information about any advance credit payments received through the Health Insurance Marketplace and the premiums they paid.