Selecting your business successor is a fundamental objective when planning your exit strategy and requires a careful assessment of what you want from the sale of your business and who can best give it to you.

There are only four ways to leave your business and the more you understand about each one, the better the chance is that you will leave your business on your terms and under the conditions you want. With that in mind, here’s what you need to know about each option:

1. Liquidate It

In a liquidation the owners sell off their assets, collect outstanding accounts receivable, pay off their bills, and keep what’s left, if anything, for themselves. The primary reason liquidation is considered as an exit plan is that a business lacks sufficient income-producing capacity apart from the owner’s direct efforts and apart from the value of the assets themselves. For example, if the business can produce only $75,000 per year and the assets themselves are worth $1 million, no one would pay more for the business than the value of the assets.

Service businesses in particular are thought to have little value when the owner leaves the business. Since most service businesses have little “hard value” other than accounts receivable, liquidation produces the smallest return for the owner’s lifelong commitment to the business. Smart owners guard against this. They plan ahead to ensure that they do not have to rely on this last-ditch method to fund their retirement.

2. Sell It to A Third Party

While a sale to a third party too often becomes a bargain sale – and sometimes the only alternative to liquidation – this option just might be your best way to cash out if the business is well prepared for sale. In fact, you may find that this so-called “last resort” strategy just happens to land you at the resort of your choice.

Although many owners don’t realize it, most or all of your money should come from the business at closing. Therefore, the fundamental advantage of a third-party sale is immediate cash or at least a substantial up-front portion of the selling price. This ensures that you obtain your fundamental objectives of financial security and, perhaps, avoid risk as well.

A second unanticipated advantage in selling to a third party is the ability to frequently receive substantially more cash than your CPA or other business appraiser anticipated because the market place is “hot.” Finally, this may be the best option for a business that is too valuable to be purchased by anyone other than someone who has access to a considerable source of money.

If you do not receive the bulk of the purchase price in cash, at closing, however, your risk will suddenly become immense. You will place a substantial amount of the money you counted on receiving in the unpredictable hands of fate. The best way to avoid this risk is to get all of the money you are going to need at closing. This way any outstanding balance payable to you is “icing on the cake.”

3. Transfer of Ownership to Your Children

While most business owners want to transfer their business to their children, few end up doing so for various reasons. There are however, advantages that are worth considering. For example, transferring your business to your children can provide financial well-being for younger family members unable to earn comparable income from outside employment, as well as allow you to stay actively involved in the business with your children until you choose your departure date. It also affords you the luxury of selling the business for whatever amount of money you need to live on, even if the value of the business does not justify that sum of money.

On the other hand, this option also holds the potential to increase family friction, discord, and feelings of unequal treatment among siblings. Parents often feel the need to treat all of their children equally. In reality, this is difficult to achieve. In most cases, one child will probably run or own the business at the perceived expense of the others.

At the same time, financial security also may be diminished, rather than enhanced, and the very existence of the business is at risk if it’s transferred to a family member who can’t or won’t run it properly. In addition, family dynamics in general, may also significantly diminish your control over the business and its operations.

4. Employee Stock Option Plans (ESOP)

If your children have no interest or are unable to take over your business, there’s another option to ensure the continued success of your business: The Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).

ESOPs are qualified retirement plans subject to the regulatory requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). There’s one important difference however; the majority (more than half) of their investment must be derived from their own company stock.

Whether it’s due to lack of interest on your children’s part, an economic downturn or a high asking price that no one is willing to pay, what an ESOP does is create a third-party buyer (your employees) where none previously existed. After all, who more than your employees have a vested interest in your company?

ESOPs are set up as a trust (complete with trustees) into which either cash to buy company stock or newly issued stock is placed. Contributions the company makes to the trust are generally tax deductible, subject to certain limitations and because transactions are considered stock sales, the owner who is selling (you) can avoid paying capital gains. Shares are then distributed to employees (typically based on compensation levels) and grow tax free until distribution.

If your company is a stable, well-established one with steady, consistent earnings, then an ESOP might be just the ticket to creating a winning exit plan from your business.

If you need assistance figuring out which exit strategy is best for you and your business, please don’t hesitate to contact the office. The sooner you start planning, the easier it will be.

As you approach retirement, it’s vital that you pay attention to several important financial matters to ensure a smooth transition. Here are five of them:

1. Health Insurance

Are you among the lucky few who will continue to be covered after retirement? If not, then you’ll need to replace your health coverage.

If you will be eligible for Medicare at the time of your retirement, then you may want to start checking into “Medigap” coverage. Original Medicare pays for much, but not all, of the cost for covered health care services and supplies. Medigap is Medicare Supplement Insurance that helps fill “gaps” in and is sold by private companies to individuals age 65 and older that covers medical expenses not covered or only partially covered by Medicare.

If your employee plan coverage is broader than Medicare, then take care of any non-emergency medical, dental, or optical needs before you retire.

2. Other Insurance

Once you retire, and depending on individual circumstances, you may need to replace employer-provided life insurance with extra coverage. You should also consider purchasing long-term health care insurance in case of a lengthy nursing home stay in the future. Premiums for qualified long-term care insurance policies are tax deductible to the extent that they, along with other unreimbursed medical expenses (including Medicare premiums), exceed 10 percent of the insured’s adjusted gross income in 2020.

3. Social Security

Decide whether you want to take early Social Security benefits if you’re retiring before your full retirement age, which is currently 66 years of age for people born between 1943 and 1954 and age 67 for those born after 1960. The years in between are prorated accordingly. If you choose to retire as early as age 62, doing so may result in a reduction of as much as 30 percent of your full benefits. Conversely, starting to receive benefits after normal retirement age may result in larger benefits.

Taking Social Security benefits at full retirement age makes financial sense for most people, but if you think you might need to take early benefits, please call and speak to a tax professional first.

4. Pension Plan or 401(k) Retirement Plan Payout

You should plan well in advance how you’ll take the payout from your pension plan or 401(k) plan. For example, will you transfer the funds to a conventional or Roth IRA? How will the funds be invested?

5. Relocation

If you’re planning a move to another state or country, make sure that you fully explore the financial ramifications of living there before you move. Cost of living as well as rates of taxation can vary significantly from one region of the country to another.

If you have any questions or need assistance planning for a smooth transition into retirement, please call the office.

With health care, housing, food, and transportation costs increasing every year, many retirees on fixed incomes wonder how they can stretch their dollars even further. One solution is to move to another state where income taxes are lower than the one in which they currently reside.

While federal tax rates are the same in every state, retirees may find that even if they move to a state with no income tax, there may be additional taxes they’re liable for including sales taxes, excise taxes, inheritance, and estate taxes, income taxes, intangible taxes, and property taxes. Retirement benefits are also treated differently in every state and many retirees also have additional income from a job.

Even if you’re not retired yet, if you are working remotely due to COVID-19 and are close to retirement age you may also be considering whether to make a move right now.

If you move to a different state but are still working for an employer in the state you formerly resided in, you will be subject to income tax in that state (as a nonresident) because your employer is located there.

If you’re thinking about making a move to another state, here are six things to keep in mind:

1. Income Tax Rates

Retirees planning to work part-time in addition to receiving retirement benefits should keep in mind that those earnings may be subject to state tax in certain states, as well as federal income tax if your combined income (individual) is more than $25,000. Combined income is defined as your adjusted gross income + nontaxable interest plus 1/2 of your Social Security benefits. If you file a joint return, you may have to pay taxes if you and your spouse have a combined income that is more than $32,000. If you see this scenario in your future, it may be in your best interest to consider a state with low income tax rates (Pennsylvania, Arizona, or New Mexico for instance) or no income tax such as Florida, Nevada, Alaska, Washington state, or Wyoming.

2. Income Tax on Retirement Income

Retirement typically income includes social security payments, retirement plan distributions, and income from pension plans. Income tax rates for Social security payments and income from retirement plans and pensions vary for each state. Some states do not tax this income at all, while in other states, a portion of pension income is exempt, while other states tax pension income in its entirety. State tax laws, like federal tax laws, are always changing. Please call if you have any questions about tax law changes in your state

Even if you live in a high-tax state, many offer significant tax benefits for senior citizens.
3. Tax on Social Security

In 2020, thirteen states tax Social Security income in addition to taxing social security income at the federal level; however, there may be exceptions depending on age or income level. Some states treat the taxation of social security benefits the same as federal taxation. Moving to a state that doesn’t tax Social Security is tempting, but keep in mind that tax rates on Social Security payments are just one factor to consider.

4. State and Local Property Taxes

Despite a decline in property values, property taxes have not decreased for most homeowners. Some states, however, offer property tax exemptions to retirees who are homeowners and renters. Again, this varies by individual state.

5. State and Local Sales Taxes

State and local sales taxes may or may not be a factor in the overall decision about where you decide to retire, but keep in mind that only five states, Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon, do not impose any sales or use tax.

6. Estate Taxes

Estate tax may or may not matter, depending on your estate and whether you care about what happens to your estate after you die. Like other state taxes, estate tax varies depending on which state in which you reside. In some states, there is a tax on estates below the federal threshold amount ($11.58 million in 2020). Many states have no estate tax whatsoever, including North Carolina, Delaware, Florida, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arizona.

The Bottom Line

When it comes to retirees, relocating, and taxes, there are several factors to consider – including the overall tax burden. As you’ve read here, not all states are created equal. If you’re thinking about retiring to another state, please contact the office and make an appointment with a tax professional who will help you figure out which state fits your particular circumstances

Health Coverage Terms Employers Should Know

Under the Affordable Care Act, certain employers – known as applicable large employers – are subject to the employer shared responsibility provisions. You might be thinking about these topics as you make plans about 2021 health coverage for your employees.

If you are an employer that is subject to the employer shared responsibility provisions, you may choose either to offer affordable minimum essential coverage that provides minimum value to your full-time employees and their dependents or to potentially owe an employer shared responsibility payment to the IRS.

Here are definitions of key terms related to health coverage you might offer to employees:

Affordable coverage: If the lowest cost self-only health plan is 9.5 percent or less of your full-time employee’s household income, then the coverage is considered affordable. Because you likely will not know your employee’s household income, for purposes of the employer shared responsibility provisions, you can determine whether you offered affordable coverage under various safe harbors based on information available to you as the employer.

Minimum essential coverage: For purposes of reporting by applicable large employers, minimum essential coverage means coverage under an employer-sponsored plan. It does not include fixed indemnity coverage, life insurance, or dental or vision coverage.

Minimum value coverage: An employer-sponsored plan provides minimum value if it covers at least 60 percent of the total allowed cost of benefits that are expected to be incurred under the plan.

Please call if you have any questions or need more information about the employer shared responsibility provisions.

While taking money out of a retirement fund before age 59 1/2 is usually not recommended, in certain cases, it may be unavoidable, especially during times of economic crisis. If you need cash and have a retirement fund you can tap, here’s what you need to know.

Background

When retirement plans such as the 401(k) were introduced, company pensions were still the norm. Today, however, very few companies offer pensions anymore and most people rely entirely on social security and whatever savings they’ve accumulated in their retirement account to get them through their golden years.

For many people, retirement accounts are their most significant source of cash, but because they were created to help you save money for your retirement years, withdrawals before retirement age (59 1/2) are discouraged. In fact, early withdrawals from traditional and Roth IRAs are subject to an additional 10 percent tax, unless an exception applies. Exceptions to the additional 10 percent tax apply for early distributions include the following:

• Beneficiary or estate on account of the IRA owner’s death
• Totally and permanently disabled
• Distributions made as part of a series of substantially equal periodic payments for your life (or life expectancy) or the joint lives (or joint life expectancies) of you and your designated beneficiary
• Qualified first-time homebuyer
• Qualified expenses for higher education
• Medical insurance premiums paid while unemployed
• Unreimbursed medical expenses that are not more than a certain percentage of your adjusted gross income
• Distributions due to an IRS levy of the IRA under section 6331 of the Code
• A qualified reservist distribution, or
• A qualified disaster distribution (certain rules apply)

Relief Under the CARES Act of 2020

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there is additional relief for taxpayers experiencing economic hardships. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act helps eligible taxpayers in need by providing favorable tax treatment for withdrawals from retirement plans and IRAs and allowing certain retirement plans to offer expanded loan options.

Coronavirus-related withdrawals or loans can only be made to an individual (or the individual’s spouse) if they are diagnosed with the virus SARS-CoV-2 or with COVID-19 by a test approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or a test authorized under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act.

The individual must also experience adverse financial consequences as a result of the following conditions:

QuarantineThe individual, individual’s spouse or a member of the individual’s household (someone who shares the principal residence) is quarantined, furloughed, laid off, has work hours reduced, is unable to work due to lack of childcare, has a reduction in pay (or self-employment income), or has a job offer rescinded or start date for a job delayed, due to COVID-19.

Business closures or reduced hours. . Closing or reducing hours of a business owned or operated by the individual, the individual’s spouse, or a member of the individual’s household, due to COVID-19.

Coronavirus-related Withdrawals from Retirement Accounts

Under the CARES Act, individuals eligible for coronavirus-related relief may be able to withdraw up to $100,000 from IRAs or workplace retirement plans before Dec. 31, 2020, if their plans allow. In addition to IRAs, this relief applies to 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, profit-sharing plans, and others.

Coronavirus-related Loans from Retirement Accounts

Loans are not available from an IRA. Individuals who were eligible to take coronavirus-related withdrawals until September 22, 2020, were able to borrow as much as $100,000 (up from $50,000) from a workplace retirement plan if their plan allows.

For eligible individuals, plan administrators can suspend, for up to one year, plan loan repayments due on or after March 27, 2020, and before January 1, 2021. A suspended loan is subject to interest during the suspension period, and the term of the loan may be extended to account for the suspension period. Taxpayers should check with their plan administrator to see if their plan offers these expanded loan options and for more details about these options.

Tax Treatment of Coronavirus-related Withdrawals

The distributions generally are included in income ratably over a three-year period, starting with the year in which you receive your distribution. For example, if you receive a $12,000 coronavirus-related distribution in 2020, you will report $4,000 in income on your federal income tax return for each of 2020, 2021, and 2022. However, you have the option of including the entire distribution in your income for the year of the distribution.

In summary, coronavirus-related distributions:

• May be included in taxable income either over a three-year period (one-third each year) or in the year taken, at the individual’s option.
• Are not subject to the 10 percent additional tax on early distributions that would otherwise apply to most withdrawals before age 59 1/2,
• Are not subject to mandatory tax withholding, and
• May be repaid to an IRA or workplace retirement plan within three years.

Questions?

Before withdrawing funds from a retirement account please call the office and speak to a tax professional. While you may be able to minimize or avoid the 10 percent penalty tax using one of the exceptions listed above including those under the Cares Act, remember that you are still liable for any regular income tax that’s owed on the funds that you’ve withdrawn and you may be liable for more tax than you anticipated when filing future tax returns.

Starting your own business can be an exciting prospect, but there is more to it than simply writing a business plan. Also, if you expect to have employees, there are a variety of federal and state forms and applications that you need to complete to get your business up and running. That is where a tax professional can help. Let us look at what you need to know before you start a new business.

1. Business Entity

The first decision you need to make is determining which business entity you will use because the type of business structure you choose determines what taxes you need to pay and how to pay them, as well as which income tax return you file. The most common types of business entities are:

• Sole proprietorship – An unincorporated business owned by an individual. There is 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.

2. Employer Identification Number (EIN)

Securing an Employer Identification Number (also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number) is the first thing you must do since many other forms require it. The IRS issues EINs to employers, sole proprietors, corporations, partnerships, nonprofit associations, trusts, estates, government agencies, certain individuals, and other business entities for tax filing and reporting purposes.

An EIN is used to identify a business. Most businesses need one of these numbers. A business with an EIN needs to keep the business mailing address, location, and responsible party up to date. IRS regulations require EIN holders to report changes in the responsible party within 60 days. They do this by completing Form 8822-B, Change of Address or Responsible Party, and mailing it to the address on the form.

Even if you already have an EIN as a sole proprietor, for example, if you start a new business with a different business entity, you will need to apply for a new EIN.

The fastest way to apply for an EIN is online through the IRS website or by telephone. Applying by fax and mail generally takes one to two weeks, and you can apply for one EIN per day. There is no cost to apply.

3. Choosing a Tax Year

A tax year is defined as an annual accounting period for keeping records and reporting income and expenses. A new business owner must choose either calendar year or fiscal year defined as follows:

• 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.

4. State Withholding, Unemployment, Sales, and other Business Taxes

Once you have your EIN, you need to fill out forms to establish an account with the state for payroll tax withholding, Unemployment Insurance Registration, and sales tax collections (if applicable). Business taxes include income tax, self-employment tax, employment tax, and excise tax. Generally, the type of tax your business pays depends on the type of business structure. Keep in mind that you may also need to make estimated tax payments.

5. Payroll Record Keeping

Payroll reporting and recordkeeping can be very time-consuming and costly. Also, keep in mind that almost all employers are required to transmit federal payroll tax deposits electronically. Personnel files should be kept for each employee and include an employee’s employment application as well as the following:

• Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate. Completed by the employee and used to calculate their federal income tax withholding. This form also includes necessary information such as the employee’s address and Social Security number.
• Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services . This form verifies that an employee is legally permitted to work in the U.S.

6. Employee Healthcare

As an employer with employees, you may have certain healthcare requirements you need to comply with as well. If so, you should know about the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit, which helps small businesses (fewer than 25 employees who work full-time, or a combination of full-time and part-time) pay for health care coverage they offer their employees. The maximum credit is 50 percent of premiums paid for small business employers and 35 percent of premiums paid for small tax-exempt employers, such as charities. It is available to eligible employers for two consecutive taxable years.

Questions?

If you have any questions or need help setting up a payroll and accounting system for your new business, help is just a phone call away.