Corporate Tax Planning 2022 - 21 CPE

TEXAS COMPLIANCE PENDING:

Texas requires a class be reviewed by enough students to assign earned CPE credits.  This course is still new enough that we are obtaining the reviews needed.   We recommend Texas CPAs check back soon. This process is usually finished within a few weeks.

Course description and objectives: This course examines and explains the practical aspects of using the closely held corporation to maximize after-tax return on business operations. Recent developments giving corporations a competitive edge over other entities are explored and detailed. Practitioners are alerted to often missed fringe benefits, retirement planning opportunities, corporate business deductions, income splitting possibilities, and little-known estate planning techniques. The program covers step-by-step tax procedures to form, operate, and ultimately dispose of a closely held corporation. Distinctions between S and C corporations will be unraveled and guidelines for client direction given.

Completion Deadline & Exam: This course, including the examination, must be completed within one year of the date of purchase. In addition, unless otherwise indicated, no correct or incorrect feedback for any exam question will be provided.

Course Level: Overview. This program is appropriate for professionals at all organizational levels.

Field of Study: Taxes

Prerequisite: General understanding of federal income taxation.

Advanced Preparation: None

Learning Assignments & Learning Objectives

As a result of studying each assignment, you should be able to meet the objectives listed below each assignment.

ASSIGNMENT                  SUBJECT

Chapter 1                      Business Forms & Characteristics

At the start of Chapter 1, participants should identify the following topics for study:

* Sole proprietorships

* Partnerships

* Estates & trusts

* Unincorporated associations

* Corporation defined

* Subchapter S corporations

* Ordinary “C” corporations

* Personal service corporations

* Corporate tax rate

Learning Objectives

After reading Chapter 1, participants will be able to:

1. Specify the advantages and disadvantages of sole proprietorships including self-employed taxes and payment requirements and identify the characterization of sole proprietorship assets upon disposition.

2. Recognize partnerships and their advantages and disadvantages, identify partnership taxation particularly the application of the passive loss (§469) and at-risk rules (§465), and determine correct partnership income or loss reporting stating the role of husband and wife partnerships and limited partnerships.

3. Identify the reporting requirements of estates, trusts, and unincorporated associations, determine what constitutes a “corporation” for a subchapter S or regular corporation, specify the characteristics of a personal service corporation and recognize the repeal of the alternative minimum tax for regular corporations.

After studying the materials in Chapter 1, answer the exam questions 1 to 12.

ASSIGNMENT                  SUBJECT

Chapter 2                      Corporate Formation & Capitalization

At the start of Chapter 2, participants should identify the following topics for study:

* Incorporation

* Start-up & organizational expenses

* Tax recognition of the corporate entity

* Capital gains & losses

* Dividends received deduction

* Charitable contributions

* Accumulated earnings tax trap

* Accounting periods & methods

* Inventories

* Multiple corporations

Learning Objectives

After reading Chapter 2, participants will be able to:

1. Identify the transfer of money, property, or both by prospective shareholders and the basic requirements associated with §351.

2. Recognize the requirements of §1244 and the small business stock exclusion, determine the differences between start-up and organizational expenses and, identify the elements of corporate tax recognition including the dangers of corporate ownership and capital gains and losses stating dividends received treatment.

3. Specify the requirements for corporate charitable contributions, identify former §341 collapsible corporations, and determine how to avoid §541 status particularly as to personal service contracts.

4. Identify §531 status and determine accounting periods and methods available to corporations.

5. Specify methods for identifying inventory items including common methods of valuing inventory and, identify multiple corporation tax advantages and the tax consequences of corporate liquidations and distributions.

After studying the materials in Chapter 2, answer the exam questions 13 to 29.

ASSIGNMENT                  SUBJECT

Chapter 3                      Corporate Principals & Employees

At the start of Chapter 3, participants should identify the following topics for study:

* Payroll taxes

* FICA & FUTA

* Employee labor laws

* Employee v. contractor status

* Unreasonable compensation

* Income splitting

* Buy-sell agreements

* Entity & cross-purchase agreements

* Sole shareholder planning

* Recapitalization

Learning Objectives

After reading Chapter 3, participants will be able to:

1. Determine payroll taxes and the uses of Form 941, Form W-4, Form W-2, and Form W-3, specify the application of FICA and FUTA taxes and how to report them, and identify major employee labor laws.

2. Recognize common-law rules used to determine employee status for FICA and federal income tax withholding, specify the dangers of unreasonable compensation stating how to avoid them, and determine how a corporation can be a valuable income-splitting device.

3. Identify a buy-sell agreement distinguishing an entity purchase from a cross-purchase agreement and recognize business recapitalizations and their potential uses.

After studying the materials in Chapter 3, answer the exam questions 30 to 39.

ASSIGNMENT                  SUBJECT

Chapter 4                      Basic Fringe Benefits

At the start of Chapter 4, participants should identify the following topics for study:

* Statutory v. nonstatutory benefits

* No-additional-cost services & qualified employee discounts

* Working condition fringes

* Employee achievement awards

* Dependent care assistance

* Cafeteria plans

* Self-insured medical reimbursement plans

* Employer-provided automobile

* Interest-free & below-market loans

* Fringe benefit plans for S corporations

Learning Objectives

After reading Chapter 4, participants will be able to:

1. Identify basic fringe benefit planning by determining “income” under §61 and specifying the differences between former nonstatutory and current statutory fringe benefits.

2. Determine “no-additional-cost services” and identify what property or services are excludable from income as qualified employee discounts under §132(c), specify exceptions to working condition fringes and de minimis fringes, recognize a §74 “employee achievement award,” and cite the §79 group term life insurance rules.

3. Recognize the requirements and limits of §129 dependent care assistance, identify §125 “cafeteria plans” specifying how they function, specify the §119 meals and lodging exclusion, cite the mechanics of §105 self-insured medical reimbursement plans, and determine the requirements and limits of §127 programs.

4. Identify employer-provided automobiles valuation methods, determine what constitutes interest-free and below-market loans, specify the requirements and limitations of fringe benefits under §§217, 132, 67 212, 132(h)(5) and 280A, cite S corporation fringe benefits, and specify ERISA compliance requirements.

After studying the materials in Chapter 4, answer the exam questions 40 to 48.

ASSIGNMENT                  SUBJECT

Chapter 5                      Business Entertainment

At the start of Chapter 5, participants should identify the following topics for study:

* Pre- & post-2018 tests for entertainment expenses

* Statutory exceptions

* Pre-2018 ticket purchases

* Percentage reduction for meals

* Entertainment facilities

* Substantiation & record keeping

* Employee expense reimbursement & reporting

* Self-employed persons

* Employers

Learning Objectives

After reading Chapter 5, participants will be able to:

1. Define the key tax term “entertainment" and identify the pre- and post-2018 required §162 & §274 deductibility tests recognizing the importance of the remaining statutory exceptions for entertainment.

2. Determine the former treatment of ticket purchases, recognize the percentage reduction restriction for meals, specify the application of the former 2% deduction limit and determine an “entertainment facility” stating related deductible costs.

3. Identify substantiation, recordkeeping, reimbursement, and reporting requirements recognizing variations in methods and determine how to itemize non-reimbursed employee expenses and specify the special reporting rules for self-employed persons and employers.

After studying the materials in Chapter 5, answer the exam questions 49 to 58.

ASSIGNMENT                  SUBJECT

Chapter 6                      Insurance

At the start of Chapter 6, participants should identify the following topics for study:

* Company paid insurance

* Group term life insurance

* Regulations

* Retired lives reserve

* Split-dollar life insurance

* Medical & dental insurance & disability income insurance

* Interest limitation on policy loans

* Key person life insurance

* COBRA

* VEBAs - §501(c)(9) Trusts

Learning Objectives

After reading Chapter 6, participants will be able to:

1. Recognize the importance and variety of business insurance by:

a. Identifying the popularity and application of business life insurance plans specifying common coverage and premiums;

b. Determining corporate uses for life insurance including estate, travel and accident uses and specifying the tax treatment, reporting requirements, and discrimination rules for business insurance particularly the §79 requirements for group insurance;

c. Identifying the benefit of not needing a medical examination as a prerequisite to purchasing a plan;

d. Recognizing retired lives reserve and split-dollar life insurance stating their mechanics, taxation regulation, and advantages and disadvantages;

e. Specifying the mechanics of employer-paid health, medical, and disability income insurance including the impact of medical examination requirements.

2. Identify the impact of the disallowance of the interest deduction on purchasers and the insurance industry recognizing the §264 interest limitation on policy loans, specify the benefit of corporate key person life insurance, cite the requirements of COBRA, and determine what constitutes a Voluntary Employee Benefit Association under §501(c)(9).

After studying the materials in Chapter 6, answer the exam questions 59 to 67.

ASSIGNMENT                  SUBJECT

Chapter 7                      Retirement Plans

At the start of Chapter 7, participants should identify the following topics for study:

* Qualified deferred compensation

* Basic requirements of a qualified pension plan

* Basic types of corporate plans

* Types of defined contribution plans

* Self-employed plans - Keogh

* Distribution & settlement options of IRAs

* Tax-free rollovers for IRAs

* Roth IRAs

* Simplified employee pension plans (SEPs)

* SIMPLE Plans

Learning Objectives

After reading Chapter 7, participants will be able to:

1. Identify nonqualified and qualified deferred compensation plans recognizing their benefits and contribution limits and recall the current and deferred advantages and disadvantages of corporate plans including fiduciary responsibilities and prohibited transactions.

2.