Archive for February, 2010

The IRS is working hard to find lost revenue.  Non-reported or under reported income by restaurant workers is under scrutiny. Restaurants owners have the critical tasks of keeping records on tips received and compelling employees to report tips.

All employees receiving $20.00 or more a month in tips must report 100% of their tips to their employer and are required to pay taxes on all their wages including tips.

Proposed IRS regulations address reporting requirements for credit card and third-party network transactions (IR-2009-106; NPRM REG-139255-08). The IRS plans to require credit card and other firms that process transactions to report the annual gross network transactions to participating merchants and to the IRS.

Information reporting will begin to apply to 2011 transactions. Form 1099-K has been proposed for this purpose and is now available in draft form. Form 1099-K will be prepared for each calendar year and report the gross amount of transactions for the year and for each month of the year. The inclusion of monthly amounts on the return filed with the IRS and the copy furnished to the payee will help fiscal-year payees reconcile payment card and third-party network transaction receipts.

The gross amount of a transaction is not reduced by fees, charge backs, refunds, or any other amount. The IRS will use the reports as it does W-2s and 1099s. A company reporting gross receipts different from those in these reports can be subjected to auditing to explain the differences.

To narrow the federal deficit, the IRS plans to add new 1099 reporting requirements, according to a report from the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers.

These include:

• Payments to corporations would require a 1099 when they exceed $600 annually.
• Independent contractors would be subject to withholding if they do not provide a valid TIN—i.e., employers would have to verify TINs.
• Landlords would have to file 1099s on payments to service providers such as plumbers and carpenters.

According to Texas Comptroller Susan Combs a slow economy means more Texas families may qualify to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) on their federal income tax.

EITC refunds are based on family size and income. For 2009:

• Families that earned less than $48,279 and have three or more children may qualify for a tax credit up to $5,657
• Families with two children and income less than $45,295, may qualify for a tax credit up to $5,028
• Families with one child and an income less than $40,463 may qualify for a tax credit up to $3,043
• Families with no children and earning less than $18,440, may qualify for a tax credit up to $457

More information about the EITC, printable materials for businesses and community organizations to distribute can be found on the Comptroller’s Web site at http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/eitc/.