A new year means brand new changes to your retirement plans via legislation and annual updates from government agencies like the IRS and the Social Security Administration. A typical new year is usually filled with enough changes to keep the team at MRPR on our toes, but 2023 is seeing even more changes than usual, mostly stemming from higher-than-normal inflation and the newly written law, nicknamed SECURE 2.0 Act. Here's everything you need to know to make sure your retirement plans stay on track in 2023.

Making decisions in where and how to invest your money is critical for prospective investors. Thankfully, the IRS has several rules designed to incentivize investment in small businesses. Knowing the rules can help you in your portfolio planning; what to buy and when to sell. We’ll discuss three major provisions here: Section 1202, Section 1045, and Section 1244.

As 2022 winds down, the same goes for our Senators and Representatives in Congress. And after a midterms election where Republicans took control of the House of Representatives and Democrats maintained control of the Senate, the 117th Congress begins what is known as a lame-duck session, before the new congressional session begins on January 3rd, 2023.

As we approach the holiday season, employers everywhere are giving gifts to their employees to mark the festivities and show their appreciation for a job well done. If those gifts are in compliance with the Internal Revenue Code, the employers can get a gift of their own – in the form of a valuable tax deduction! Read on to find out how.

On August 24th, President Biden announced a plan to cancel thousands of dollars of student loan debt for millions of Americans. The plan included forgiving $10,000 in debt for those earning less than $125,000 per year and $20,000 for those that received Pell grants. 

The lease accounting standard ASC 842, which was postponed for non-public companies due to COVID-19, also known as Leases (Topic 842), is going into effect for many companies this year. So, what is ASC 842 and what does it mean for your company going forward if you plan on adopting the standard?

Folks in the Restaurant Industry will want to pay close attention to the IRS's latest update to the Employee Retention Credit. 

On December 20th, 2021, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Michigan HB 5376, which creates an entity-level tax for pass-through entities (PTEs) that do business in the State of Michigan. Under this new law, PTEs would declare and pay tax on their Michigan taxable income on behalf of their shareholders or entity level partners, and would deduct these taxes from the federal taxable income of the PTE.

As the 2021 calendar year comes to a close, it’s important to keep your eyes open on tax changes so you can be prepared for the filing season. Here are some important planning tips:

1. Deduct Business Meals

The treatment of business meals and entertainment (either through a business entity or through an individual’s sole proprietorship) has changed significantly since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA). Prior to that law, meals and entertainment expenses were generally deductible by the taxpayer at 50% of their cost in most cases. The TCJA changed this rule to completely disallow deductions for entertainment but keep the 50% limitation for business meals. However, as a COVID relief measure, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (CAA) made a special exception for meals.