Fringe Benefits

Miscellaneous Minor cost "De minimis" fringe benefits

Asked Thursday, March 01, 2012 by an anonymous user

CPA Answer:

You can exclude the value of a minor cost ( "de minimis") benefit you provide to an employee from the employee's wages.
A de minimis benefit is any property or service you provide to an employee that has so little value (taking into account how frequently you provide similar benefits to your employees) that accounting for it would be unreasonable or administratively impracticable.
Examples of de minimis benefits include the following. Occasional meal money and taxi fares for overtime work.
Transportation fare.
Occasional parties or picnics for employees and their guests.
Occasional tickets for theater or sporting events.
Personal use of an employer-provided cell phone provided primarily for noncompensatory business purposes.
Holiday gifts, other than cash, with a low fair market value.
Group-term life insurance payable on the death of an employee's spouse or dependent if the face amount is not more than $2,000.
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Fringe Benefits

Athletic facilities

Asked Thursday, March 01, 2012 by an anonymous user

CPA Answer:

An employer can exclude the value of an employee's use of an On-Premises gym (or property leased by the employer, not necessarily located on the main business premises) or other athletic facility you operate from an employee's wages if substantially all use of the facility during the calendar year is by your employees, their spouses, and their dependent children.
Athletic facilities include gyms, golf courses, tennis courts, swimming pools.
The facilities must be available to all employees on a nondiscriminatory basis.
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Fringe Benefits

Transportation fringe benefits

Asked Thursday, March 01, 2012 by an anonymous user

CPA Answer:

Generally, the cost of driving to work in a commuter highway vehicle between the employee's home and work place, employer provided parking, transit passes, bicycle commuting reimbursements are tax free.
You can generally exclude the value of transportation benefits that you provide to an employee during 2013 from the employee's wages up to the following limits.
$245 per month for combined commuter highway vehicle transportation and transit passes. ($240 in 2012)
$245 per month for qualified parking. ($240 in 2012)
For a calendar year, $20 multiplied by the number of qualified bicycle commuting months during that year for qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement of expenses incurred during the year.
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Can I Deduct?

Employer Reimbursements - Nonaccountable Plan

Asked Tuesday, February 28, 2012 by an anonymous user

CPA Answer:

Your employer will combine the amount of any reimbursement or other expense allowance paid to you under a nonaccountable plan with your wages, salary, or other pay and report the total in box 1 of your Form W-2.
You can deduct your expenses regardless of whether they are more than, less than, or equal to your reimbursement.
Reimbursements you received for nondeductible expenses are treated as paid under a nonaccountable plan. You must include them in your income. You must include in your income reimbursements your employer gave you for expenses of education that you need to meet the minimum educational requirements for your job, or is part of a program of study that can qualify you for a new trade or business.
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Educational Tax Benefits

Employer Reimbursements - Accountable Plan

Asked Tuesday, February 28, 2012 by an anonymous user

CPA Answer:

If you are reimbursed under an accountable plan, your employer should Not include any reimbursement in your income in box 1 of your Form W-2.
To be an accountable plan, your employer's reimbursement arrangement must require you to meet all three of the following rules.
Your expenses must have a business connection—that is, your expenses must be deductible under the rules for qualifying work-related education.
You must adequately account to your employer for your expenses within a reasonable period of time.
You must return any reimbursement or allowance in excess of the expenses accounted for within a reasonable period of time.
If your expenses are more than your reimbursement, you can deduct your excess expenses on Form 2106.
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Can I Deduct?

Employer Reimbursements - Accountable Plan

Asked Tuesday, February 28, 2012 by an anonymous user

CPA Answer:

If you are reimbursed under an accountable plan, your employer should Not include any reimbursement in your income in box 1 of your Form W-2.
To be an accountable plan, your employer's reimbursement arrangement must require you to meet all three of the following rules.
Your expenses must have a business connection—that is, your expenses must be deductible under the rules for qualifying work-related education.
You must adequately account to your employer for your expenses within a reasonable period of time.
You must return any reimbursement or allowance in excess of the expenses accounted for within a reasonable period of time.
If your expenses are more than your reimbursement, you can deduct your excess expenses on Form 2106.
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Form W-2

Employer Reimbursements - Accountable Plan

Asked Tuesday, February 28, 2012 by an anonymous user

CPA Answer:

If you are reimbursed under an accountable plan, your employer should Not include any reimbursement in your income in box 1 of your Form W-2.
To be an accountable plan, your employer's reimbursement arrangement must require you to meet all three of the following rules.
Your expenses must have a business connection—that is, your expenses must be deductible under the rules for qualifying work-related education.
You must adequately account to your employer for your expenses within a reasonable period of time.
You must return any reimbursement or allowance in excess of the expenses accounted for within a reasonable period of time.
If your expenses are more than your reimbursement, you can deduct your excess expenses on Form 2106.
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Can I Deduct?

Newsletters for tax planning

Asked Tuesday, February 28, 2012 by an anonymous user

CPA Answer:

You can also deduct seminars, workshops, software, books, reports, newsletters and publications that provide tax planning and preparation advice and information.
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Can I Deduct?

Unamortized Points - mortgage interest

Asked Tuesday, February 28, 2012 by an anonymous user

CPA Answer:

The “unamortized” points from a refinanced home mortgage, when the mortgage loan that generated the points, is refinanced again or is paid off early with a new lender, or the property is sold, is another real-estate-related expense that you can deduct as an Itemized deduction on Schedule A, as mortgage interest.
When you refinance a home mortgage, any points charged on the loan must be deducted, or amortized, over the life of the mortgage.
When the mortgage is paid off early, the balance of the points may be deducted in full in the year the loan is paid off.
Note that If you refinance with the same lender you must continue to amortize the points on the original loan, in addition to any points charged on the new loan.
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Can I Deduct?

Maintenance fees - Time Share Condo

Asked Tuesday, February 28, 2012 by an anonymous user

CPA Answer:

Be sure to include the portion of your annual maintenance fee assessment for a time-share condo, which represents your share of the property’s real estate taxes.
This amount should be identified on your annual billing statement.
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