HCJ CPAs & Advisors | audit * tax * consulting

Back in late 2017 Congress passed the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) that made enormous changes to income tax laws as outlined below. However, most of the provisions of TCJA were only temporary changes that will expire after 2025. During the Covid...

It is not uncommon for employers to misclassify employees as independent contractors, either to intentionally avoid their withholding and tax responsibilities or because they are not aware of the laws regarding the issue. Misclassifying a worker can have significant ramifications for both the employer and...

Ask any experienced entrepreneur and they will tell you that the difference between running a business and running a successful business is massive. To truly give yourself the best chance of success, and to help achieve your overall goals in the most effective ways possible,...

Many employers offer health flexible spending accounts (FSAs) and health savings accounts (HSAs) as part of their employee benefits packages. Both plans allow you to set aside money to pay medical expenses with pre-tax dollars, providing a significant tax benefit. But which is the better option?  Although...

Manual transaction entry doesn’t make sense anymore – not when QuickBooks Online makes the process of importing them from your bank so easy. If you enter them on your own, you risk data transposition errors, which can create inaccuracies in your customer billing, reports, and...

When we’re young and vibrant, we think that we’ll never grow old.  We enjoy each day never thinking there might come a day when we’ll need help to get by.  When we think of elder care, we might picture a nonagenarian in a wheelchair living...

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced a moratorium on new claims related to the pandemic-era Employee Retention Credit (ERC, also known as Employee Retention Tax Credit).  The pause on new claims goes into effect immediately and will last until at least 2024.   When claimed properly,...

On Wednesday, June 14, the Federal Reserve announced a pause in interest rate hikes for the first time since March 2022. The decision comes after promising economic indicators show that relief from historic inflation may be coming.   Inflation Falls from Peak  In a good sign for consumers,...

If you are a grandparent there are several things, you can do to teach your grandchildren financial responsibility and set aside money for their future education and retirement. Before we get into actual suggestions, it is important that you understand the gift tax rules. You...

This credit goes all the way back to 2006, providing a tax credit for making energy-saving improvements to a taxpayer’s home. This tax benefit was supposed to expire after 2021 but a law change has given the credit renewed life and substantially enhanced it beginning...