Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) Reporting Requirements

Oct 23, 2023

What is BOI Reporting?
Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) Reporting is a framework developed by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) that mandates certain businesses to disclose specific information about their “beneficial owners.” The new reporting guidelines were formed as an effort to enhance financial transparency and curtail illicit financial activities by illuminating the individuals who own or control certain foreign or domestic entities registered to do business within the U.S.

Who is Required to Report Beneficial Ownership Information?
Domestic companies required to report include corporations, LLCs, and other similar entities formed through the registration with a secretary of state or similar office. Certain entities, such as large companies with over 20 million dollars in revenue, those that employ more than 500 full-time employees, and entities that operate under extensive regulatory scrutiny, among others, may be exempt from BOI reporting. In total, there are 23 types of entities exempt from reporting requirements, making it extremely important to carefully review FinCEN’s qualifying criteria, (published in their Small Entity Compliance Guide,) before concluding that your company is exempt.

Key Reporting Elements Defined

• Beneficial Owner(s): the FinCEN defines Beneficial Owners as individuals who own or control (either directly or indirectly,) at least 25% of the ownership interest in a reporting company, or hold “substantial control” over the company.
• Substantial Control: according to the FinCEN, an individual holds substantial control over a reporting company if the individual meets any of four general criteria:
  • The individual is a senior officer;
  • The individual has authority to appoint or remove certain officers or a majority of directors of the reporting company;
  • The individual is an important decision-maker; or
  • The individual has any other form of substantial control over the reporting company.
• Required Reporting Information: includes the name, date of birth, address, and an identifying number (e.g., a driver’s license or passport number) of each beneficial owner, as defined above.
  Reporting Timelines
• Existing Entities: Business that were formed as of January 1, 2024, must submit an initial BOI report by January 1, 2025.
• New Entities: Those businesses created or registered after January 1, 2024, must report within 30 days of creation/registration.
• Updates: Any changes or updates to a business’s BOI structure must be reported within 30 days of occurrence.

How to Report Beneficial Ownership Information
BOI reports must be submitted electronically through FinCEN’s secure, online filing system, which will be accessible starting January 1, 2024. FinCEN is currently not accepting any beneficial ownership information reports.

Next Steps

• Identify and verify Beneficial Owners: Ensure you have accurate, verifiable information for all individuals who hold a significant interest or control in your company.
• Understand your reporting obligations: Dive into the specifics of what information needs to be reported and acquaint yourself with the reporting formats and guidelines included in the Small Entity Compliance Guide linked above.
• Engage Professional Assistance: Consider connecting with WVC’s team of tax advisors who continue to remain on top of BOI reporting mandates to ensure accurate and timely filing.
• Stay Informed: Sign up for WVC Insights to receive regular updates and additional guidance on BOI reporting guidelines to ensure your business maintains continuous compliance.

Concluding Thoughts
Complying with BOI reporting requires businesses to exercise diligence in maintaining accurate records, understand the mechanics of the reporting framework, and exhibit punctuality in submissions. Strategic partnerships with professional experts can help pave the way for seamless compliance and fortified financial transparency.

Ensuring that your business is well-prepared to successfully navigate both BOI reporting mandates and other critical tax updates is William Vaughan Company’s top priority. Connect with a trusted WVC tax advisor today to see if your business qualifies to report on Beneficial Ownership Information under the updated framework.

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Categories: Tax Compliance

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New 2023 TPSO Tax Rules: Key Changes to eBay, Ticketmaster Sales

Oct 10, 2023

Understanding Tax Implications of Reselling on eBay, Ticketmaster, and Other Platforms

In an era where online third-party settlement organizations (TPSOs) such as eBay, Ticketmaster, and Venmo have become commonplace, it’s crucial to be aware of the evolving tax landscape. Traditionally, the net income from these transactions have been considered taxable income. Starting this year, the American Rescue Plan of 2021, will now also require TPSOs to file Form 1099-K with the IRS and provide a copy to the payee if sales on their platform exceed $600. This blog provides insights to the 2023 TPSO Tax Rules and how you may be impacted.

What information should be retained?
To start, you will want to keep track of any and all sales transactions completed using TPSOs. These can be used to confirm the accuracy of the 1099-K received. Additionally, any expenses related to the sale of the tickets or merchandise should be retained. This includes the receipt from the original purchase of a resell item, any fees associated with using third-party platforms, and any shipping or delivery fees.

Will my personal TPSO transactions be taxable?
Since many consumers use TPSOs for personal transactions such as gifts or bill-splitting among roommates, the 1099-K received from the TPSO may include business and personal transactions combined. By keeping a log of all resale transactions, the taxpayer can avoid being taxed on a personal transaction. If there are several transactions and the taxpayer finds it difficult to keep track of their transactions, they should consider creating two separate accounts with the TPSO: One for the business transactions and one for their personal transactions. This will help them track transactions and ensure there is no confusion when it comes to filing with the IRS. Additionally, using detailed descriptions attached to each transaction will help with determination of business or personal transactions. Personal transactions should not be included as taxable income, even if the amount reported on the Form 1040 does not match the 1099-K. Documentation to support the personal transactions should be retained for three years from date of file to surpass the statute of limitations.

What will be considered taxable income?
Reportable personal gain is considered taxable income and will include the resale price of all tickets or merchandise on the TPSO decreased by any applicable expenses related to the sale. Since these are considered sale of personal items, only gains are taxable income and personal item losses cannot be used to offset other income. In the case of a personal item loss, the transaction should still be reported to the IRS by reporting the amount received as other income and offsetting this amount under other adjustments as the basis in the personal item.

Planning for increased tax liability due to new 2023 TPSO Tax Rules.
To properly plan for taxes, you can set aside a specific percentage of each sale to ensure you have cash available to pay any applicable tax liability. If you expect to owe taxes, it is worth considering making quarterly estimated tax payments or increasing the amount withheld from a W-2, if applicable. This will help to ensure there isn’t a significant amount of tax due in April and mitigate any penalties related to underpayment of estimated tax.

For more information about these threshold changes, visit the IRS website.

Categories: Tax Compliance

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IRS’s 2024 E-Filing Mandate: What You Need to Know

Oct 04, 2023

Earlier this year, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) finalized regulations mandating the electronic filing of the majority of tax and information returns in a strategic bid to curtail the influx of paper returns.

What has changed?

Starting January 1, 2024, companies filing 10 or more returns of any type per calendar year, must now submit these returns electronically instead of paper filing. This new regular significantly reduces the prior 250-return threshold.

Filers are now required to aggregate almost all information return types covered by the regulation to determine whether they meet the 10-return threshold. Below are just some of the forms impacted by the new requirement, most notably, Form W-2 and Form 1099:

• Corporate income tax returns
• Unrelated business income tax returns
• Withholding tax returns
• Certain information returns (W-2, 1099)
• Registration statements
• Disclosure statements
• Notifications
• Actuarial reports and certain excise tax returns

For a complete list of forms that must be aggregated, visit the IRS site.

Other noteworthy considerations:

• If a taxpayer is filing an amended return, the amended return must be filed using the same method as the original return.
• In limited circumstances, the IRS does not support e-filing. For example, the IRS does not support electronic filing of a final Form 941. Therefore, paper filings will be accepted if an employer is required to file a final Form 941.
• Partnerships with more than 100 partners at any time during the year must e-file.
• The IRS released a new, free e-file portal, Information Returns Intake System (IRIS), for the 1099 series of informational returns. Though available to any business of any size, IRIS may be especially helpful to any small business that currently sends their 1099 forms on paper to the IRS.
• Exemptions and waivers are available in limited situations. Exemptions will be allowed for members of certain religious communities that prohibit technology use.
• Failure to meet these new e-filing regulations could result in one or more penalties.

How do I know if I am impacted?

The aggregation rule combines all previously mentioned form types to determine if the filer meets the 10-return threshold. For example, the amount of W-2 forms will be combined with the number of 1099 forms a company is required to file. If that amount is 10 or more, then that company has to electronically file all of the forms.

Next steps

Any taxpayers currently filing paper returns should consult with their William Vaughan Company tax advisor to determine if the new 2024 e-filing mandate requirements apply to them based on the number of returns that they anticipate filing in 2024 for tax year 2023. More details about these changes can be found on the IRS website, here.

Categories: Tax Compliance

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Should I Cancel My Ohio CAT Account?

Sep 26, 2023

Commercial Activity Tax Changes Under Ohio House Bill 33

We recently covered the changes to Ohio’s tax codes that were enacted by Ohio House Bill 33 after it’s passage into law in July of 2023. The new law introduced several changes to state tax codes that could prove advantageous for Ohio business owners. One of the more significant changes to the tax law relates to how CAT is reported.

The CAT is calculated using a business’s taxable gross receipts. As a result of the passing bill, beginning January 1, 2024, the CAT annual minimum tax will be eliminated, and the exemption amounts for businesses will be significantly increased. Under the new law, the CAT rate of .26% will stay the same, but will now only affect taxpayers with gross receipts over $3 million in 2024, (that number will increase to $6 million in 2025).

Taxpayer Implications
Businesses currently reporting under $1 million in gross receipts, and that are predicted to have less than $3 million in gross receipts in 2024, should cancel their CAT account effective December 31, 2023, and file a final annual CAT return, due May 10, 2024. Once the final CAT return is filed, taxpayers with gross receipts under the exemption amount will no longer have to file an annual CAT return in subsequent years. Taxpayers that predict they will have annual gross receipts between $3 million and $6 million should file their final CAT return the following year, 2025. All remaining CAT payers that do not meet the exclusion amount must still file quarterly returns for tax periods after January 1, 2024.

If a taxpayer does not cancel their CAT account, they will still be required to file a CAT return until the account is canceled, even if nothing is due. Taxpayers may cancel their CAT account by visiting the CAT Cancel Account Transaction on the Ohio Department of Taxation’s Business Gateway (preferred method.) Alternatively, those wishing to cancel their CAT account can also complete and submit a “Business Account Update Form” available in the “Tax Forms” section of the Ohio Department of Taxation’s website.

If a business’s gross receipts happen to exceed the exclusion amount in subsequent periods, the taxpayer must reactivate their CAT account and resume filing returns and paying the Commercial Activity Tax at that time.

Conclusion
Ohio House Bill 33 has made several alterations to Ohio’s tax laws, with the regulations around Commercial Activity Tax being particularly affected. For more information on these changes, visit the official release from the Ohio Department of Taxation.

William Vaughan Company will continue to monitor the changes resulting from this bill as well as other state and federal tax bills.

Questions or concerns about how these changes apply to your specific CAT filings? Connect with us today to get a better understanding of these new developments and mitigate tax risks in your business.

Categories: Tax Compliance

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Ohio House Bill 33 Explained

Jul 17, 2023

Ohioans can expect significant changes to state tax laws next year thanks to Ohio House Bill 33. The newly passed piece of legislature, signed by Governor Mike DeWine on July 3, 2023, establishes state operating appropriations for fiscal years 2024-2025. This comprehensive legislation also brings several tax advantages specifically designed to benefit Ohio business owners. Taxpayers can expect changes to personal income tax, Commercial Activity Tax, Pass-Through Entity Tax Credits, and Municipal tax.

Personal Income Tax Reductions

The first significant change introduced by House Bill 33 is a reduction in personal income tax rates. The new law establishes two tax brackets based on income levels. If you earn over $26,050, you’ll pay a marginal tax rate of 2.75%. For individuals with income over $100,000, the rate increases slightly to 3.5%. Those earning $26,050 or less will be exempt from paying any income taxes to the state of Ohio.

Commercial Activity Tax (CAT) Exemption

House Bill 33 also brings changes to the Commercial Activity Tax (CAT), affecting businesses in Ohio. CAT is determined based off a business’s taxable gross receipts. The new law significantly increases the annual exemption threshold for businesses. Previously, businesses with taxable gross receipts under $150,000 were exempt from paying CAT. However, under the new law, the exemption amount rises to $3 million for the 2024 tax year and further increases to $6 million starting in 2025. This means that a large amount of Ohio-based businesses will no longer have to pay CAT.

Categories: Tax Compliance, Tax Planning

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