Howard, Moore & McDuffie is closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation, and we are continuously checking with our local agencies as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help us determine what, if any, action is necessary on our part to support our clients, our community and our staff.  We are taking preventative measures based upon the CDC’s recommendations to mitigate the spread of the virus.  Our office currently remains open, and we are conducting business as usual with a few of the following exceptions:  

In a press conference on Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced that individuals and corporations can delay their tax payments for 90 days due to the coronavirus pandemic. Individuals can defer up to $1 million in payments for 90 days from the April 15 deadline. Corporations can defer up to $10 million in payments for 90 days. During that time, the IRS will not charge interest or penalties

The optional standard mileage rates for business use of a vehicle will decrease slightly in 2020 after increasing significantly in 2019, the IRS announced on Tuesday (Notice 2020-05). For business use of a car, van, pickup truck, or panel truck, the rate for 2020 will be 57.5 cents per mile in 2020, down from 58 cents per mile last year after increasing from 54.5 cents per mile in 2018. Taxpayers can use the optional standard mileage rates to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile.

Taxpayers should be able to approach year-end tax planning with more confidence than last year with these tips from Top 6 Firm Grant Thornton LLP.

Tax reform made 2018 a particularly difficult year as taxpayers and the Internal Revenue Service raced to contend with sweeping changes. But, with the dust settling and significant IRS guidance available, taxpayers and tax professionals can approach the end of 2019 with more certainty. Here are the 10 most important 2019 year-end tax-planning considerations for individuals.

As part of a larger effort by the Internal Revenue Service to ensure fairness in the tax system, the IRS is taking steps to conduct special compliance efforts for individual and business taxpayers in various communities.

The goal of these visits is to help resolve tax compliance issues by meeting face-to-face with taxpayers with ongoing tax issues. The IRS will focus these efforts in areas where there have been a limited number of revenue officers available due to declining IRS resources.