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Ken Berry, JD

CPA Practice Advisor Tax Correspondent

Ken Berry, Esq., is a nationally-known writer and editor specializing in tax and financial planning matters. During a career of more than 35 years, he has served as managing editor of a publisher of content-based marketing tools and vice president of an online continuing education company in the financial services industry. As a freelance writer, Ken has authored thousands of articles for a wide variety of newsletters, magazines and other periodicals, emphasizing a sense of wit and clarity.

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Accounting

How Per Diem Rates Can Simplify Travel Expense Reporting

The IRS has just announced new federal per diem travel rates for Fiscal Year 2015 (FY 2015), which spans October 1, 2014 through September 30, 2015. Unlike many other previous years, when per diem rates were typically bumped up just a dollar or two or not

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Accounting

3 Must-Know Tips for Deducting Business Entertainment

There’s nothing new about taxpayers mixing business with pleasure. For instance, a business executive might paint the town red after he or she signs a six-figure contract with a client or customer. Is the cost of entertaining the client or customer ...

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Accounting

How to Enjoy the Tax Benefits of Business Convention Vacations

Suppose one of your clients receives a postcard or email heralding a business convention at a lush tropical paradise this winter. It’s hard to pass up and your client may jump at the opportunity. After the early presentations and round-table discussions,

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Income Tax

Travel & Entertainment: How to Stay Within Tax Boundaries for Temporary Assignments

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Income Tax

CPAs Challenge the IRS on PTIN Fees

First, a federal appeals court invalidated most of the regulations imposing continuing education and other regulatory requirements imposed by the IRS on tax return preparers (Loving, et al v. IRS, Civil Action 12-385 (JEB), U.S. Dist. Ct. DC, 1/18/13). .

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IRS

Conflicting Reports on IRS Tea Party Scandal Emphasize Partisan Divide

There’s a better chance of Democrats and Republicans agreeing to the winner in “America’s Got Talent,” than there is of ever reaching a consensus on the IRS’ handling of the applications for tax-exempt status made by right-leaning political groups.

Accounting

Using Your Car for Business Purposes? Keep Good Records for the Tax Deduction

What often sets business taxpayers apart from individuals is the potential for deducting expenses relating to business driving. For virtually everyone else, the cost associated with operating a car or other vehicle is a nondeductible personal expense. However, if you use your own vehicle for business trips, you’re usually entitled to deductions on your federal tax return.

Accounting

Traveling Abroad for Business? Keep These Deduction Tips in Mind

As with domestic travel (i.e., travel within the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia), you can deduct all of your travel expenses if the trip is entirely for business purposes. Otherwise, you’re entitled to travel deductions only if the primary purpose of the trip is business-related. Again, the days spent on business versus pleasure are critical, although the IRS is lenient in treating certain days as “business days.”

Accounting

Business Expenses: Map Out Deductions for Travel in the U.S.

It is well-known in tax circles that taxpayers can deduct the cost of traveling “away from home” on business. For this purpose, your tax home is usually your principal place of business. As an example, if you live and work in New York and fly to L.A. for a two-day whirlwind of business negotiations, the round-trip airfare is clearly deductible.

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Accounting

5 Ways to Get Tax Deductions for Local Transportation Uses

Frequently, the IRS challenges deductions for business-related driving expenses, especially when they involve local travel. Start with this basic premise: To qualify for transportation deductions, you must be traveling away from your tax home to a business location. For this purpose, your tax home is generally your principal place of business, not the place where you live, eat and sleep.

Accounting

Tax Series: Protecting Travel & Entertainment Deductions

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Despite the thousands of revisions to the tax code that are made each year, the IRS continues to focus on travel and entertainment (T&E) deductions in audits of business taxpayers.

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Benefits

IRS Issues New Regs for Longevity Annuities, Exempt from RMD Rules

People are living longer due to medical advances and other factors. So it only stands to reason that outliving your retirement savings is becoming a greater concern. Nevertheless, the IRS continues to insist that elderly taxpayers make “required minimum distributions” (RMDs) from their qualified retirement plans and IRAs each and every year.