Imagine Payroll - In The Know - IRS Issues Fiscal 2018 High-Low Per Diem Rates

Imagine Payroll - In The Know! 

IRS Issues Fiscal 2018 High-Low Per Diem Rates  - September 29, 2017

The list and rates of high-cost locations used to substantiate the amount of expenses for business travel away from home in fiscal 2018 were issued Sept. 25 by the Internal Revenue Service.

The rates are used with the high-low substantiation method, the IRS said in Notice 2017-54. The per diem rates, effective from Oct. 1, 2017, to Sept. 30, 2018, are to increase to $284 for travel to any high-cost location, up from $282 in 2017. The rates for travel to other locations in the continental U.S. are to increase to $191 from $189. For 2018, high-cost locations have a federal per diem rate of at least $238, up from $236 in 2017.

The amount of the $284 high rate and $191 low rate that is treated as paid for meals remains $68 for travel to any high-cost locality and $57 for travel to any other location in the continental U.S., the notice said.

These locations were added to the high-cost list: Oakland, Calif.; Lewes, Del.; Fort Myers, Fla.; Hyannis, Mass.; Petoskey, Mich.; Portland, Ore.; and Vancouver, Wash., the notice said. These locations were removed from the high-cost list: Sedona, Ariz.; Los Angeles; Vero Beach, Fla.; and Kill Devil Hills, N.C. The special rates for meals and incidental expenses for taxpayers in the transportation industry remain at $63 for any location in the continental U.S. and $68 for any location outside the continental U.S., the notice said.

Oklahoma Releases 2018 UI Wage Base, Tax Rates 

Effective Jan. 1, 2018, Oklahoma's unemployment-taxable wage base is to be $17,600, down from $17,700 for 2017, the state Employment Security Commission said Sept. 25 on its website. Effective Jan. 1, 2018, unemployment tax rates for experienced employers are to be unaffected by a conditional factor and are to range from 0.1 percent to 5.5 percent, unchanged from 2017. The tax rate for new employers is to be 1.5 percent, also unchanged from 2017.

West Virginia UI Wage Base, Rates Unchanged for 2018 

West Virginia's unemployment taxable wage base, range of unemployment tax rates for experienced employers and unemployment tax rates for new employers are to be the same for 2018 as they are for 2017, a spokesman for the state Department of Commerce told Bloomberg BNA in an email Sept. 25. Effective Jan. 1, 2018, the unemployment taxable wage base is to be $12,000. Unemployment tax rates for experienced employers are to be determined with Column C and are to range from 1.5 percent to 4.5 percent for positive-rated employers and from 6.5 percent to 8.5 percent, including a surtax of 1 percent, for negative-rated employers.

Effective Jan. 1, 2018, the standard unemployment tax rate for new employers is to be 2.7 percent. The rate for new construction employers that are contractors headquartered outside the state is to be 8.5 percent.

Indiana Releases Local Tax Rates Effective Oct. 1 

Indiana's revised Departmental Notice No. 1, used for calculating state and local income tax withholding was released Sept. 25 by the Indiana Revenue Department and takes effect Oct. 1, 2017. Tax rates for the counties of Allen, Clinton, Fountain, LaGrange, Marion, Sullivan, and Vermillion are to change Oct. 1, based on the notice. Rates for other counties are unchanged. The state-wide withholding tax rate remains 3.23 percent.

Wisconsin Reduces Threshold for Electronic Filing

Wisconsin employers filing at least 10 wage statements or returns are required to do so electronically under a law that took effect Sept. 23, 2017. Electronic filing previously was required for employers filing at least 50 or more wage statements.

Imagine Tool: Privacy.com - Virtual Credit and Debit Cards

Privacy

Are you worried about who has your card number? You should be using Privacy! This is an Imagine recommended tool! 

Privacy will allow you to create virtual cards that protect your money. 

Controlled:  Freeze cards and set spend limits. Take back control of your money.

Secure: Cards lock to merchants, making them useless to thieves and hackers.

Private: Use fake billing details and mask your purchases on your bank statement.

Disposable: Delete cards anytime, and kiss forgotten subscriptions goodbye. 
 - This is a big one for me, I will sign up for something and forget that I did it until my account has lost hundreds of dollars to a subscription that I do not use anymore. ~ Miranda 

Signup takes less than two minutes and is completely free. Privacy make money from merchants, just like a credit card, so Privacy won't sell your information or surprise you with any hidden fees. 

Check it out today! Well worth it to keep your information safe!!!! 


#HelpMeImagine #ImagineTools #ImagineLifeHacks #Privacy 
http://ow.ly/XG4Y30fsxBM

Hurricane Irma - Florida IRS Tax Relief Information Sept 2017

IRS Tax Relief Information

“ IRS Gives Tax Relief to Victims of Hurricane Irma; Like Harvey, Extension Filers Have Until Jan 31 to File”

FAQ for Disaster Victims – Affected Taxpayer and Records Necessary to Meet a Deadline for Filing and Paying

Tax Relief for Victims of Hurricane Irma in Florida 

Definition of an Affected Taxpayer

A taxpayer does not have to be located in a federally declared disaster area to be an “affected taxpayer.” Taxpayers are “affected” if records necessary to meet a filing or payment deadline postponed during the relief period are located in a covered disaster area.

An affected taxpayer can be:

·         An individual

·         Any business entity or sole proprietor

·         Any shareholder in an S Corporation

(10/11) Q: I own an interest in a partnership, or I am a shareholder in an S Corporation that is located in a federally declared disaster area. However, I do not live in the disaster area myself. I rely on information (Schedule K-1) from the partnership or S Corp to file my tax return. Do I qualify as an affected taxpayer for purposes of receiving filing and payment relief?

Yes. If the affected partnership or S Corp cannot provide you the records necessary to file your return then you’re also an affected taxpayer. Your filing and payment deadlines are postponed until the end of the postponement period just like the affected partnership or S Corp.

To get the postponement for filing or payment, you must:

·         Call the Disaster Assistance Hotline at 1-866-562-5227

·         Explain that your necessary records are located in a covered disaster area

·         Provide the FEMA Disaster Number of the county where the affected partnership or S Corp is located

·         See Treas. Reg. § 301.7508A-1 and Rev. Proc. 2007-56 for a list of taxpayer acts that may be postponed in response to a federally declared disaster