Tax, accounting, auditing news - Journal of Accountancy

November 10, 2020

Partnerships and S corps. can deduct state and local taxes

The IRS said it would issue proposed regulations allowing S corporations and partnerships to deduct “specified income tax payments” paid to state and local governments above the line and not as passthrough items for partners and shareholders.

November 9, 2020

Taxpayers allowed choice of bonus depreciation rules

The IRS issued rules for taxpayers to follow in applying recently issued bonus depreciation regulations, including how to make several elections.

November 6, 2020

SBA to require PPP loan necessity form from large borrowers

Businesses and not-for-profits that received $2 million or more in PPP loans must complete one of two new loan necessity questionnaires the SBA is sending to lenders for distribution to borrowers.

November 5, 2020

New lease accounting guidance proposed for federal entities

The Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board and the Accounting and Auditing Policy Committee issued a joint exposure draft related to lease accounting for federal entities.

November 5, 2020

FASB provides implementation relief for insurance companies

FASB issued a standard that provides a delayed effective date to its long-duration insurance standard for companies adversely affected by the pandemic. The standard also eases requirements for early adopters.

November 4, 2020

ASB proposal addresses auditing of fair value estimates of financial instruments

A proposed standard issued by the AICPA Auditing Standards Board would give practitioners more guidance on auditing management’s estimates of fair value, including on the use of pricing services.

November 4, 2020

Companies rethink the office, but they’re not ready to say goodbye

Most plan to keep their current real estate, but they are reimagining what that space could look like.

November 3, 2020

9 tips for successful auditing of revenue recognition

A new standard and the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic make auditing revenue recognition difficult. These tips can help.

November 3, 2020

IRS announces help with tax debt

The IRS said it was revising its procedures to help taxpayers who cannot pay their taxes because of the pandemic. The new program is called the Taxpayer Relief Initiative.

October 30, 2020

Fed opens up Main Street loans to smaller businesses

The Federal Reserve board announced that it lowered the minimum loan size for three of its Main Street Lending Program facilities in an effort to make the program available to more and smaller businesses.

October 30, 2020

Guidance on deferred employee payroll tax issued

The IRS issued guidance to employers and employees on reporting deferred Social Security tax on Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, under the Aug. 8 Presidential Memorandum authorizing the deferral.

October 29, 2020

FASB issues minor codification changes

FASB published a new standard that describes a series of incremental changes to accounting rules that are designed to improve its codification.

October 29, 2020

FASAB proposal would clarify presentation requirement

A proposal issued by the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board would clarify how an advance should be presented in component entity financial statements.

October 29, 2020

FASB proposes scope clarification for reference rate relief

Accounting relief from reference rate reform would be extended to a modification known as the “discounting transition” under a proposal issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board.

October 29, 2020

Companies seek ways to report diversity progress

Investors are looking for actions that back up statements about equity.

October 28, 2020

FASB staff weighs in on debt modifications and restructurings

FASB staff issued a paper that educates borrowers on accounting for debt modifications and restructurings, which have surged as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

October 28, 2020

Template for requesting penalty abatement available from AICPA

The AICPA has created a template for members to use when requesting a penalty abatement from the IRS. Many taxpayers are receiving penalty notices after COVID-19 hampered their ability to meet tax filing obligations.

October 27, 2020

Cybersecurity provides opportunities for auditors to serve

Practitioners can provide services to clients related to cybersecurity beyond their financial statement auditing role, according to a newly published report from the Center for Audit Quality.

October 26, 2020

2021 inflation adjustments and tax tables issued

The IRS issued the 2021 inflation adjustment amounts and tax tables for use in preparing 2021 tax returns in the 2022 filing season. Many of the over 60 items increased from 2020.

October 26, 2020

Inflation-adjusted income ranges for 2021 IRA and 401(k) plans

The IRS announced that the income ranges for employee participation in workplace 401(k) plans and IRA contributions will increase from 2020 to 2021. Most of the other retirement plan contribution limits stayed the same, however.

FROM THIS MONTH'S ISSUE

Clean data faster using Excel’s REGEX functions

Excel’s REGEX functions provide a simpler, flexible solution to text-cleaning tasks, reducing the need to combine multiple functions when cleaning imported data. This JofA Technology Q&A article shows the way with step-by-step instructions and a video walkthrough.