R&A CPAs blog
Trusts Can be Powerful Estate Planning Tools
You’ve probably had a check-up with your doctor or dentist in the last year as part of your routine practice of self-care. Preventive visits like this can detect and address…
Promises of Tax Settlements for “Pennies on the Dollar” are Often Too Good to be True
At R&A CPAs, we often find ourselves counselling individuals or businesses that are overwhelmed by large tax liabilities or mired in IRS bureaucracy. Like you, we see ads promising amazing…
Meet Jorge Fuentes Quihui, Associate – Assurance
Meet Jorge Fuentes Quihui, Associate – Assurance
The IRS’ ‘Dirty Dozen’
The IRS’s annual “Dirty Dozen” list exposes the top 12 tax scams, fraud schemes, and aggressive avoidance tactics threatening taxpayers. Ranging from phishing scams and identity theft to abusive tax shelters and misleading social media advice, the list alerts both individuals and businesses to emerging threats, helping them safeguard their financial assets and maintain tax compliance.
IRS Announces New Automatic Exemption from Penalty Program
The IRS’s Automatic Exemption from Penalty (AEP) program simplifies tax relief by automatically waiving failure-to-file, failure-to-pay, and failure-to-deposit penalties for compliant taxpayers. Replacing the manual First Time Abate process, the automated system evaluates eligibility during return processing—waiving penalties for individuals and businesses with three years of clean compliance history—without requiring formal requests or phone calls.
Estate Planning is Changing: What Families Should Revisit Now
Shifting tax exemption thresholds, evolving retirement account rules, and changing family dynamics make static estate plans a risk. Families should revisit their plans now to update beneficiary designations, review trusts, refresh health care and financial powers of attorney, and adjust wealth transfer strategies to ensure their assets remain protected and align with their current intentions.
What to Consider When Selling Your Business to Employees
Selling your business to employees through an ESOP, cooperative, or management buyout preserves your company’s legacy and rewards your team, but it requires careful planning. Success hinges on choosing the right ownership structure, securing realistic financing (often involving seller notes), obtaining an independent valuation, and preparing strong leaders to handle daily operations after the transition.
The State of Construction Bonding in 2026: What Contractors Need to Know About Financial Reporting
Navigating the 2026 bonding landscape requires contractors to treat financial reporting as a strategic tool rather than a routine compliance exercise. With surety carriers tightening underwriting standards following elevated project complexities, labor costs, and recent severe claims, securing maximum bonding capacity hinges on transparency and financial discipline.
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What You Need to Know About Paying Household Employees
When you hire someone to do work in your home, they may be considered a household employee, and you might have some tax withholding responsibility when you pay them. You may have heard of this tax referred to as the “nanny tax.” These taxes are actually employment taxes and include social security, Medicare, and sometimes…
Update on Trump Accounts – Automatic Enrollment
Do you have a child under the age of 18? They most likely have a Trump Account now, whether or not you signed them up for one. The US Department of Treasury recently began automatically enrolling eligible children in the program rather than waiting for parents or guardians to apply. Even though your child may…
Employee or Independent Contractor?
Suppose your business hires an outside person to complete a task. What is your tax withholding responsibility when you pay this person? The answer depends on the business relationship between you and the person doing work for you. Types of workers There are two kinds of workers: employees and independent contractors. (We know this is…
Payroll Security Best Practices for Small Businesses
Payroll systems handle large volumes of sensitive personal data, making them vulnerable to breaches. To safeguard this data, organizations need integrated security measures that minimize the risks of errors, fraud, and operational disruptions. AI can support these efforts by identifying processing issues and suspicious activity, but it is not a standalone solution. Effective payroll security…
Checking Your Federal Tax Withholding – Why, When, and How
If you are an employee, you know that various taxes are withheld from your paychecks. While you generally can’t change the amount of social security and Medicare taxes withheld, you can change the withholding amounts of federal and state income tax. In fact, the IRS encourages taxpayers to review their income tax withholding at least…
R&A Named a 2026 Top 500 US Accounting Firm
R&A is very pleased to share that we have been recognized as a Top 500 Firm in the US for 2026 by INSIDE Public Accounting based on US net revenue. INSIDE Public Accounting is a leader in practice management and CPA firm resources for the public accounting profession. Of this recognition, Phillip C. Dalrymple, CPA, CFE, and R&A Managing Partner said, “We are proud…
Trusts Can be Powerful Estate Planning Tools
You’ve probably had a check-up with your doctor or dentist in the last year as part of your routine practice of self-care. Preventive visits like this can detect and address potential health issues in their earliest and most treatable stages. We think of estate planning as preventive care for your life and loved ones. No…
Promises of Tax Settlements for “Pennies on the Dollar” are Often Too Good to be True
At R&A CPAs, we often find ourselves counselling individuals or businesses that are overwhelmed by large tax liabilities or mired in IRS bureaucracy. Like you, we see ads promising amazing “pennies on the dollar” settlement deals with the IRS touted by “professionals,” backed up by dramatic testimonials of success. These settlements refer to the IRS’s…