Businesses, retirees, and self-employed individuals who owe quarterly payments or who must file various returns will have extra time to do both. Due dates vary but you can find details for your state and county on the IRS Web at: http://www.irs.gov (click on: “IRS Provides Disaster Relief to Ike Victims”)

As I write this article on Tuesday morning, September 30th, the stock market is in turmoil. Coming off of the single day largest loss in the Dow Jones history, I am fielding calls from nervous and anxious clients asking for tax advice, mostly dealing with investment losses and portfolio declines.

The employer must hire designated community residents. A designated community resident is a new employee who is at least 18 and has not reached the age of 40, and who lives in a designated county. 30 counties in Iowa qualify and 35 counties in Nebraska qualify as a designated county - as well as many counties in surrounding states. Please note that it is the employee that must reside in a designated county. It is not relevant where the employer is located.

The Codification reorganizes the 1000’s of U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) pronouncements into 90 accounting topics, and displays them all using a consistent structure. Pronouncements from multiple standard setters and related literature are covered. It is intended to reflect GAAP for non-governmental entities.

Based on questions that we have received lately, it appears that leasing is a favorable way of acquiring assets for some of our clients. The decision to lease is based on specifics such as: better financial terms, necessity, the lack of available financing, or just the desire to keep assets off the balance sheet. In any case, whether the lease is treated as an operating lease, the decision should be dependent upon the terms of each individual lease agreement.

In general, you must keep records that support items shown on your individual tax return until the statute of limitations runs out -- generally three years from the due date of the return, or the date you filed, whichever is later. In most cases, the IRS can audit your return for three years. You can also file an amended return on Form 1040X during this time period if you missed a deduction, overlooked a credit or misreported income.