The Affordable Care Act (ACA) introduced a “pay or play” scheme, effective January 1, 2015, in which Applicable Large Employers (ALEs) must offer affordable qualifying healthcare to their full-time employees (and their dependent children) or pay a penalty. Despite President Trump’s first Executive Order (discussed here) directing a rollback of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and instructing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to minimize the “unwarranted economic and regulatory burden of the act,” the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) quietly updated its Questions and Answers on Employer Shared Responsibility Provisions Under the ACA to include the first official guidance detailing the process for enforcement of the penalty. Notably, this update coincided with an IRS announcement that penalties for the 2015 calendar year will be assessed late this year.

The ALE penalty process starts with Letter 226J, which the IRS will send to ALEs it believes owe a penalty based on

The Internal Revenue Service reminds taxpayers looking to maximize their tax savings before the end of the year to consider charitable giving. Many taxpayers may already be planning to do so for Giving Tuesday on November 28. Giving money or goods to a tax-exempt charity before December 31 can usually be deducted on that year’s federal income tax return.

This #GivingTuesday, IRS has tips to find tax-deductible options: 

• Donating to disaster recovery efforts or a local shelter?
• Want to know the special rules to get a tax deduction from donating cars, boats and other property?
• Cash or non-cash year-end gifts to charity? What to know for a tax deduction on your IRS return.
• IRA owners over age 70½ – want to know about a different way to give?
• Hoping for a tax-deduction for your Giving Tuesday donation? Itemize or eFile your return

Resources: 

IRS YouTube videos: 

• IRS tool IRS.gov/eoselectcheck

No group has focused on building alignment and enlistment more than the non-profit, civic, and community sectors.  I’ve had the good fortune to work with some of the best – hospitals, animal shelters, the Chamber of Commerce, and industry change groups. With shallow budgets and a heavy dependence on volunteers (not to mention the careful watch of donors), the best non-profit groups not only stay afloat, they thrive by focusing on a few core goals.

Like non-profit groups, service professionals (like lawyers, consultants, accountants, and other service providers) rarely function with a “command and control” hierarchy, and instead depend on the alignment and enlistment of others – including clients, their staff, fellow professionals, or others.   

 1.  New presentations on StayExempt

• Reasonable Cause
• Self-Dealing Exception for Compensation to Disqualified Persons

  2.  Employment Tax podcasts

• Payroll Reporting for Election Workers
• 10 Minutes on Filing the Form 941-X

  3.  EO Issue Snapshots

• IRC Section 4944(c) – Taxes on Investments Which Jeopardize Charitable Purpose – Exception for Program-Related Investments
• Exclusion of Bingo from Unrelated Business Activity
• Rents from Personal Property, “Mixed Leases,” and the Rental Exclusion from UBTI
• Exclusion of Rent from Real Property from Unrelated Business Taxable Income

  4.  Fee for Form 8976

Form 8976, Notice of Intent to Operate Under Section 501(c)(4) – Organizations must pay a $50 fee at Pay.gov within 14 days of submitting the form.

  5.  Podcast on maximum loans in retirement plans

Podcast – computation of maximum loan amount from retirement plans –

Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017 from 1-4 p.m. in #202 J.C. Penney Conference Center (on the UMSL north campus)

Successful grant research includes a review of various kinds of data like giving statistic, reports, and databases. But learning to identify, evaluate, and select data resources used in grants research can be a challenge. This course will provide participants with (a) an introduction to the process of information evaluation, (b) data resources commonly available in grant development, and (c) how to use the “Foundation Database Online Professional” database to identify and evaluate funding prospects.

Instructor Brad Smith is the Nonprofit Information Resource Manager for the St. Charles City-County Library District. In that capacity, he oversees the delivery of the Library District’s specialty services to the nonprofit community.  As a representative of the Library District, he regularly provides consultation services and assistance to public, private, and nonprofit initiatives that are aimed toward enhancing community