Simplify your small business bill paying process ->

Xero has partnered with BILL to provide integrated bill-paying right within the Xero platform: Tap into BILL’s longstanding solution to:

• Pay multiple bills at once in just a few clicks.
• Access BILL’s network of over 7.1M members, making it easy to find and pay your vendor
• Authorize payments prepared by your team so you maintain full control over your cash flow.
• Track the status of your payments without needing to log into a bank, so you always know who’s been paid and when.
• Reduce manual work with automatic reconciliation. The bills are marked as paid and payments are reconciled automatically, ensuring your records are always up-to-date.

Check out Xero’s blog post for a video demonstration & more details, and make paying the bills even easier with this automation!

The Maryland Comptroller has released the first guidance around the new Sales Tax on Data & IT Services –

Additional info also available from the Comptroller’s page dedicated to Tax Updates from the 2025 Legislative Session

DC licensing is about to get a whole lot easier ->

The DC Department of Labor & Consumer Protection (DLCP) is in the process of:

• Consolidating more than 100 business license categories into just 11,
• Introducing a revenue-based fee structure, &
• Lowering upfront licensing costs
• Making it easier for new businesses to get started and for established ones to stay compliant.

It’s all part of the BEST Act passed in 2023 and starting to take effect, so look for the continued rollout of the new changes!

Xero (our online accounting platform of choice for small business) was name “Best Overall Accounting Platform” in the FinTech Breakthrough Awards

FinTech Breakthrough has recognized Xero for its comprehensive, user-friendly financial management solution designed specifically for small businesses, solidifying Xero’s position as a leader in modern accounting software. In particular, Xero’s innovative approach to sales tax compliance, featuring automated solutions that adapt to evolving regulations, set it apart within its category.

Great to see Xero get recognition for its easy-to-use design that is thoughtful of small business owners – Feel free to reach out to us if you’d like to learn more about how it might help you!

(See press release for more details)

📢 Maryland Employers: MD mailed Unemployment Rate update notices on Mar 17 (we just got ours in the mail this weekend):

Be sure to look for, and update any changes in your payroll platform to avoid under/ over payments + interest/ penalties

You can also log into your employer account on MD’s unemployment platform BEACON to retrieve online as well

After a year+ of angst, and with explicit reference to the change in federal Administrations, Beneficial Owner Report (BOI) filing requirements are now -removed- for US companies & persons

The Interim Final Rule released Mar 21 (expected to become final) essentially states only foreign entities filing to do business in the U.S need to comply with FinCEN’s BOI reporting rules

It’s been a long road here, but definitely simplifies things for small business owners out there

FinCEN’s press release and additional coverage at JofA

We were recently reminded of the mind-expanding, 6-minute video, “I, Pencil: The Movie”, based on the essay by Leonard E. Read.

From the opening frames: “We are perishing for want of wonder, not for want of wonders." - G.K. Chesterton

If you haven’t seen it before, or it’s been awhile, take a moment to appreciate the wonder of the pencil and what it signifies about modern commerce & human interaction:

Reminder to Individuals & C-corps: The April 15 filing deadline is approaching —> To guarantee your return by then, we’ll need the last piece of missing info by Mar 21

Just upload to your e-Cabinet or reply in your Xero Ask query 📥

/StressFreeTax

🚨BOI enforcement is now officially on hold ->

The gist: While the legality of the law requiring BOI isn’t currently being challenged (what all the hoopla was these last 4-5 months), FinCEN is now softening their approach, viz:

• The recently published Mar 21 deadline is now lifted, with a different later deadline to be shared sometime before then

• Enforcement of BOI has been suspended while FinCEN updates their regulations to more closely target higher risk entities (rather than sweeping up all average small biz)

So the saga continues, but thankfully at least moving in a direction simpler for small business 🎭

In yet one more installment in the BOI drama – BOI reporting is back on again and due Mar 21

It’s certainly been an on-again, off-again scenario multiple times, but the last remaining injunction was lifted on Feb 17 and FinCEN has stated that the Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) reporting requirements are back and now due Mar 21

In a notable nod, FinCEN also announced they’d be revisiting the reporting rules for low-risk entities like small businesses and looking for ways to make it easier for them

For help filing, you can see our video provide step-by-step guidance.

We’ve been noticing the IRS has been showing greater than normal processing delays for amended returns – And the IRS status page indicates the same:

• Amended individual returns: Now processing from Jul 2024

• Amended corporate returns: Now processing from Sep 2024

• Individual general correspondence: Oct 2024

• Business general correspondence: Aug 2024

The undercurrent: If your return or situation doesn’t fit squarely into an existing hole, it’s taking a lot longer than usual. And the recent release of 6,000 IRS employees isn’t likely to help matters unfortunately. :/

Be sure to check out our latest blog post “Tools & Checklists for 2024 Small Business & Individual Tax Returns” –>

You’ll find loads of helpful resources all in one place, including:

• Book closing checklist
• Pre-Tax Interview checklists
• Links to pay income taxes online
• Links to lookup status of your tax refund
• Our tax preparation cut-off dates
• Links to latest tax developments
• And more!

A very handy compilation of resources indeed. 👍

Attention PNC Bank users 📢: PNC has enabled a new, Direct Feed with Xero, stabilizing and optimizing their bank transaction connection for your books! 🥳

Check our more details on this Xero Central page

Reminder to S-corps & Partnerships: The March 15 deadline is approaching —> To guarantee your return by then, we’ll need the last piece of missing info by Feb 21

Just upload to your e-Cabinet or reply in your Xero Ask query 📥

/StressFreeTax

If it’s been a bit since you last logged into your e-Cabinet via our website, you may find that it now requires Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) ->

The reason: it’s now the law that any system providing access to tax information is required to have MFA (understandably)

Our secure platform will provide the option to use text, voice call, or an authenticator app, whichever you prefer – And while an additional step, it definitely is something we recommend customers do for any online platform that deals with finances (bank, payroll, books, credit card, etc.)

Of course, if you need any help, just give our team at the office a call and we can assist. (Note: We are not able to edit your user access since it’s securely maintained by our platform ShareFile.)

The Maryland Comptroller announced that about 6,000 Forms 1099-G were recently mailed to the wrong addresses —

So if you received the postcard form showing the Md. refund you received last year & it’s not yours, the Comptroller advises you to destroy it and await a corrected one

Alternatively, you can download a copy from the Comptroller’s General Accounting Division

Sales tax compliance is something that can creep up on small businesses, and while our team doesn’t specialize in sales tax, we do partner with the folks at Avalara to both: (a) track law changes, and (b) their technology to make things much easier, including embedded solutions in Xero

To get the latest lay of the land in sales tax, download Avalara’s 2025 Tax Changes Report

Tax Interview appointments are emailed & postcards are in the mail!

You should have seen an email from our team this week for your RSVP -> If you haven’t, please be sure to reach out to Alcides to double-check

And if you need to re-schedule, just let Alcides know – The sooner, the better: as you might imagine, tax season is our tightest calendar time of year 📆

Honoring the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. today and the monumental work he led with those of his time to advance our nation for all.

Adrian enjoyed joining his fellow CPAs earlier this week for the MACPA’s “CPA Day” in Annapolis, advocating with our State legislators for a positive regulatory and tax environment for accountants and the small businesses and individuals we serve.

A toast to the #entrepreneurs we serve, their #families, and #communities: May the new year bring for you prosperity in mind, body, & soul! –> Here’s to #2025! 🍾🥂

(We’ll be closed Wed, Jan 1 in celebration and return Thu, Jan 2 to kick-off the new year!)