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Tax Incentives

May 12
0
healthcare tax credits

Tax Credits and Deductions for Healthcare Companies

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Governments use tax deductions and credits to reward businesses for providing employment opportunities, developing and enhancing solutions, improving the economy, and making the world a better place through activities like combating climate change. 

Tax credits and tax deductions are excellent opportunities for businesses to lower their tax liability significantly. As a company in the healthcare sector, you have a higher chance of qualifying for these tax savings. 

Here are some tax credits and deductions that healthcare companies are eligible for:

1. Research and Development Tax Credit

This type of tax credit, also known as R&D, was introduced by the United States government to encourage companies within the private sector to undertake innovation. For example, pharmaceutical firms enjoy this tax credit as an incentive to improve research for vaccines. 

Through the R&D tax credit, healthcare companies retain higher profits on their products resulting from research. This is possible given that the firms pay fewer taxes and thus spend less on research. 

The R & D tax credit is not limited to a particular industry. For a company to qualify for this credit, it needs to be involved in creating new products or systems, developing or enhancing software, or improving already existing products or systems. Thus, firms in agriculture, manufacturing, engineering, energy, textile, and healthcare, among many others, can benefit from it.  

Examples of areas where healthcare companies can qualify for the R&D tax credit include the development or enhancement of performance-related surveys for professionals in the mental health sector. Creating unique seating arrangements like an armchair that also serves as a wheelchair for those in care homes also calls for research and development. Introducing processes that help to remove contaminants from chemical compounds promotes respiratory health. Also, building prototypes for orthopedic instruments fall under research and development due to the complex medical components involved. 

State and federal credit rates can vary. For example, the federal R&D rates are 20%, while the California rate is 15%. 

2. Small Business Healthcare Tax Credit

Both established and small businesses can benefit from tax credits. The Affordable Care Act in the United States brought forth the small business tax credit. Firms that offer their workers health insurance are eligible for this tax credit. 

To qualify for the tax credit, your company needs to have a maximum of 25 full-time employees, pay each employee $55,000 a year or below, cater for half or more of their health insurance premiums and have insurance from the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) market. 

The Small Business Healthcare Tax credit can cover up to 50% of the health insurance premium payments for your employees. 

You should know that you cannot claim the credit two years in a row. 

3. Pass-Through Deductions

If you are a sole proprietor, are in a partnership, S corporation, limited liability partnership, or any form of business that subjects you to a pass-through, you can get a deduction. A pass-through deduction can lower the taxes on your net income by 20%. 

Companies that fall under the category of prohibited specified trade do not qualify for pass-through deductions unless they fulfill certain conditions. Examples of this include clinical entities that are operated by the owner.

4. Business Expense Deductions

Some expenses you incur in running a business can make you eligible for tax deductions. If you are starting your business, you can apply for a deduction on your capital expenses. After that, you are eligible for deductions on your business expenses. If you travel a lot for business, you can have deductions for travel costs. 

Knowing which tax credits and deductions you are eligible for, when they’re due and how to apply for them can be confusing. That is why it’s vital to enlist the services of tax credit experts like Incentax who will simplify the process for you and help you take optimum advantage of the available federal and state tax credits. 

Jan 14
2

What is Cost Segregation in Real Estate?

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For those working in the investment real estate business, a well-implemented cost segregation study will quickly be shown to accelerate depreciation and benefit your financial situation. By undergoing a study, real estate owners will take advantage of accelerated depreciation deductions and shelter taxable income. Doing so will immediately reduce the amount of income tax that the company or individual will have to pay that year, improving cashflow. For investors with estimated quarterly payments, these studies can also help defer the payment of their income taxes. 

HOW DOES A COST SEGREGATION STUDY WORK?

A cost segregation study is a rigorous process where a cost segregation engineer analyzes real estate assets and identifies property with shorter depreciation life (personal property) from the real property , which is what creates accelerated depreciation benefits. 

The goal of each cost segregation analysis is to separate holdings into distinct categories, or asset classes, that have different depreciable recovery periods. The four main categories and their typical depreciation lives are as follows:

  • Tangible personal property, which are non-structural components of a building (furniture, fixtures, carpeting, window treatments, and specialized plumbing and electrical components, for example) typically has a five to seven year depreciable lifespan.
  • Land improvements are components found outside a building’s footprint (sidewalks, paving or landscaping) depreciate typically over fifteen years.
  • Buildings depreciate over 27.5 or 39 years depending whether the type of property is residential rental or commercial.
  • The land itself, which is not depreciable.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A GOOD CONSULTANT

Cost segregation studies involve a lot of detailed knowledge of the regulations surrounding all tax incentive rules, so finding the right provider to guide you through each step is very important. The cost segregation consultant will find every component of your property that can be legally considered to be shorter life property and reclassify those assets to generate more depreciation deductions for income tax purposes. 

Once the study is finalized, the client will be provided with the information they need to calculate the accelerated depreciation deductions for income tax purposes.  The cost segregation report will also act as supporting documentation in the possibility of any IRS audit.  

In general terms, any piece of commercial real estate that was acquired, built, or put into service after 1986, including acquisitions, construction, building, or improvements- will be eligible for cost segregation.  

At Incentax, we help companies gain access to money-saving tax incentive programs at both the federal and state level. Our team is entirely made up of tax incentive experts and engineers, that guarantee a high level of quality in our work by offering audit support for free. For more information about our services or processes, contact us today!