Landon Paddock Landon Paddock

Tax Extensions & Underpayment Penalties, a Primer

A tax extension provides additional time to file your tax return, not to pay any taxes owed. The IRS offers an automatic six-month extension for those who cannot file their tax by the due date. We handle this service for our clients but if you’re doing your taxes yourself here’s a handy guide (and reminder to call us next year!).

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Landon Paddock Landon Paddock

Read Matt Hetrick in the Washingtonian

“ ‘Are my labor increase fees compliant? Will I be sued? I can’t afford to defend myself—what should we do?’ ” Hetrick recalls hearing from owners. “They read that there are lawsuits and believe they have to rush off to switch their comp models to unsustainable structures or they’ll be sued into oblivion in the coming months.”

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Landon Paddock Landon Paddock

The Declining Balance Budget

As an operator solving cost of goods challenges can be challenging but the positive news is that 90% cost of goods problems come from 1 of 3 areas: pricing problems, waste, and shrink. Today in Lessons From the Line we’re examining a useful tool to address these issues: the Declining Balance Budget.

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Landon Paddock Landon Paddock

The Marriage Tax Penalty

The concept of the "marriage tax penalty" is a critical issue for many couples, affecting their financial planning and tax filings. The marriage tax penalty occurs when a married couple pays more in taxes than they would if they were filing as single individuals. Learn how to navigate this tax issue in this month’s Commonsense CPA.

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Landon Paddock Landon Paddock

LFTL: Alternatives to Cost Plus Service Fees

With laws like DC’s Initiative 82 and Chicago’s “One Fair Wage” ordinance passing nationwide eliminating the tip credit, some restaurateurs are left scratching their heads about how to cover increased labor charges. Service charges have now come under fire from a variety of angles, so this month’s LFTL explores some service charge alternatives.

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Landon Paddock Landon Paddock

Last Bites: Closing Time for Drizly and for Low Interest Rates

Uber is shutting down the alcohol delivery service it acquired for north of $1.1 billion to fold it into the main UberEats app. There were other issues with Drizly, and the company line is that Uber wanted to deliver everything under one brand, but to shutter a $1B acquisition dovetails with a larger market shift that can be constructive to small business owners.

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Landon Paddock Landon Paddock

The CCPA: Record Retention Guidelines

The CCPA this month talks record retention guidelines, which is to say we’re digging into one of the most common questions we get around here - “How long do I keep [insert any given tax document]?” Let us simplify some of the IRS’s extremely lengthy guidance on your recordkeeping.

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Landon Paddock Landon Paddock

The CCPA: Fall Financial Cleanup

This month we’ve crafted a Top 10 list of "Fall Financial Cleanup" items to help you close the year with your financial house in order, from cash management to wealth planning to tax preparations.

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Landon Paddock Landon Paddock

LFTL: RENT!

Let’s dive into rent, specifically the NNN or Triple-Net leases common in the modern retail world. A “triple-net” lease means the base rent is net (accounting speaking for doesn’t include) maintenance, real estate taxes and insurance. Gross rent is a rent calculation that encompasses all charges.

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Landon Paddock Landon Paddock

LFTL: Seasonal Sales Cycles

At Harmony, we have found there is one element that stands out in ensuring long-term success: controlling labor costs. While the first principle is that labor spending needs to be at sustainable levels to ensure consistent profitability, we've noticed some clients struggle with the seasonal sales cycle. Your invaluable human resources must be managed with precision to ensure both profitability and a stellar customer experience.

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Landon Paddock Landon Paddock

The CCPA: Vehicle Deductions & Expenses

This time of year we frequently receive questions about vehicles and how to optimize tax write-offs related to them. Maybe you’ve seen the TikToks about how to get a G Wagon for free (spoiler alert: you can’t) or maybe you’ve heard friends talk about how they write off all of their vehicle expenses… either way, the model year has changed and you’re ready to buy a new ride while maxing out your write-offs.

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Landon Paddock Landon Paddock

LFTL: You Already Have the CFO You Need

Every year during each of the typical restaurant slow periods (here’s looking at you August-September 15th and January 2nd - Feb 13th!) clients begin to panic just a little bit. “Sales are slow,” they’ll complain. “I’m worried about cash.” “I think I need a controller.” The good news is that as a Harmony Group client you already have a controller, and even better, you have the best CFO team in the land.

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Landon Paddock Landon Paddock

The CCPA: Estimated Quarterly Tax Payments

For people who receive primarily wages, called W-2 income, income taxes are withheld from each paycheck along with the employee’s half of the required contribution for Social Security and Medicare Taxes (for W-2 wages, the employer is responsible for the other half of FICA taxes). The net effect of this arrangement is that most taxpayers don’t have to deal with estimated tax payments.

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Landon Paddock Landon Paddock

LFTL: Service Charges and How to Use Them

Usually with Lessons From the Line we offer tips, news, and updates about our industry - this month we’d like to talk a little about the tech updates we’re undertaking here at Harmony Group to better serve you.

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Landon Paddock Landon Paddock

The CCPA: Unemployment Insurance 101

Usually with Lessons From the Line we offer tips, news, and updates about our industry - this month we’d like to talk a little about the tech updates we’re undertaking here at Harmony Group to better serve you.

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