Education Commons^™

Prepaid Farm Expenses, Jeffrey E. Tranel

Rural Tax Education

Farmers and ranchers often pay for feed, supplies, fertilizer, and other inputs in one year and use those items in the following year. They may do so to pay lower prices, guarantee availability, for planning purposes, and/or other reasons.

The Internal Revenue Code allows qualified farmers and ranchers (farm-related taxpayers) to deduct the costs of such purchases in the year that the purchases are made rather than the year in which such items are used. Generally, the deduction for pre-paid farm supplies is limited to 50% of other deductible farm expenses (all schedule F deductions except supplies) for the year.

What Are Deductible Business Expenses?, Dennis Kauppila

Rural Tax Education

Farmers (and all business owners) pay income taxes based on profit. So, it is important to claim ALL legitimate business expenses to not overstate profits. On the other hand, it is illegal to deduct expenses that are not legitimate business expenses.

Estate Planning, Tamara L. Cushing

Rural Tax Education

No matter your age, as a landowner, a business person, or simply a homeowner with valuables you want to go to someone special, you should be concerned about the future of your business or the distribution of the property in question to the right individual or organization. The intent of estate planning is to plan for the successful distribution of property in accordance with the wishes of the deceased and to do so with a minimum of delay and anguish immediately after the death of an older generation. This is typically one of the most emotional times of our lives …

W-2s For Foreign Agricultural Workers, Suzy Martin

Rural Tax Education

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) clarified reporting requirements for employers of foreign agricultural workers temporarily in the United States on H-2A visas with an announcement in September 2011. Employers of foreign agricultural workers on an H-2A visa are required to file Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statements on compensation of $600 or more for these workers. Payments made to H-2A workers are exempt from Social Security and Medicare taxes. In addition, employers are not required to withhold federal income tax from the H2-A workers. State and local taxing authorities may require withholding on H2-A labor; farm employers should check on …

Conservation-Related Payments And Expenditures, George Patrick

Rural Tax Education

Concerns about soil erosion, air and water quality, wildlife habitat and environmental protection have resulted in the rapid expansion of conservation-related programs. Generally, the benefits associated with these conservation programs accrue to society as a whole, rather than just to those specific individuals who incurred costs from the implementation of a conservation-related program. For these individuals, costs may exceed benefits. To encourage increased participation in conservation-related activities, payments may be made to producers, rural landowners, and others by federal, state, and local governments and private institutions.

This fact sheet identifies six types of conservation-related payments and expenditures and discusses how …

What Is Farming? Does Reporting Matter?, George Patrick

Rural Tax Education

Many rural families combine a number of economic activities to generate additional family income. Farm production activities may be combined with full-time employment in farming or in the non-farm sector. Part-time employment may involve several seasonal jobs during the year or a part-time job throughout the year.

Generally, an employed individual will receive a Form W-2 reporting the wages received and taxes withheld. In other situations, the individual may be contracted to perform a specified task or provide a service and properly receive a Form 1099-MISC. The individual generally has responsibility for paying the self-employment tax as well as the …

2012 Federal Tax Forms Used By Beginning Farmers And Ranchers, Jc Hobbs

Rural Tax Education

This article provides a list of business and personal tax forms and schedules which farmers and ranchers may experience when filing their annual income tax return. This publication does NOT cover the rules that apply for each of these forms. For a more complete list of forms and publications visit the IRS Forms and Publications website at: http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/article/0,,id=232801,00.html for the most current forms and publications.

Basis, Dennis Kauppila

Rural Tax Education

Basis is a short version of the term ‘Adjusted Tax Basis.’ Basis measures an owner’s investment in an asset. Usually basis decreases each year by the amount of depreciation taken on the asset. When it comes time to sell an asset, basis is just about the only thing that can lower the tax bill. Gains (which are taxable) are figured using basis, so keeping track of the adjusted tax basis of assets is important. This is how basis is used to figure a gain:

Sales Price - Basis = Gain.

Time Value Of Money, Warren Lee

Rural Tax Education

The outcomes of most business decisions occur over an extended period of time, often several years. Thus, most decisions should be analyzed using the concept of time value of money. The time value of money is the general universal preference for “a dollar in hand today is worth more than the prospect of receiving a dollar on some future date”.

It is generally accepted that if you were offered a choice of two alternatives, a gift of $1,000 today or a gift of $1,000 on some future date, such as one year from now, you would elect to receive the …

Lease Vs. Purchase Of Machinery, Warren Lee

Rural Tax Education

Leasing or purchasing of machinery and equipment represent alternative ways for farm operators to acquire assets for agricultural production. Leasing has increased in popularity with agricultural producers. Manufacturers and financial institutions view leasing and selling equipment as alternative means to generate business. By comparing the net present value of the after-tax costs, farmers can determine the least expensive way to acquire machinery or other assets in the farmer’s specific situation. Key factors in the lease vs. purchase decision are the interest rate on loans, lease payments, the taxpayer’s marginal tax rate, and the taxpayer’s after-tax discount rate that reflects …

Net Operating Losses, Philip E. Harris

Rural Tax Education

Weather, disease and variable prices for inputs and commodities cause farmer’s income to fluctuate from one year to the next. Farmers can minimize their income tax liability by managing the timing of their income and deductions to keep their taxable income level. In some cases, the leveling technique is not enough to avoid a spike in taxable income or a dip that causes taxable income to go below zero. The tax effect of the spikes can be minimized with income averaging rules. The tax effect of the dips below zero can be managed with the net operating loss (NOL) rules …

Alternative Minimum Tax, Philip E. Harris

Rural Tax Education

Congress imposes the alternative minimum tax (AMT) on taxpayers to prevent them from combining several tax exclusions, deductions and credits to pay very little or no federal income tax even though they have significant income. When it was first enacted in 1969, the AMT affected only a few, very high-income taxpayers. Since it was first imposed, changes to the regular tax rules cause many more taxpayers to pay the AMT. This fact sheet gives a basic explanation of the AMT, some examples of situations that cause taxpayers to pay it, and some planning techniques to minimize the impact of the …

Sale Of Business Property, Guido Van Der Hoeven

Rural Tax Education

During the course of operating a farm or ranch business, producers will dispose of property (e.g., livestock, equipment, real estate, etc.) used in the business. This can occur in a variety of ways with two common methods being sales of assets and trading (like-kind exchange) of property. The purpose of this fact sheet is to discuss and illustrate correct income tax reporting when business assets are sold.

This discussion also addresses, for income tax purposes, different types of business assets and their tax treatment upon selling them. One common example is the sale of cull breeding animals that were raised …

Like-Kind Exchange (Trade) Of Business Assets, Guido Van Der Hoeven

Rural Tax Education

During the course of operating a farm or ranching business, operators will dispose of property used in the business. Disposition can occur in a variety of ways. A sale and/or trade (like-kind exchange) of property are two common methods of disposition. The purpose of this discussion is to illustrate correct income tax reporting procedures when business properties are disposed of over the course of time through like-kind exchanges.

This discussion will focus on the like-kind exchange of tangible personal property (i.e. equipment and vehicles) commonly known as trade-ins. The point of the discussion is to bring readers a better understanding …

Farm, Farming And Who’S A Farmer For Tax Purposes, Guido Van Der Hoeven

Rural Tax Education

Meeting the qualifications of farming and being a farmer under the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) allows for special benefits; however, not all agricultural producers meet these qualifications even if they are producing agricultural products, which is why it is vitally important for operators of farms and their tax professionals to understand the IRS tax definitions of farm, farming and farmer. One of the benefits of being classified as a farmer is the exclusion of certain receipts from income as in the case of conservation payments as allowed under IRC Section 175.

Operators of farming businesses may associate the term farmer …

Choices For Your Farm Operating Loss, George F. Patrick

Rural Tax Education

Many young or beginning farmers may find that their projected farm expenses exceed anticipated farm receipts for the current tax year. These farm losses may be experienced during a start-up period. However other losses may be the result of unexpected events. For some producers, farm losses may generate cash inflows in the form of tax refunds. Tax law allows choices with respect to farm losses. Farm losses realized in one tax year may be carried back 2 years or 5 years1 to obtain refunds of taxes previously paid. If the loss is not carried back, or if the full loss …

Form 1099 Information Returns, Jerry S. Pierce Jr.

Rural Tax Education

The 1099 tax form is used to report various forms of income (other than wages, salaries, and tips) to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and to the recipient of the payment. Agriculture producers may both receive Form 1099 information returns and be required to issue them. The Form notifies the IRS and the recipient of the payment. The IRS will then look for the amounts from the Form 1099s to show up on the recipient’s Federal tax return. This article covers many 1099s that producers may encounter.

Going Public: What Writing Programs Learn From Engagement, Shirley K. Rose, Irwin Weiser

All USU Press Publications

An important new resource for WPA preparation courses. In Going Public, Rose and Weiser moderate a discussion of the role of the writing program vis-a-vis the engagement movement, the service learning movement, and the current interest in public discourse/civic rhetoric among scholars of rhetoric and composition. While there have been a number of publications describing service-learning and community leadership programs, most of these focus on curricular elements and address administrative issues primarily from a curricular perspective. The emphasis of Going Public is on the ways that engagement-focused programs change conceptions of WPA identity. Writing programs are typically situated at points …

What We Are Becoming: Developments In Undergraduate Writing Majors, Greg A. Giberson, Thomas A. Moriarty

All USU Press Publications

Greg Giberson and Tom Moriarty have collected a rich volume that offers a state-of-the-field look at the question of the undergraduate writing major, a vital issue for compositionists as the discipline continues to evolve. What We Are Becoming provides an indispensable resource for departments and WPAs who are building undergraduate majors. Contributors to the volume address a range of vital questions for undergraduate programs, including such issues as the competition for majors within departments, the job market for undergraduates, varying focuses and curricula of such majors, and the formation of them in departments separate from English. Other chapters discuss the …

The Activist Wpa: Changing Stories About Writing And Writers, Linda Adler-Kassner

All USU Press Publications

One wonders if there is any academic field that doesn't suffer from the way it is portrayed by the media, by politicians, by pundits and other publics. How well scholars in a discipline articulate their own definition can influence not only issues of image but the very success of the discipline in serving students and its other constituencies. The Activist WPA is an effort to address this range of issues for the field of English composition in the aftermath of No Child Left Behind and the Spellings Commission. Drawing on recent developments in framing theory and the resurgent traditions of …

Noise From The Writing Center, Elizabeth H. Boquet

All USU Press Publications

In Noise from the Writing Center, Boquet develops a theory of "noise" and excess as an important element of difference between the pedagogy of writing centers and the academy in general. Addressing administrative issues, Boquet strains against the bean-counting anxiety that seems to drive so much of writing center administration. Pedagogically, she urges a more courageous practice, developed via metaphors of music and improvisation, and argues for "noise," excess, and performance as uniquely appropriate to the education of writers and tutors in the center. Personal, even irreverent in style, Boquet is also theoretically sophisticated, and she draws from an eclectic …