Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 2] 37, Ordinary and Necessary Expenses — §162

Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 2] 37, Ordinary and Necessary Expenses — §162

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The two-prong test for deductibility: an expense must be both ordinary (common in the trade) and necessary (helpful and appropriate). - How the unwritten "reasonable in amount" rule prevents deductions for lavish or extravagant expenses. - The critical difference between a currently deductible repair and a capital expenditure that must be depreciated over time. - Why expenses that violate public policy, such as government fines, penalties, and illegal payments, are never deductible. - Common exam traps involving personal expenses disguised as business costs and how to identify the primary purpose of an expense. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep

Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 2] 36, Gross Receipts and Cost of Goods Sold

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - Gross Receipts represents the total sales revenue a business receives from all sources before any expenses are subtracted. - The Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) formula is: Beginning Inventory + Purchases & Other Direct Costs - Ending Inventory. - Only direct costs, such as raw materials and direct labor, are included in COGS; indirect expenses like marketing or administrative salaries are deducted separately. - Businesses must account for inventory and calculate COGS if the production, purchase, or sale of merchandise is a significant income-producing factor. - On Schedule C for a sole proprietorship, COGS is calculated in Part III and then used in Part I to determine the business's gross profit. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep

Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 2] 35, Related-Party Transactions and §267

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - Losses on sales between related parties as defined under §267 are disallowed for the seller. - A related party buyer can use the seller's previously disallowed loss to offset a future gain on the sale of that same property. - An accrual-basis taxpayer must defer deducting an expense owed to a related cash-basis taxpayer until the recipient includes the amount in income. - Related parties include immediate family (spouses, ancestors, lineal descendants, siblings) and entities where a taxpayer has more than 50% direct or constructive ownership. - Constructive ownership rules attribute stock ownership from one family member to another, which can trigger the related-party transaction rules. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep

Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 2] 34, Tax Year Changes — Form 1128

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - Why IRS approval, requested via Form 1128, is generally required to change a tax year. - That a change in tax year creates a short-period return for the months between the old and new year-ends. - How to perform the three-step calculation to annualize income and determine the tax for a short period. - That certain corporations can receive automatic approval for a tax year change under Rev. Proc. 2006-45. - To recognize the common exam trap of forgetting to prorate the annualized tax back to the short period. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep

Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 2] 33, Form 7004 — Business Tax Extensions

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - Form 7004 provides an automatic 6-month extension to *file* for partnerships, corporations, and trusts, not an extension to *pay*. - The form must be filed by the original due date of the tax return (e.g., March 15 for S-corps/partnerships, April 15 for C-corps/trusts for calendar-year entities). - A proper, good-faith estimate of the tax liability must be paid with the extension to avoid penalties and potential invalidation of the extension. - The exam frequently tests the distinction between filing deadlines and payment deadlines, often assessing penalties from the original due date. - The mnemonic "7004 opens the filing door, but you still pay on the original floor" helps recall the core rule. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep