Friday, October 30, 2009

Happy Halloween!!!

This year along with decorating the office and showing off our costumes, the TY team participated in a Pumpkin Decorating Contest. Everyone was given a pumpkin last week and encouraged to let their imaginations run wild. And here are the results...
1st Place - Barbara Toland
2nd Place - Tricia Millena
3rd Place - Teresa Karlson

Other creative entries...

New Publication for Unemployed

The IRS has released a new publication titled "Tax Impact of Job Loss," which discusses tax issues connected to severance pay, unemployment compensation, pension plans, job search expenses and moving costs. If you or someone you know is dealing with unemployment, you may find some useful information in the publication, available online here.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Leading the Way - Top 100

The list of the top 100 most influential people in the accounting industry was recently released. ThomasYork, LLP would like to congratulate our friends and associates that have made this prestigious list. We are proud to have worked with and learned from some of these fine people and look forward to using their experience and knowledge to assist us in creating a leading edge CPA firm. If you are interested you can use the link below to review list.
Look Inside >>
Top 100 People - 2009

Monday, October 26, 2009

AFRs for November

The Applicable Federal Rates (AFRs) for the most of November are as follows:
Annual Semiannual Quarterly Monthly
Short-term (≤ 3 years)0.71%0.71%0.71%0.71%
Mid-term (> 3 years but ≤ 9 years)2.59%2.57%2.56%2.56%
Long-term (> 9 years)4.01%3.97%3.95%3.94%

Friday, October 23, 2009

SBA training on winning federal contracts

The SBA has released its newest online course for women small business owners, titled: Winning Federal Contracts: A Guide for Women Entrepreneurs. This training is free and includes numerous resources. The SBA also has an online training program related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, titled Recovery Act Opportunities: How to Win Federal Contracts. This program is also free, and includes resources to help you understand and engage in the government’s contracting process. The program is fully automated and indexed so you can review all or only the parts you are interested in.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Governor Signs Four Critical Bills for CPAs

Glen Thomas, who is on the statewide CalCPA Society Accounting Education Committee (AEC), has been working very hard over the past three years with fellow members for the passage of SB 819. According to the CalCPA:

After 33 years, California is no longer the problem child when it comes to CPA licensing. Sunday night, Gov. Schwarzenegger signed SB 819 into law, which will require all California CPAs licensed after 2014 to have 150 hours of college education prior to licensing. CPAs licensed prior to 2014 will be grandfathered in as substantially equivalent. California should now be considered a substantially equivalent state, likely easing mobility for California CPAs providing services in other states that have adopted the new mobility provisions consistent with the Uniform Accountancy Act. Those provisions allow out-of-state CPAs to provide temporary services in those states without notifying the board of accountancy or paying a fee. This is a really big step for California CPAs. "While some of the details of the bill remain to be worked out, the passage of this legislation is historic and at long-last puts California CPAs on a level playing field with CPAs from other states who have been considered substantially equivalent for years," says CalCPA CEO Loretta Doon. "We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to our government relations team lead by Bruce Allen and Jeannie Tindel, and Paul Regan, our Government Relations Committee chair.” Doon also praised the multitude of members from students to seasoned partners who participated in CalCPA’s grassroots efforts. Those members met with legislators in their district offices, and in the Capitol, to discuss the importance of substantial equivalency and other key legislation. Additionally, the governor signed AB 138, which requires mandatory peer review for CPA firms. The peer review requirement will start in 2010, but firms don't have to provide their peer reviews until the 2011 renewal for firms with the last digits 1-33. The new law will use a phased in implementation over a three-year period. Also signed into law were AB 117, which requires license status disclosure for inactive CPAs, and AB 129, which reinstates a taxpayer privilege provision. Visit CalCPA's website to learn more about these important new laws that will pave the way for the future of the profession in California.