Travel to high-cost locations is $309 ($297 prior year)
Travel to other locations is $214 ($204 prior year)
Incidental expense stay is the same at $5 per day, regardless of location
*Taxpayers in the transportation industry are subject to special rates
New Business Travel Per Diem Rates Announced for 2023-2024
November 1, 2023 · Blog, Tax and Financial News, Uncategorized
⏱ 3 min read
New per diem rates were recently announced by the IRS and are effective for per diem allowances on or after Oct. 1, 2023. These updated rates include changes for the transportation industry, incidental expenses as well as the high-low substantiation method. Before we dive into the detailed changes impacting per diem rates, let’s revisit the concept of the per diem in general.
To Per Diem or Not to Per Diem
There are two basic ways that employees can be reimbursed for business travel expenses. The first is a direct reimbursement of the actual expenses. The second is the per diem method.
Direct actual expense reimbursement is exactly what it sounds like. For example, a sales employee pays for a plane ticket and meals during a customer visit and then submits an expense report with the receipts as backup. Typically, a company will have a travel and expense policy that limits the expenses allowed – no Michelin star restaurants or first-class flights, for example. Other than this, direct expense reimbursement is simple and straightforward.
The second expense reimbursement method is called the per diem method. The per diem method is basically a pre-package policy of controls for both spending and tax purposes.
Fundamentals of Per Diems
Per diem is Latin for the term for each day. In practice, it is a daily allowance granted to each employee. It covers travel and related business expenses, allowing a fixed amount to cover business travel expenses.
Per diem policies can cover only three types of expenses: lodging, meals, and incidentals (anything else must be directly reimbursed). A per diem policy does not need to cover all three, however. An employer can use the per diem only for meals, for example, and deal with lodging under the direct actual expense reimbursement method. Also, the per diem method cannot cover transportation expenses or mileage reimbursement.
Taxation of Per Diems
Per diems are generally not taxable, and no withholding tax on the payments is necessary. The exception to this is if an employee does not provide or provides incomplete expense report information – or if you give the employee a flat amount that is in excess of the maximum allowance (with the excess being taxable).
Two Types of Per Diems
Per diem rates can be determined in one of two ways: either the standard rate or using the high-low method.
The standard rate is a fixed rate, whereas the high-low method is based on the cost of living being higher or lower in different locales. Under the high-low method, for example, Boston gets a higher reimbursement than Des Moines to account for this.
2023-2024 Rate Updates
The IRS updates the per diem rates every year. The 2023-2024 rates took effect Oct.1, 2023. They are as follows:*
Travel to high-cost locations is $309 ($297 prior year)
Travel to other locations is $214 ($204 prior year)
Incidental expense stay is the same at $5 per day, regardless of location
*Taxpayers in the transportation industry are subject to special rates
Disclaimer
These articles provide general information on tax, accounting, and financial topics for small businesses and individuals. They are educational in nature and are not specific legal, accounting, financial, tax, or other professional advice, and should not be relied upon as such. This content was prepared by Service2Client and may have been reviewed or edited by the website owner for accuracy and compliance. Look for a trust mark below for verification details. No representation is made that any approach described will achieve a particular result, and no regulatory or professional body has reviewed or endorsed this content. Because each situation is different, readers should consult a qualified professional about their specific circumstances before acting. Images accompanying these articles are protected by copyright and may not be copied or reused.
Catch up on retirement savings. If you’re over age 50, you can make something called “catch-up contributions.” You can increase your 401(k) salary deferrals by up to $30,000 and up to $7,500 in your IRA. Look into this ASAP. The more you contribute, the more you’ll close the gap between what you have and what you’ll need.
Put together a sample budget. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a household run by someone aged 65+ spends on average $4,345 a month, which is about $52,141 a year. Given this fact, it makes sense to take a look at your budget to see where you can cut back. Do you have numerous streaming services or magazine subscriptions? Can you use public transportation instead of driving? Must you buy name brands at the grocery store or would generic suffice? Review several months of expenses and ask yourself these types of questions. You might be surprised at what you discover and how you can save.
Utilize your Health Savings Account (HSA). This is a great tool to help you prep for health care costs when you retire. Once you enroll in Medicare at 65, you can still use your HSA investments, even if you no longer qualify to contribute. But you can get started on this early. Once you’re 55, you can contribute an extra $1,000 to your HSA each year on top of the maximum amount you’re using to catch up.
Consider part-time work. Having some supplemental income is a great idea when you retire. You’ll not only keep busy, which for some is critical, but also generate extra cash. You might even start a small business. What is it that you’ve always wanted to do? What are you passionate about? These questions are worth exploring.
Move to a less expensive city. There are some states that are simply less costly. And when you’re downsizing, which lots of people do when they retire, it makes a difference in your quality of life. For instance, Montana doesn’t have any sales tax, and state taxes are 33 percent less than the U.S. average. Here are a few others to consider.
These are just a few of the things you can do to prepare for one of the most important seasons of your life. No matter when or how you decide to retire, in the long run, it pays to start thinking about it before these years are even on the horizon.
November 1, 2023 · Blog, Tip of the Month, Uncategorized
⏱ 3 min read
Next year, something called Peak 65 is happening. This moniker refers to the fact that more Americans will reach the traditional retirement age of 65 in the same year than at any time in history. Crazy, right? However, many of these people don’t feel like they’ve saved enough to live comfortably after they retire. Here are some ways to maximize your savings and cut costs so you can be prepared and retire with less financial worry.
Use a retirement calculator. This is key. You’ll be able to see if what you have in retirement so far will be enough to actually live on. Here’s the tool. Once you know where you are, you’ll be able to determine your financial goals.
Catch up on retirement savings. If you’re over age 50, you can make something called “catch-up contributions.” You can increase your 401(k) salary deferrals by up to $30,000 and up to $7,500 in your IRA. Look into this ASAP. The more you contribute, the more you’ll close the gap between what you have and what you’ll need.
Put together a sample budget. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a household run by someone aged 65+ spends on average $4,345 a month, which is about $52,141 a year. Given this fact, it makes sense to take a look at your budget to see where you can cut back. Do you have numerous streaming services or magazine subscriptions? Can you use public transportation instead of driving? Must you buy name brands at the grocery store or would generic suffice? Review several months of expenses and ask yourself these types of questions. You might be surprised at what you discover and how you can save.
Utilize your Health Savings Account (HSA). This is a great tool to help you prep for health care costs when you retire. Once you enroll in Medicare at 65, you can still use your HSA investments, even if you no longer qualify to contribute. But you can get started on this early. Once you’re 55, you can contribute an extra $1,000 to your HSA each year on top of the maximum amount you’re using to catch up.
Consider part-time work. Having some supplemental income is a great idea when you retire. You’ll not only keep busy, which for some is critical, but also generate extra cash. You might even start a small business. What is it that you’ve always wanted to do? What are you passionate about? These questions are worth exploring.
Move to a less expensive city. There are some states that are simply less costly. And when you’re downsizing, which lots of people do when they retire, it makes a difference in your quality of life. For instance, Montana doesn’t have any sales tax, and state taxes are 33 percent less than the U.S. average. Here are a few others to consider.
These are just a few of the things you can do to prepare for one of the most important seasons of your life. No matter when or how you decide to retire, in the long run, it pays to start thinking about it before these years are even on the horizon.
These articles provide general information on tax, accounting, and financial topics for small businesses and individuals. They are educational in nature and are not specific legal, accounting, financial, tax, or other professional advice, and should not be relied upon as such. This content was prepared by Service2Client and may have been reviewed or edited by the website owner for accuracy and compliance. Look for a trust mark below for verification details. No representation is made that any approach described will achieve a particular result, and no regulatory or professional body has reviewed or endorsed this content. Because each situation is different, readers should consult a qualified professional about their specific circumstances before acting. Images accompanying these articles are protected by copyright and may not be copied or reused.
This is a snapshot of a company’s profitability. It’s a way for companies to track revenue generation over a short or long period. With this information, a company or investor can analyze the business’s past and present performance. It can help determine whether or not the business needs to re-evaluate its operations and product models or if an investor should invest in a company.
When it comes to evaluating an investment, if one company in a specific industry is generating an ARPU of $5 and another company is generating an ARPU of $3, the first company could be a more attractive investment. Similarly, if the trend of a company’s ARPU is increasing, it’s worth looking at how the company’s stock has performed. Additional investment research can determine how the company’s stock price is appreciated.
Average Revenue Per Paying User (ARPPU)
ARPPU is used to determine the average revenue from a company’s paying customers only. To contrast this measurement type, ARPU factors in all users.
Assume the following: A business had revenue of $2 million, an average user base of 1 million, and an ARPU of $2.
If, however, we’re looking at the ARPPU, we need to take out the non-paying user base. If the non-paying user base is determined to be 425,000, the remaining paying base is 575,000. Use the following formula to calculate ARPPU:
ARPPU = Period of Recurring Revenue/Active Paying Users during the same measurement period
ARPPU = $2 million/575,000 = $3.48 per active paying user
Interpreting ARPPU
When the ARPPU is low, this indicates the business’ products or services aren’t well received by customers and those to whom it is marketing. A higher ARPPU indicates a company’s marketing efforts, products, and services are received well by customers. Similar to ARPU, results from ARPPU can be analyzed for trends to see when products or services are well received; and then investigated to determine whether it is influenced by the sales and marketing, customer service, product quality, etc.
Whichever way a business analyzes its sales and revenue generation processes, taking multiple approaches can provide different perspectives to help owners and employees determine when and where to make improvements to its operations.
Two Ways to Measure Revenue Per User
November 1, 2023 · Blog, General Business News, Uncategorized
⏱ 3 min read
When it comes to measuring revenue, it’s essential that businesses analyze it from a variety of perspectives. While there’s revenue and net income on an income statement to show a company’s quarterly financials, another way to measure it is through ARPU (average revenue per user) and ARPPU (average revenue per paying user).
Defining ARPU
ARPU is the average revenue per customer or per unit. It looks at how much revenue is earned over a particular timeframe (multiple times a month, quarter, half-year, or 12 months) divided by the average patron during the same timeframe. This can be applied to many different types of companies, including social media and software as a service (SaaS). It’s calculated as follows:
ARPU = Total revenue/Average units or subscribers
ARPU = $10,000,000/100,000 = $100
Interpreting ARPU
This is a snapshot of a company’s profitability. It’s a way for companies to track revenue generation over a short or long period. With this information, a company or investor can analyze the business’s past and present performance. It can help determine whether or not the business needs to re-evaluate its operations and product models or if an investor should invest in a company.
When it comes to evaluating an investment, if one company in a specific industry is generating an ARPU of $5 and another company is generating an ARPU of $3, the first company could be a more attractive investment. Similarly, if the trend of a company’s ARPU is increasing, it’s worth looking at how the company’s stock has performed. Additional investment research can determine how the company’s stock price is appreciated.
Average Revenue Per Paying User (ARPPU)
ARPPU is used to determine the average revenue from a company’s paying customers only. To contrast this measurement type, ARPU factors in all users.
Assume the following: A business had revenue of $2 million, an average user base of 1 million, and an ARPU of $2.
If, however, we’re looking at the ARPPU, we need to take out the non-paying user base. If the non-paying user base is determined to be 425,000, the remaining paying base is 575,000. Use the following formula to calculate ARPPU:
ARPPU = Period of Recurring Revenue/Active Paying Users during the same measurement period
ARPPU = $2 million/575,000 = $3.48 per active paying user
Interpreting ARPPU
When the ARPPU is low, this indicates the business’ products or services aren’t well received by customers and those to whom it is marketing. A higher ARPPU indicates a company’s marketing efforts, products, and services are received well by customers. Similar to ARPU, results from ARPPU can be analyzed for trends to see when products or services are well received; and then investigated to determine whether it is influenced by the sales and marketing, customer service, product quality, etc.
Whichever way a business analyzes its sales and revenue generation processes, taking multiple approaches can provide different perspectives to help owners and employees determine when and where to make improvements to its operations.
Disclaimer
These articles provide general information on tax, accounting, and financial topics for small businesses and individuals. They are educational in nature and are not specific legal, accounting, financial, tax, or other professional advice, and should not be relied upon as such. This content was prepared by Service2Client and may have been reviewed or edited by the website owner for accuracy and compliance. Look for a trust mark below for verification details. No representation is made that any approach described will achieve a particular result, and no regulatory or professional body has reviewed or endorsed this content. Because each situation is different, readers should consult a qualified professional about their specific circumstances before acting. Images accompanying these articles are protected by copyright and may not be copied or reused.
Every year, the IRS announces annual inflation adjustments related to tax rate schedules, deductions, cost-of-living adjustments, etc. What many taxpayers do not realize is that they also adjust the cost of fines and penalties as well. This means that the penalties for late filings and missing tax forms are getting more expensive. In this article, we will look at the penalties for failing to file various types of tax returns as well as failing to file certain types of forms.
