Blog & Newsroom

Bloomberg News recently reported that according to a new survey, at least one in ten small businesses in the U.S. are expecting to lay off workers once their fiscal relief funds run out.

In another survey done by the National Federation of Independent Business, 14 percent of companies, who received a loan under the Paycheck Protection Program, anticipate having to reduce their workforce after using the loan. Among those companies, half expect to dismiss one to two employees, and 12 percent say they will likely lay off at least ten people.

Zinner & Co. has officially adopted Intuit’s QuickBooks Discontinuation policy.

If you are using QuickBooks version 2017 or older, we encourage you to upgrade to maintain compliance. This policy will maintain support for the three most recent versions of Intuit QuickBooks.

QuickBooks Desktop 2020 includes new productivity-boosting features to help you save more time and stay more organized. Some of the new/improved features include:

The Internal Revenue Service recently announced anyone, who already took a required minimum distribution (RMD) in 2020 from certain retirement accounts, now has the opportunity to roll those funds back into a retirement account following the CARES Act RMD waiver for 2020.

This 60-day rollover period for any RMDs already taken this year has been extended to Aug. 31, 2020, in order to give taxpayers time to take advantage of this opportunity.

Having been a CPA for over 30 years, I can honestly say that the last three months of my career have been some of the most challenging, but also some of the most rewarding. 

The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way that all of us work and also how we see the world.  For many years, I cherished the role of being my clients “most trusted advisor.” This meant I provided financial counsel related to income and estate tax matters and assisted in management consulting projects to help business owners maximize their profits. While all of these types of engagements brought value to the business owner, little did I know 2020 would transform my role to becoming a “front line” worker.

Since April, Zinner & Co. staff members have worked hard to maintain regular communication with their clients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During some of our conversations, we have heard many uplifting stories of how our clients are making the most of the “Stay at Home” order. Here are few stories we wanted to bring to your attention:

During the current “Stay at Home” issued by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, Zinner & Co. staff are working remotely to meet the needs of all of our clients.

Thanks to the efforts of all Ohioans, in April we have successfully “flattened the curve” and avoided overwhelming our hospitals with COVID-19 cases.

By practicing social distancing during this challenging time, you have helped to make a difference and save lives.

In late April, Gov. DeWine announced the Responsible Restart Ohio Program, which allowed healthcare institutions including hospitals, clinics, dental offices and veterinarians to begin outpatient procedures and treatments for other life threatening conditions on May 1.

Since April, Zinner & Co. staff members have held weekly Zoom meetings.

As part of the discussion, staff members talked about the “silver linings” that they have found during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are a few of the notable positive actions and thoughts to come out of these discussions:

For three Zinnner & Co. interns, their internships were ones they will likely never forget, as they had to overcome a challenging tax season.

When their internships began, Allen Li (Case Western Reserve University), Kyoko Tosi (Kent State University) and Brett Carney (CWRU) likely thought they were in for a normal tax season.

“We learned how to prepare individual tax returns and to issue the 1099 tax forms,” said Tosi. “We were provided with weeks of training, practice period and real work with senior's reviews.”

The work kept them busy as they began an in-depth journey into the world of accounting.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to plan for taxes has become even more important due to all the changes from recently passed coronavirus relief legislation and especially for those businesses seeking forgivable loans through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

While the PPP legislation was designed to help businesses weather the economic storm that many “Stay at Home" orders have created by providing funding to continue to employ workers and, the ramifications of not fully understanding the restrictions for use of these funds could ultimately cause further challenge for business owners.

Business owners and non-profits are strongly urged to reach out to their Zinner & Co. Client Service Team and should feel comfortable accessing information provided by our team of Recovery Specialists, not only in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) application process, but also in the proper documentation and accounting for loan proceeds.  

In response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Zinner & Co. LLP continues to focus on the health and safety of our staff, our clients and our community. As part of these continued efforts, we will be taking the following steps beginning on March 22 in response to Ohio’s “Stay at Home” order:

• Our office will be closed to all visitors.
• Our staff will continue to work remotely with very limited staffing of the office each day.
• Our telephones will be answered by an auto attendant. While you will have access to our company directory when calling, extension numbers are included in the email signature of all Zinner & Co. associates. Our phones will forward to our remote work locations.