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Erin Carter

On April 9, 2020, the IRS issued Notice 2020-18 which provides broad extensions for filing and payment deadlines falling on or after April 1, 2020, and before July 15, 2020. The good news is this change applies to many nonprofits offering important relief.

The comprehensive nature of the Act has left many confused and wondering how their situation will be impacted. Specifically, many Atlanta nonprofits have been seeking clarification on which programs and incentives apply to them.

At the end of last year, President Trump signed the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act, which made changes to retirement saving opportunities and benefits for employees and other individuals. There has been a significant concern for some time that American’s are not saving nearly enough to fund their retirement. This is attributed to limited access to retirement plans, plans that lack automatic enrollment, poor plan education, and other saving restrictions.

As Georgia nonprofits and other tax-exempt entities return from the holidays, it’s time to settle in and get re-focused on managing various service programs and delivering needed assistance. While the last few months may have been focused on year-end financial reporting, tax planning and budget preparation for 2020, there was an important change made in 2019 impacting how nonprofits file their tax returns.

Saving for retirement is something that every individual needs to tackle especially during the prime earning years. Ensuring there is enough money available to fund spending in retirement is a necessity since the benefits offered through social security are simply insufficient to the task. While it sounds logical, there are several obstacles that have made it more difficult for retirement savings to occur.

This is a special distribution taken from a 401(k) (or other plan types) to help the participant with an immediate and heavy financial need. The need can be directly attributed to the participant or be a need of the participant’s spouse, dependent, or in some cases non-spouse or non-dependent. A hardship distribution may not exceed the amount of the participant’s need but may include the amount needed to pay for penalties and taxes which may arise.

The answer to this important question will vary between companies and industries. There are some Atlanta companies that naturally face higher fraud exposure because of the type of business, how services are delivered and where the opportunity for fraud occurs. Whatever your industry, it’s important to understand your company’s risk profile and areas of opportunity for fraudulent activities.  While most focus on growing the company through strategic planning, new business development, customer service, and account management, it’s imperative not to overlook this important exercise.

The firm will be hosting a free lunch and learn on September 27, 2019, from 11:00am -1:30pm, to be held at the Georgia Center for Nonprofits. The presentation, Understanding Your Organization’s Financial Statements, has been custom-tailored to give executives foundational knowledge on financial reporting, which includes how to assess fiscal fitness through overall strategic planning. There is no cost for the event and lunch will be provided during the session.

In Atlanta, there are many firms that can provide an audit to your nonprofit organization. After reviewing the promotional materials, websites and related messaging, it may appear they are equally qualified to manage the task. While each may meet the broad technical qualifications to conduct the audit, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are a good fit for your organization’s needs. The truth is that each organization, it’s management and Board of Directors has differing needs which some firms are better suited to manage than others. Although technical competence is certainly a necessity there are other criteria that an organization needs to assess during the proposal review stage.

The demands of managing a not-for-profit organization can be challenging. There is a need to balance the passion of accomplishing the organization’s mission and the practical requirements to ensure funding exists to fuel operations. These priorities exist against the backdrop of employee recruiting, engagement and benefits administration. To attract and retain employees (a challenge for many), several Atlanta nonprofits offer 403(b) plans as a benefit. These plans are an essential tool to help with retirement savings and require careful administration.