Cohen CPA Strategies LLC

06/03/2026

How Does The Employer Credit For Family and Medical Leave Work for DC Metro Small Businesses? https://cohencpastrategies.com/how-does-the-employer-credit-for-family-and-medical-leave-work-for-dc-metro-small-businesses/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-does-the-employer-credit-for-family-and-medical-leave-work-for-dc-metro-small-businesses&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=Sendible&utm_campaign=RSS

Lower your 2026 taxes with the employer credit for family and medical leave. See how you can claim it using your wages or insurance premiums.

06/02/2026

𝘾𝙖𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝙪𝙣𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥?

Not every internship can be unpaid. The main question is: 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵?

For an internship to be unpaid, the intern’s learning and career development needs to be the primary focus. The work should feel more like training than filling a role your business actually needs done.

A few things to think through:
• Is the training similar to what they’d get in a classroom?
• Are they learning, or mainly covering regular work?
• Are they replacing someone you’d otherwise pay?
• Is there a clear understanding that no job is promised afterward?

06/01/2026

𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣?

Some people appreciate a quick note. Others value a private conversation, a public shoutout, or clear next steps they can act on.

The same goes for recognition.

A simple “thank you” can mean a lot, but it means even more when it’s given in a way the other person actually receives well.

So here’s a good question to ask your team, your clients, or even yourself:

When someone wants to acknowledge your work, what feels most encouraging to you?

05/29/2026

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙘𝙘𝙪𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙮 𝙩𝙖𝙭𝙚𝙨?

If you rent out your home, apartment, or spare room to guests, income taxes may not be the only tax issue on the table.

Occupancy taxes are taxes charged on the rental price paid by your guest. They’re sometimes called tourist tax, hotel tax, room tax, or lodging tax.

They’re different from income tax, which is based on your profit.

The confusing part is that occupancy tax rules can change depending on your city or county. And if the tax isn’t collected and sent in correctly, the penalties can be a real problem.

Have a short-term rental or thinking about starting one? Comment “RENTAL” to get help with the tax obligations.

05/28/2026

𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙛𝙛 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙭𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚?

If your business deducted tariff payments as an expense in prior years, you may not be able to treat the refund as tax-free money when it comes back.

Most of the refund will likely need to be reported as taxable income in the year you receive it.

There’s another piece to watch too: CBP may include interest with the refund.

For tax reporting, you’ll need to separate:
• The refund principal
• The interest paid on the refund

Don’t just plan for the cash coming in. Plan for how it may show up on your tax return too. DM us if you want help getting that plan in place.

05/28/2026

How To Hire An Intern For The Summer For Your DC Metro Business

Ready to hire an intern for the summer? Learn how to correctly classify and pay your interns to stay 100% compliant with IRS rules.

05/27/2026

Google's updates to its search bar are really interesting: https://www.techbrew.com/stories/google-it-while-you-still-can

And you might be tempted to ask all kinds of tax questions with the new features. And the thing is, the answer might sound definitive in the results but actually still be wrong for your situation.

Tax questions need details that AI agents don't think to ask for.

Maybe your income changed. Maybe you got an IRS notice. Maybe you’re asking about a deduction, but the real issue is how your business is set up.

Don't rely on quick answers from Gemini when it comes to your IRS obligations.

Ask a professional you can trust (we're right here).

05/27/2026

Why Tariff Refund Claims Get Delayed for DC Metro Small Business Owners https://cohencpastrategies.com/why-tariff-refund-claims-get-delayed-for-dc-metro-small-business-owners/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=why-tariff-refund-claims-get-delayed-for-dc-metro-small-business-owners&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=Sendible&utm_campaign=RSS

Navigate 2026 tariff refund claims successfully. Avoid rejections with tips on portal setup, multi-broker tracking, audit risks, and tax implications.

05/26/2026

𝘿𝙤 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙖𝙭𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙛 𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢?

If you’re charging people to stay in your house, apartment, or even just a spare bedroom, that income may need to be reported on your tax return.

In the eyes of the IRS and state taxing authorities, you’re acting as a landlord once guests are paying to stay there.

But the tax treatment depends heavily on your personal use of the space.

Two questions to think about:
1. How many days did guests stay there?
2. How many days did you use the property yourself?

So if you’re renting out part or all of your home, don’t just look at how much money came in.

Your guest days and personal-use days matter too.

05/22/2026

"𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗜 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀?"

About 42% of full-time working Americans don’t have access to a retirement plan. And as a business owner, you have the power to influence that statistic.

If you've avoided offering a plan because of the administrative burden, it may be worth taking another look.

Under the SECURE 2.0 Act, eligible small businesses may qualify for:
1. A startup cost credit covering up to 100% of eligible administrative and employee education costs.
2. A credit that may help offset employer contributions for qualifying employees.
3. A separate credit for adding automatic enrollment.

But don’t add a retirement plan just to chase tax credits.

What we need to consider is: does the plan fit your cash flow and your long-term business goals?

Let's run the numbers and figure out whether a retirement plan makes sense for your business.