ABC Dearborn Health Charges on AMEX

H, just had Neal sign a check to you for $1279.20. Charge from Budget for the Ticket was $225.00 on 18Oct. I now see, after having done that, that they refunded $25 on 18Nov (that AMEX statement has not closed or been accounted for in QuickBooks). On top of that, your health club continues to charge the Firm's AMEX. That does not come off of the taxes - health benefits must be in the employee paycheck in order to be used for tax purposes. The Dearborn Health Club is currently just a miscellaneous charge each month without any tax benefit.

That is why the entire Firm is receiving $40 each month as health benefits to compensate for gym memberships. You have been receiving that extra $40 a month since July (after receiving a lump sum in July for the Jan - July health benefit). However, the Firm has been paying $59 a month since July for your Dearborn Health club fees. So, in affect, you have been being paid $99 a month while everyone else is only getting $40. I compensated for the Dearborn Health club charges Jan - July in your july paycheck by paying you an extra $280.00 for that time period so it gets counted for taxes. I also deleted $413.00 for the $59 a month for the Jan - July Dearborn Health charges on the AMEX.

I requested you remove the Dearborn Health Club from the AMEX charges in July, August and September. In your 7 Oct pay, I deducted the Aug/Sep $59 charges = $118.

You still have not removed the Dearborn Health Club from the AMEX and now there have been Oct and Nov charges. Please remove the Dearborn Health Club from the AMEX before you leave for Lebanon. The Charges are on the 15th of each of month.

Bottomline: The Firm owes you $25 for the Budget Parking Ticket refund; Your double health club compensation amounts to $118 owed to the Firm for Oct and November, or if you don't remove the Dearborn Health Club from the AMEX before the 15th of December the total will be $177.00.

This makes bookkeeping more difficult when personal charges are made on the AMEX and then there is a calculation required to compensate for it. The new bookkeeper will not deal with this except with very strick bookkeeping rules. I am trying to correct the books before 31 Dec and establish the procedures to request reimbursements and the procedures to provide the information needed established so a new bookkeeper can do the books in the minimum amount of time without costing the Firm too much in excess time while they figure out a unique or unusual issue. (Such as the Dearborn Health Club charges). The books need to be cleaned up and perfect to make sure you and Neal are in the best possible position for the taxes at the end of the year.

Thanks, M