The IRS recently released its annual list of "Dirty Dozen” tax scams to watch out for in 2017. Here is a rundown gleaned from the IRS’ summary. 1. Phishing: Be on guard against fake e-mails or websites looking to steal personal information. Do not click on e-mails claiming to come from the IRS. 2. Telephone scams: [...]
For a small-business owner who works out of his or her personal residence, a home-office deduction can provide significant tax savings, year in and year out. But keeping detailed records is critical. Although you may elect to use a simplified method for deducting home-office expenses on your 2015 tax return, the actual expense method usually [...]
How will you ever save enough money to pay for your children’s college educations? There are no absolute guarantees, but Section 529 plans may help you set aside funds, up to generous limits. Here are the answers to several common questions on this subject. What exactly is a Section 529 plan? Named after the tax [...]
Even though you just put your 2016 tax return to bed, you cannot rest easy. It is already time to pay attention to your tax liability for 2017. Significantly, you may be required to pay installments of “estimated tax” for this year, especially if you are self-employed or retired. The next due date for quarterly [...]
Benefit from a rollover to an IRA If you receive a distribution from an employer’s retirement plan, such as a 401(k), you are generally required to pay ordinary income tax on the payout. However, with a timely maneuver, you can continue to postpone paying the tax until you are ready to make withdrawals. Basic rules: [...]
As we near the end of tax filing season, you might be looking to increase the number of itemized deductions you can use to offset highly taxed ordinary income. What about the grab bag of expenses known as miscellaneous expenses? If you qualify, you might be able to deduct a portion of those expenses on [...]
Did you use your vehicle for business driving in 2016? Generally, you can deduct expenses on your tax return in one of two ways: the actual expense method or the IRS-approved standard mileage rate. Here is a brief comparison: Actual expense method: As the name implies, you can deduct actual expenses attributable to business use [...]
How to maximize the tax benefits The summer rental season is about to kick off. If you own a vacation home in a resort area that you rent out while your family is not using it, you may be in line for valuable tax deductions. In fact, you might even qualify for a tax loss [...]
Are you pulling your hair out right now trying to figure out a tax deduction from a credit? Or worse, do I need file a separate business tax form for your new LLC? According to a recent NerdWallet survey, you are not alone. Out of eight questions about IRS rules for common deductions, retirement, and [...]
Tax return benefits for the family Are you entitled to personal and dependency exemptions on your tax return? It might be the last year you can claim the exemption for someone—say, a child graduating from college—or exemptions may be eliminated altogether by tax reforms that could be coming in conjunction with proposed rate cuts. At [...]