August 12 - Report Tips to Employer If you are an employee who works for tips and received more than $20 in tips during July, you are required to report them to your employer on IRS Form 4070 no later than August 12. Your employer is required to withhold FICA taxes and income tax withholding [...]
According to one recent study, the vast majority of Americans who are between the ages of 55 and 64 say that they have only saved, on average, about 12% of what they'll need to live out their retirement years in comfort. Things have gotten so severe that experts believe that about 64% of working aged [...]
First, don’t panic. Audits are relatively rare, as fewer than 1% of taxpayers grouped by income level will get that dreaded notice on IRS letterhead. Per the linked statistics, for the average American who earned $50‒70K per year, only about half a percent of those tax returns got audited. If you made between $25‒50K or between $75‒100K, [...]
In the largest possible sense, handling the cash flow for your new business is exactly what it sounds like ‒ you're trying to get the clearest level of visibility into "money coming in versus money going out" as possible. But managing cash flow is also about a lot more than that, too. It's about making [...]
Article Highlights: Home Equity LoanHome Equity Interest DeductionAlternative Minimum TaxAbove-the-Line Interest DeductionQualified Expenses If you are considering borrowing funds to finance your college education or that of your spouse or children, it is important that you understand that the student loan interest deduction is not limited to the interest paid on government student loans. In [...]
Article Highlights Higher Standard DeductionIRA OptionsSelf-Employed ParentEmploying Your ChildTax Benefits Children who are dependents of their parents are subject to what is commonly referred to as the kiddie tax. This generally applies to children under the age of 19 and full-time students over the age of 18 and under the age of 24. The kiddie [...]
Article Highlights: QualificationsActual Expense MethodSimplified MethodHome Office Expenses for Renters vs. HomeownersHow Moving Affects the Home-Office DeductionOther IssuesGross Income Limitation "Home office" is a type of tax deduction that applies to the business use of a home; the space itself may not actually be an office, it could be a modern studio shed in the [...]
Article Highlights: Expiring ITINsIRS Currently Accepting Renewal ApplicationsFamily Renewal OptionsHow to Renew Common Errors to Avoid According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), just about 2 million Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) are set to expire at the end of 2019. ITINs are used by people who have tax filing or payment obligations under U.S. [...]
Article Highlights: Adjusted BasisPassive Loss CarryoversInstallment SaleTax-Deferred ExchangeTax on Net Investment IncomeQualified Opportunity FundHome Sale Exclusion If you are contemplating selling real estate property, there are a number of issues that could impact the taxes that you might owe, and there are steps you can take to minimize the gain, defer the gain, or spread [...]
Article Highlights: • Solar Credit • Plug-In Electric Vehicle Credit • Penalty for Not Having Health Insurance • Medical Deduction Restrictions • New Alimony Rules • Standard Deduction Increase • Increased Retirement Contributions • Federal Tax Brackets Increase You have your 2018 tax return filed, or perhaps on extension, and now it is time to [...]
