Article Highlights: Daycare Providers Simplified Food DeductionSpecial Rules for Business Use of the Provider’s HomeHome Sale Consequences Other ExpensesOther Daycare Provider IssuesDaycare User CreditEmployer Dependent Care Benefits Other Credit Criteria When discussing daycare for children so their parents can work, there are two primary areas of discussion: one from the viewpoint of the individual providing [...]
Article Highlights: Self-employed IndividualsEstimated TaxesSelf-Employment Tax Estimated Tax Safe Harbors1099-MISC and 1099-KOthers Subject to Self-employment Taxincome Not Subject to Self-employment Tax Self-employed individuals, unlike employees, don’t have someone withholding Social Security or Medicare (FICA) taxes along with pre-payments toward their federal (and state, where applicable) income tax from their wages during the year. They are [...]
Article Highlights: Purpose of the Earned Income Tax CreditQualifications Earned IncomeQualified ChildCredit Phaseout Computing the CreditInvestment Income LimitCombat Pay ElectionFraudSafeguards Any discussion of the earned income tax credit (EITC) needs to begin with a discussion of why Congress created it in the first place. It has a twofold purpose: first, as an incentive for people [...]
Article Highlights: Hobby LossesNot-for-Profit RulesDetermining Factors Trade or Business PresumptionHobby Tax ReportingSelf-Employment Tax Generally, when individuals have a hobby, they have it because they enjoy it and are not involved in their hobby with the goal of making money. In fact, most hobbies never make money or don’t even create any income, for that matter. [...]
Congratulations, you made it to half a century! Your fifties can be a tumultuous time: Not having to work anymore sounds like a dream, but you might be concerned you don't have enough saved for retirement. Those concerns definitely aren't unfounded as 40 million households in America have no retirement savings at all. Additionally, the Federal [...]
Article Highlights: Employee Stock OptionsStock Option Terminology Incentive Stock OptionsNon-qualified Stock OptionsTax Strategies If you are an employee of a corporation, as an incentive to continue employment, the company may offer you the option to purchase shares of the corporation at a fixed price at some future date so that you can benefit from your [...]
Entrepreneurs don't necessarily need to be numbers people in order to succeed: You need drive, passion, the ability and will to follow things through, and the hustler's spirit that enables you to constantly try that new thing or relentlessly chase that next big opportunity. But whether you're a serial entrepreneur or simply looking to grow [...]
Article Highlights: Custodial ParentDependency ReleaseJoint CustodyTiebreaker RulesChild's ExemptionHead of Household Filing StatusTuition CreditChild Care CreditChild Tax CreditEarned Income Tax Credit If you are a divorced or separated parent with children, a commonly encountered but often misunderstood issue is who claims the child or children for tax purposes. This is sometimes a hotly disputed issue between [...]
Article Highlights: Limitation to Losses within Disaster AreasCost versus Market ValueHome Tax LossesHome Tax GainsReplacement PropertiesHome Gain Exclusion The late-2017 tax-reform package changed the rules for personal casualty losses, which now are only deductible if they occur in a federally declared disaster area. As a result, if a home is destroyed in a forest fire [...]
Article Highlights: Reason for ConversionBasisDepreciationCash Flow versus Tax Profit or Loss Passive LossesHome Gain Exclusion There are many reasons to convert a home into a rental, such as to ensure that a prior home produces income and appreciation after the owner buys a new home; to maximize the tax benefits for an elderly person who [...]
