Archive for Tax Planning

When to Claim a Disaster Loss

Article Highlights: Disaster Losses Elections Net Operating Loss AGI Limitations Possible Gain With the wild fires and draught in the West and flooding on the East Coast, we have had a number of presidentially declared disaster areas this year. If you were an unlucky victim and suffered a loss as a result of a casualty, […]

Increase Your Withholding to Avoid Underpayment Penalties

Article Highlights: Withholding Estimated Tax Payments Underpayment Penalties Safe Harbor Payments Withholding Strategy Uncle Sam considers our tax system a “pay-as-you-go” system and expects taxpayers to prepay taxes on income as they receive it throughout the year. Taxes are prepaid through withholding and by estimated tax payments. Since withholding is not an exact science and […]

Facing a Huge Gain from a Realty Sale?

Article Highlights: Adjusted Basis Acquisition Value Passive Loss Carryovers Installment Sale Tax-Deferred Exchange Tax on Net Investment Income 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 […]

Tax Benefits for People With Disabilities

Article Highlights: Able Accounts Disabled Spouse or Dependent Care Credit Medical Deductions Home Modifications Special Schooling Nursing Services The code includes a number of benefits for individuals with disabilities, but you can’t take advantage of these benefits unless you know about them and understand how they might benefit you and your special circumstances. Many of […]

Should You Itemize Your Deductions for Taxes?

Article Highlights: Who Qualifies for the Standard Deduction Who Is Not Allowed to Use the Standard Deduction Income Limitations for Itemized Deductions Phase-out of Itemized Deductions Looking ahead to the filing season for this year’s tax returns, a frequent question is whether you should keep track of tax-deductible expenditures or simply settle for the standard […]

Retirement Plan Distribution Pitfalls

Article Highlights: Distribution Hazards Trustee-to-Trustee Transfers Rollovers Taxability Withholding Requirements Early Withdrawal Penalty When an individual retires or leaves an employer’s service, the individual will be required to take a distribution from the employer’s retirement plan (if the employer had a plan). Depending on the employee’s age and the plan’s terms, a distribution may not […]

Gifting Money or Property Can Have Serious Tax Consequences

Article Highlights: Gift and Inheritance Tax Lifetime Exclusion Annual Exclusion Gift and Inheritance Basis Issues Additional Tuition & Medical Exclusion Gift and inheritance taxes were created long ago to prevent an individual’s assets from being passed on to future generations free of tax. Congress has frequently tinkered with these taxes, and currently the gift and […]

Accounting Terms: Understanding the accounting term EBITDA and how to use it.

The accounting term EBITDA is an acronym that is widely used. It stands for Earnings Before Interest, Taxation, Depreciation, and Amortization, and it is an extremely helpful tool for understanding how one business or industry is faring based on comparing it to others that are doing the same thing. EBITDA’s value lies in the fact […]

Is Your Hobby a For-Profit Endeavor?

Whether an activity is a hobby or a business may not be apparent to the customers of the endeavor, but distinguishing the difference is necessary for tax purposes because the tax treatments are substantially different. The IRS provides appropriate guidelines when determining whether an activity is engaged in for profit, such as a business or […]

Tax Penalty For Not Having Insurance Ratchets Up In 2015

The penalty for not having minimum essential health insurance for yourself and other members of your tax family takes a substantial jump in 2015. For 2014, the penalty was the greater of the flat dollar amount ($95 for each adult plus $47.50 for each child under age 18, but no more than $285) or 1% of your household income […]