Archive for Tax Planning
Home Affordable Modification Program
To help financially distressed homeowners lower their monthly mortgage payments, the Dept. of the Treasury and the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) established HAMP. In appropriate cases, HAMP has been offering the Principal Reduction Alternative (PRA) as part of a HAMP loan modification since the last quarter of 2010. Current plans call for […]
IRS Introduces New Safe Harbor Home Office Deduction
Effective for tax years beginning in 2013, taxpayers can elect a simplified deduction for the business use of their home. The deduction is $5 per square foot with a maximum square footage of 300. Thus, the maximum deduction is $1,500 per year. Here are the details of this simplified method: Annual Election – A taxpayer may […]
Has Your 2012 Roth-Converted IRA Declined in Value?
If you converted your traditional IRA to a Roth IRA in 2012 and paid (or will pay) the tax on the conversion and then watched the value of the account decrease due to an unexpected poor investment performance, you still have an opportunity to do something about it. If you filed your return on time or are […]
Tax Tips for Recently Married Taxpayers
If you got married during 2012, here are some post-marriage tips to help you avoid stress at tax time. Notify the Social Security Administration ? Report any name change to the Social Security Administration so that your name and SSN will match when filing your next tax return. Informing the SSA of a name change is […]
Energy Costs Rise as Tax Incentives Fade
With energy costs skyrocketing, you would think that the federal government would come up with some tax incentives aimed at curbing the consumption of energy. However, on the consumer end of taxes, the incentives are actually fading away. Apparently, federal lawmakers and administrators believe the high cost of energy itself is incentive enough to reduce […]
Prepared for the New Surtax?
As part of Obama Care, we have a new tax beginning in 2013. The official name of this tax is the “Unearned Income Medicare Contribution Tax,” and even though the name implies it is a contribution, don’t get the idea you deduct it as a charitable contribution. It is, in actuality, a surtax levied on […]
Revising Your W-4? Seek Professional Advice.
This time of the year, many employers will request from their employees updated W-4 forms (and the equivalent state form for those who live in a state with income tax). The W-4 form allows you to specify your filing status and the number of dependent exemptions to be used for figuring the amount of income […]
President Signs American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012
President Obama on January 2 signed the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. The new law makes permanent Bush-era tax rates for individuals and couples with annual income of $400,000 and $450,000, respectively. The law also permanently indexes the alternative minimum tax for inflation, extends unemployment insurance benefits for one year and extends numerous business […]
Don’t Forget Those Nominee 1099s
For tax purposes, if you receive income in your name that actually belongs to someone else, you are also a nominee. Being a nominee means that you must file a 1099 form with the IRS appropriate to the type of income you received and give a copy of the 1099 to the actual owner of the […]
It’s Tax Time! Are You Ready?
If you’re like most taxpayers, you find yourself with an ominous stack of “homework” around TAX TIME! Unfortunately, the job of pulling together the records for your tax appointment is never easy, but the effort usually pays off when it comes to the extra tax you save! When you arrive at your appointment and are […]
