Archive for Tax Planning

Unmarried Couples and Home Mortgage Interest

It is becoming increasingly common for couples to live together and remain unmarried, which can lead to potential tax problems when they share the expenses of a home but only one of the couple is liable for the debt on that home. Home mortgage interest can generally be deducted only by a person who is […]

Manage the Tax on Your Social Security Benefits!

Social Security (SS) income is not taxable until a taxpayer’s AGI (without Social Security income) plus 50% of their Social Security income plus tax-exempt interest income, and plus certain other infrequently encountered additions exceeds a specific threshold. The threshold is $32,000 for married taxpayers filing jointly, zero for married taxpayers filing separately and $25,000 for […]

Tax Breaks for Charity Volunteers

If you volunteer your time for a charity, you may qualify for some tax breaks. Although no tax deduction is allowed for the value of services performed for a charity, there are deductions permitted for out-of-pocket costs incurred while performing the services. The normal deduction limits and substantiation rules also apply. The following are some […]

Home Office No Longer Red Flag?

Whenever talking to clients about the allowable home office deduction, some usually respond with… ….”Are you kidding”, ….”No way!”, …”Isn’t that a RED flag”, or my favorite…”I’d rather play it safe than sorry”. Well, of course 10 years ago it MAY have been a RED flag. And if you don’t have a trusted tax adviser […]

Limited Window of Opportunity

Last December, Congress extended a number of the Bush-era tax breaks, but only for a limited length of time. It is probably a safe bet that most won’t get extended further, considering the size of the national debt. Although numerous tax breaks were extended, only a few provide you with an opportunity to take actions […]

Plan Your Withholding & Estimates for 2011

April 18 is the due date for the first estimated tax installment for the 2011 tax year and only a couple of weeks away. You may not realize it, but taking a few minutes to plan your estimated tax payments and/or proper withholding amounts for the year can actually insulate you from underpayment penalties in […]

Tax Tips for Self-Employed Individuals

If you are in business for yourself, or carry on a trade or business as a sole proprietor or an independent contractor, you generally would consider yourself self-employed, and you will need to include on your tax return your income and allowable business expenses to determine your net profit. Your net profit is subject to […]

Is the Income Taxable or Non-Taxable?

A question that comes up frequently is whether income you received is taxable or not. Generally, most income you will receive is considered taxable, but there are situations when certain types of income are partially taxed or not taxed at all. To help taxpayers understand the differences between taxable and non-taxable income, the Internal Revenue […]

Millions of Self Prepared Tax Returns Filed Wrong

Millions of Americans file their own tax returns and pay the wrong amount each year.  Tax software and the leading tax preparation franchises will help you fill out the forms; but they are tools, NOT a solution. Did you know that some of the leading tax preparation franchises only require their preparers to have 84 […]

2011 Required Minimum IRA Distributions

Now that the New Year is here, you can begin taking your required minimum distribution (RMD) for 2011. The following is an overview of the rules regarding these mandated distributions for older taxpayers. The IRS does not allow IRA owners to keep funds in a Traditional IRA indefinitely. Eventually, assets must be distributed and taxes […]