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 […]

Getting the Most Out of Employee Business Expense Deductions

Individuals can deduct as miscellaneous itemized deductions certain expenses that they incur in the course of their employment. Generally, qualified business expenses are un-reimbursed expenses that are both ordinary (common and accepted in your industry) and necessary and do not include personal expenses. There are two major barriers to deducting employee business expenses. The most […]

Refinanced Mortgage Interest May Not All Be Deductible

Mortgage interest rates continue to be low, and home values are on the uptick. If you are considering a refinance, there are some important home mortgage interest rules you should be aware of. Generally, the mortgage interest that you may deduct on your home includes the interest paid on the acquisition debt and on up […]

Congress Avoids the Fiscal Cliff

As we were going to press with this newsletter, the Senate and the House have voted on a last-minute budget deal worked out between President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans averting the so-called fiscal cliff. Details of the deal were sketchy at press time, but here are some highlights of the compromise bill as provided […]

Individual Estimated Tax Payments for 2012 Start Soon

Our tax system is a “pay-as-you-go” system, and if your pre-paid amount is not enough, you become liable for non-deductible interest penalties. To facilitate that concept, the government has provided several means of assisting taxpayers in meeting the “pay-as-you-go” requirement. The primary among these include: Payroll withholding for employees; Pension withholding for retirees; and Estimated […]