Sales Tax on Home Sales Rumor
A rumor has been circulating for some time that home sales will be subject to a 3.8% federal sales tax beginning in 2013. Like most rumors, it has been initiated by someone who doesn’t have all the facts – in this case, someone who does not understand taxes. Unfortunately, the misinformation has been perpetuated through […]
Do You Owe the IRS Money?
While the majority of Americans get a tax refund each year, there are many who owe tax and some who can’t pay what they owe all at once. If you find yourself in the position of owing taxes, there are a number of ways to deal with the issue: Get a Loan to Pay the […]
Back to School Tips for College Students and Parents
Whether you’re a recent high school graduate going to college for the first time or a returning college student, it will soon be time to get to campus—and payment deadlines for tuition and other fees are not far behind. Students or parents paying such expenses should keep receipts and be aware of some tax benefits […]
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 […]
Did You Take an Early Distribution from Your Retirement Plan?
In today’s economy, some taxpayers may need to take money out of their retirement plans to make ends meet. If you have or are contemplating on taking a distribution, there are some very important and unexpected tax issues you need to be aware of. Withdrawals from tax-deferred retirement accounts, such as Traditional IRAs are generally […]
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 Filing Deadline Rapidly Approaching
Just a reminder to those who have not yet filed their 2010 tax return that April 18, 2011 is the due date to either file your return and pay any taxes owed, or file for the automatic six-month extension and pay the tax you estimate to be due. Normally the deadline is April 15, but […]
Tips to Avoid a Tax Audit
An IRS tax audit can come in a number of forms. The most demanding are the face-to-face audits, which require sitting down with an auditor and reconciling income and deductions. Others are the less demanding correspondence audits where the IRS has reason to believe that the taxpayer failed to include reported income or has overstated […]
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 […]