When Can You Dump Old Tax Records?
Taxpayers often question how long records must be kept and the amount of time IRS has to audit a return after it is filed. It all depends on the circumstances! In many cases, the federal statute of limitations can be used to help you determine how long to keep records. With certain exceptions, the statute […]
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 […]
Audit-Proofing Your Meal & Entertainment Expenses
When looking for deductions to add to your taxes, don’t overlook your meal and entertainment expenses. These types of expenses must be “ordinary” and “necessary” to your business or trade and must be “directly related to” or “associated with” the active conduct of business. In order for the IRS to allow these deductions, documentation is […]
Tax Filing Deadline Rapidly Approaching
Just a reminder to those who have not yet filed their 2011 tax return that April 17, 2012 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 […]
QuickBooks Income Tax Reports And Filtering Options: Target The Right Output
April 15 is getting uncomfortably close. QuickBooks, of course, can’t do your taxes for you. But it helps you lay some of the groundwork. Following up on last month’s column on customizing reports, we’ll look at the program’s tax-related reports and its powerful report-filtering options. But first, you’ll need to make sure that this output […]
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 money you save! When you arrive at your appointment fully […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
