Teachers and other educators should remember that they can deduct certain unreimbursed expenses such as classroom supplies, training, and travel – even when schools switched to hybrid or remote learning models during the pandemic last spring. Deducting these expenses helps reduce the amount of tax owed when filing a tax return.
If you're looking to sell your home this year, then it may be time to take a closer look at the exclusion rules and cost basis of your home to reduce your taxable gain on the sale of a home. The IRS home sale exclusion rule allows an exclusion of gain up to $250,000 for a single taxpayer or $500,000 for a married couple filing jointly. This exclusion can be used over and over during your lifetime (but not more frequently than every 24 months), as long as you meet certain ownership and use tests. During the 5-year period ending on the date of the sale, you must have: Owned the house for at least two years - Ownership Test Lived in the house as your main home for at least two years - Use Test During the 2-year period ending on the date of the sale, you did not exclude gain from the sale of...
Thanks to the advance payments of the Child Tax Credit, approximately 60 million children received $15 billion in July, according to the Department of Treasury and the IRS. While many of these families will benefit from the extra money deposited into their bank accounts, some families may want to opt-out and instead take the credit when they file their tax return next spring.
Key tax provisions in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 could affect your tax situation.
Click on the links below to jump to each section in this article: 10 Tips to Help You Start Saving for Retirement What to Know About Backup Withholding Six Steps to Protect Against Taxpayer ID Theft Tips for Taxpayers With Hobby Income It's Hurricane Season: Safeguarding Tax Records 10 Tips to Help You Start Saving for Retirement It's never too late to start, but the sooner you begin saving, the more time your money has to grow. Gains each year build on the prior year's gains - that's the power of compounding - and the best way to accumulate wealth. These ten tips will help you get started: Set Realistic Goals. Project your retirement expenses based on your needs, not rules of thumb. Be honest about how you want to live in retirement and how much it will cost. Then calculate how much you...
While the Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) tends to affect wealthier individuals most often, in certain circumstances, it can also affect moderate-income taxpayers whose income increases significantly in a given tax year. Here’s what you need to know.
An offer in compromise (OIC) is an agreement between a taxpayer and the Internal Revenue Service that settles a taxpayer’s tax liabilities for less than the full amount owed. That’s the good news. The bad news is that not everyone can use this option to settle tax debt; the IRS rejected nearly 60 percent of taxpayer-requested offers in compromise. If you owe money to the IRS and wonder if an IRS offer in compromise is the answer, here’s what you need to know.
Employees and small business owners often have questions about what to do with an employee’s home – and what the tax consequences might be – when they move to a new job location. Here are some answers:
Federal law requires most employers to withhold federal taxes from their employees’ wages. Whether you’re a small business owner who is just starting or one who has been in business for a while – ready to hire an employee or two – here is what you should know about withholding, reporting, and paying employment taxes.
The Internal Revenue Service has started sending letters to more than 36 million American families who, based on tax returns filed with the agency, may be eligible to receive monthly Child Tax Credit payments starting July 15, 2021.
