Tax Tips for September 2024

Tax Tips for September 2024

Click on the links below to jump to each section in this article: Medicare Premiums may Lead to Tax Savings Don't Wait Until the Last Minute to File Your Extended Return! An Employee Benefit with Possible Magnetic Power   Medicare Premiums may Lead to Tax Savings If you pay premiums for Medicare health insurance, you may be able to combine them with other qualifying expenses and claim them as an itemized deduction for medical expenses on your tax return. This includes amounts for “Medigap” insurance and Medicare Advantage plans, which cover some costs that Medicare Parts A and B don’t cover. Generally, you can deduct medical expenses only if you itemize deductions and only to the extent that total qualifying health care expenses exceeded 7.5% of your adjusted gross income. But, if...

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Tax Considerations When Choosing a Business Entity

Tax Considerations When Choosing a Business Entity

Are you in the process of starting a business or contemplating changing your business entity? If so, you’ll need to decide how to organize your company. Should you operate as a C corporation or as a pass-through entity such as a partnership, limited liability company (LLC) or S corporation? Among the important factors to consider are the potential tax consequences.

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Tax Tips for September 2024

Tax Tips for August 2024

Click on the links below to jump to each section in this article: Using an IRA Withdrawal for a Qualified Home Purchase Get a Jump on Tax Planning How to Deduct Business Travel   Using an IRA Withdrawal for a Qualified Home Purchase Purchasing a home is an expensive proposition that leaves many would-be buyers feeling cash strapped. If that’s you, you might be thinking about taking some money out of your traditional IRA to help fund the purchase. But should you? Afterall, a 10% penalty normally applies to IRA withdrawals before age 59 1/2. The good news is that there’s an exception to the penalty for certain home purchases, subject to a lifetime limit of $10,000. To qualify, you must be purchasing an eligible “first-time” principal residence for yourself, your spouse, your child,...

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Renting to Family Members

Renting to Family Members

As rents continue to rise in many areas, you may decide to help your financially challenged family members by renting a property to them at a discount. But this can lead to the loss of significant tax deductions. Here’s a look at the tax treatment that applies when you rent to unrelated parties and how the rules change when you rent to relatives.

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5 Strategies for Improving Collections

5 Strategies for Improving Collections

Businesses that operate in the retail or restaurant spheres have it relatively easy when it comes to collections. They generally take payments right at a point-of-sale terminal and customers go on their merry way. For other types of companies, it’s not so easy. Collections can be particularly difficult for business-to-business operations, which often find themselves in complex relationships with key customers. In these businesses, it’s often not as simple as “pay up or hit the road.”

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Independent Contractors: Classify Carefully

Independent Contractors: Classify Carefully

Many businesses use independent contractors to help keep their costs down and provide flexibility for short-term needs. But the question of whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor is complex. Be careful that your independent contractors are properly classified for federal tax and employment tax purposes, because if the IRS reclassifies them as employees, it can be an expensive mistake.

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