Most taxpayers don’t intentionally incur tax penalties, but many who are penalized are simply unaware of the penalties or the possible damage they can do to their wallets. As tax season approaches, let’s look at some of the more commonly encountered penalties and how they may be avoided.
On November 19, 2021, the House of Representatives passed their proposed version of President Biden’s Build Back Better Act, which was substantially pared down from the original version. The Senate will now take up the legislation, and without question there will be changes.
It seems hard to believe, but the holiday season is almost upon us, and that means that the 2021 tax preparation season will soon follow. With the end of the tax year just around the corner, tax-savvy individuals need to take some time from their busy schedules to review the tax benefit steps they’ve already […]
When Congress established tax-favored retirement plans, they allowed taxpayers to take a tax deduction for the amount of their allowable contribution to the plans. But they also included a requirement for a portion of the funds to be distributed each year and be subject to income tax. Such a distribution is referred to as a […]
While it’s usually true that the “rich get richer,” a proposed tax code will prove a remarkable exception if the House has its way. The legislation would mandate an annual required minimum distribution for retirement accounts exceeding $10 million and is aimed at accounts used as tax shelters by the rich rather than at the […]
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the labor market – mandated government lockdowns and workers’ and customers’ fears of contracting the illness resulted in businesses closing or temporarily cutting back and laying off or furloughing millions of employees. In April 2020, the unemployment rate reached 14.8%, the highest rate since such data […]
Married taxpayers have two options when filing their 1040 or 1040-SR tax returns. The first and most frequently used filing status is married filing joint (MFJ), where the incomes and allowable expenses of both spouses are combined and reported on one tax return. The joint status almost always results in the lowest overall tax. Spouses […]
The House Ways and Means Committee has released an extensive list of proposed tax changes that impact individual, retirement, international and corporate tax law. We have been selective and have only included a portion of the proposed changes. A full list of proposed changes is available from the PDF file titled Responsibility Funding Our Priorities.
The normal April 15, 2021 filing deadline for 2020 individual tax returns was extended by the IRS to May 17, 2021, due to the continuing Covid-19 pandemic. If you could not complete your 2020 tax return by May 17 and are now on extension, that extension expires on October 15, 2021. Failure to file before […]
Like many small business owners, you probably find yourself very busy in the wake of the COVID slowdown and are getting back up to speed. But don’t forget about your future. There are a number of retirement plans available, including Keogh plans and 401(k)s. However, a simplified employee pension plan (SEP) may be your best […]
