People often say that an expense is “a tax write-off” and most everyone interprets this to mean that the expense will have a tax benefit. Generally, such a benefit takes the form of either a deduction or a credit; these benefits’ effects are quite different, however, and each type has various categories. As a result, […]
At their core, tax credits are a very particular type of benefit designed to offset the actual tax liability associated with SMBs around the country. This isn’t the same thing as a tax deduction, which lowers that business’s actual income. Tax credits are typically offered to incentivize everything from hiring more workers in order to stimulate the […]
The late-2017 tax-reform package changed the rules for personal casualty losses, which now are only deductible if they occur in a federally declared disaster area. As a result, if a home is destroyed in a forest fire or other disaster within a declared disaster zone, the homeowner can claim a casualty loss on that year’s […]
If you could not complete your 2018 tax return by the normal April filing due date and are now on extension, that extension expires on October 15, 2019. Failure to file before the extension period runs out can subject you to late-filing penalties.
Every year, the vast majority of taxpayers file their returns with the IRS between the end of January and the April due date. However, the IRS does not just take taxpayers’ word regarding the information on their returns. For this reason, tax season is followed by “matching season,” when the IRS attempts to match the […]
If you own cryptocurrency, you need to know that the IRS has owners of cryptocurrency in its sights because many cryptocurrency owners are not reporting or paying taxes on their cryptocurrency transactions. In fact, the IRS is so focused on this issue that it recently issued warning letters to over 10,000 taxpayers it suspects might […]
You have your 2018 tax return filed, or perhaps on extension, and now it is time to look forward to the changes that will impact your 2019 return when you file it in 2020.
Although audits are relatively rare, as fewer than 1% of taxpayers grouped by income level will get that dreaded notice on IRS letterhead. But don’t panic! Per the linked statistics, for the average American who earned $50‒70K per year, only about half a percent of those tax returns got audited. If you made between $25‒50K or between […]
It Makes a Difference for Taxes – Now More than Ever Taxpayers are often confused by the differences in tax treatment between businesses that are entered into for profit and those that are not, commonly referred to as hobbies. Recent tax law changes have added to the confusion. The differences are:
Here’s an Overview of the Affect the Tax Deduction for Travel Expenses of a Self-Employed Individual Note: effective for years 2018 through 2025, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 suspended the deduction of miscellaneous itemized expenses that must be reduced by 2% of the taxpayer’s adjusted gross income. Employee business expenses, including travel […]
