Understanding the Taxability of Your Social Security Benefits
How much (if any) of your Social Security benefits are taxable depends on a number of issues. The following facts will help you understand the taxability of your Social Security benefits.
- For this discussion, the term “Social Security benefits” refers to the gross amount of benefits you receive (i.e., the amount before any reductions due to payments withheld for Medicare premiums). For tax purposes, Social Security benefits are treated the same regardless of whether the benefits are paid due to disability, retirement, or reaching the eligibility age. Supplemental Security Income benefits are not included in these computations because they are not taxable under any circumstance.
Be overly Cautious About Your Payroll Withholding for 2018
With all of the tax reform changes and the corresponding reductions in most taxpayers’ income tax withholding, there are serious concerns that the reduction in withholding, although providing more take-home pay now, could end up resulting in unexpected taxes due at tax time next year. For that reason, taxpayers should be overly cautious about their payroll withholding for 2018. One need only look at the W-4 instructions to realize that an individual without any substantial tax training can quickly become lost when filling out the worksheets. It is not business as usual.
Guidelines on How the IRS is Dealing with Virtual Currencies
As our world has become more and more “digital,” it was only a matter of time before cryptocurrencies were developed. One of the first of these virtual currencies was Bitcoin, and the Bitcoin network came online in 2009. Since then, additional cryptocurrencies have been developed.
Cryptocurrencies are generally utilized for transactions by tech-savvy individuals and have a comparable value in real currency or take the place of real currency. These virtual currencies can be purchased with or exchanged into U.S. dollars, euros and other real or virtual currencies.
Is Bunching Right for You?
The GOP’s Tax Cuts & Jobs Act increased the standard deduction and placed new limitations on itemized deductions. This article offers strategies that you can use to reduce your tax liability under the new law. Beginning with 2018 tax returns, the standard deductions will be:
Bill Includes a Number of Extenders that Retroactively Apply to 2017 Returns
Needless to say, these last-minute changes may create a problem for taxpayers who have already filed their returns and will need to file amended returns to take advantage of these extenders. The retroactive changes will cause the IRS some headaches as well. Since the 2017 forms do not accommodate some of the extended provisions, the IRS will have redesign and issue updated forms or provide workaround procedures.
New Tax Reform Bill and Business-Related Deductions
The GOP’s tax-reform bill that President Trump signed on December 22nd of last year eliminated the business-related deduction for entertainment, amusement or recreation expenses, effective beginning in 2018. If you are a business owner who is accustomed to treating clients to sporting events, golf getaways, concerts and the like, this is bad news for you.
Modified Withholding Tables for 2018
One of the first trouble spots of the new tax reform is the W-2 withholding for 2018. Passage of the new law in late December hasn’t given the IRS much time to develop new withholding tables. This can be a big issue, as the recent Tax Cuts & Jobs Act (TCJA) substantially altered the tax rates and standard deductions, did away with exemption deductions, and increased the child tax credits—all elements of how the withholding allowances and tables have been structured in the past.
Updated Mileage Rates for Business, Medical Purposes and Charitable Organizations
The Internal Revenue Service recently announced the inflation- adjusted 2018 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable or medical purposes.
Be Aware of Many Tax-Related Issues if You Sold Your Home Last Year
Read About Home Sales and the Home-Sale Gain Exclusion
If you sold your home last year, or if you are thinking about selling it, you should be aware of the many tax-related issues that could apply to that sale so that you will be prepared at tax time and not have to deal with unpleasant surprises. This article covers home sales and the home-sale gain exclusion, particularly when that gain exclusion applies and what portion of it applies. Certain special issues always affect home sales, such as the use of a portion of the home as an office or daycare center, previously use of the property as a rental, and acquisition in a tax-deferred exchange. Other frequently encountered issues are related to the “2 years out of 5” rules for ownership and use, as these rules must be followed to qualify for gain exclusion.
5 QuickBooks Reports You Need to Run in January
Does your accounting to-do list look like a clean slate, or are critical 2017 tasks still nagging?
Getting all of your accounting tasks done in December is always a challenge. Besides the vacation time you and your employees probably took for the holidays, there are those year-end, Let’s-wrap-it-up-by-December-31 projects.
How did you do last month? Were you ready to move forward when you got back to the office in January? Or did you run out of time and have to leave some accounting chores undone?
