As if this past year with all of its pandemic perils has not been stressful enough, the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Labor has just added to our anxieties by announcing that at least at least $36 billion and possibly as much as $63 billion has been lost to improper unemployment […]
Article Highlights: Charitable Contributions Educator Expenses Performing Artist Expenses State and Local Government Officials’ Expenses Health Savings Account Contributions Moving Expenses for Members of the Armed Forces Student Loan Interest Deduction Tuition and Fees Deduction Deduction for Early Withdrawal of Savings Deductible Part of Self-employment Tax Self-employed Health Insurance Deduction Alimony Deduction (pre-2019 divorce agreements) […]
Article Highlights Prior Filed Returns with Unemployment Income American Rescue Plan’s $10,200 Exclusion IRS Automatic Adjustment Refund Application When an Amended Return Might Be Required The IRS announced on March 31, that it will take steps to automatically refund money this spring and summer to people who filed their tax return reporting unemployment compensation before […]
Article Highlights: Employment (Earned) Income Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Child Tax Credit (CTC) 2019 or 2020 Earned Income Credit Qualifications Because of the pandemic, many individuals have seen their employment (earned) income plummet. In that situation, two very important tax credits, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit […]
April 2021 Individual Due Dates April 12 – Report Tips to Employer If you are an employee who works for tips and received more than $20 in tips during March, you are required to report them to your employer on IRS Form 4070 no later than April 12. April 15 – Taxpayers with Foreign Financial Interests […]
Article Highlights: Non-refundable vs. Refundable Credit Childcare Credit Earned Income Tax Credit Child & Dependent Tax Credit Saver’s Credit Vehicle Tax Credits Adoption Credit Residential Energy-Efficient Property Credit Tax credits are a tax benefit that offsets your actual tax liability, as opposed to a tax deduction, which reduces your income. Congress provides tax credits to […]
Article Highlights: Phone Scams E-Mail Phishing What’s in Your Purse or Wallet? What You Should Never Do Fake Charities Protecting Against Identity Theft Thieves use taxpayers’ natural fear of the IRS and other government entities to ply their scams, including e-mail and phone scams, to steal your money. They also use phishing schemes to trick […]
Article Highlights: Depreciation Material & Supply Expensing De Minimis Safe Harbor Expensing Routine Maintenance Bonus Depreciation Section 179 Expensing Thanks to some very liberal tax laws written to encourage investment in personal tangible equipment, including information technology (IT) equipment, many businesses will be able to expense (write off as a tax deduction) all such assets […]
Article Highlights: American Rescue Plan Expanded One-Year-Only Change Refundability Child Care Expenses Credit Percentage Maximum Credit Credit Phaseout Employer-Provided Dependent Care Assistance Great news if you are paying childcare expenses that enable you to work. As part of President Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) signed into law on March 11, 2021, the child and […]
Article Highlights: IRS Announcement Limited to Individual Tax Returns Tax Due Payments Further Extensions 2021 Estimated Tax Payments Not Extended The IRS has announced they are extending the filing due date for 2020 individual tax returns from April 15, 2021 to May 17, 2021. This was meant to be a one-month extension, but since […]