Tax checkups are necessary. Just like a beloved vehicle, you need to periodically inspect your tax system to make sure it is operating properly. Knowing that there has been a significant tax reform this year, it is especially important that you are conducting tax checkups. Why is it important? One aspect of your taxes [...]
As you’ve probably heard by now, both the House and the Senate have passed their versions of a tax reform bill set to take effect for 2018. This does indicate that it is very likely that there will be some sort of tax reform coming. And the question everyone has is – how does this [...]
Military service members take many sacrifices and have special obligations in order to serve their country; naturally, their taxes are affected. There are a number of special tax breaks they are entitled to and this post will be to inform our service members of what exactly they entail. Residence or Domicile: Because there are times [...]
The Republican members of Congress just released a proposal for their vision on tax reform. This is an issue we’ve been hearing about since Trump’s campaign, and many of us may be wondering what it means this time around. Some issues have been addressed with more specificity than before, but some issues are still lacking [...]
Whether you already own a home or are considering buying one, you should be aware of the many tax benefits that go along with home ownership. There are plenty of reasons for owning a home, including the potential for capital appreciation and the fact that many of the costs are tax deductible, while rent is [...]
Unlike employees, who have income, Social Security, and Medicare taxes withheld from their wages, self-employed individuals must prepay their taxes by making quarterly estimated tax payments. These are referred to as estimated tax payments because the self-employed individual must estimate his or her net earnings for the year and pay taxes on a quarterly basis [...]
The IRS, in an effort to combat rampant tax filing fraud, has introduced what they hope will be two new fraud-prevention measures for the upcoming filing season. The first will purposely delay until February 15 the issuance of refunds for tax returns where there is an earned income tax credit (EITC) and/or a refundable child [...]
If you are a divorced or separated parent with children, a commonly encountered but often-misunderstood issue is who claims the child or children for tax purposes. This is sometimes a hotly disputed issue between parents; however, tax law includes some very specific but complicated rules about who profits from the child-related tax benefits. At issue [...]
From time to time business owners will replace vehicles used in their business. When replacing a business vehicle, the tax ramifications are different when selling the old vehicle and when trading it in for a new vehicle. If the vehicle is sold, the result is reported on the taxpayer’s return as an above-the-line gain or [...]
As it does every year, the Internal Revenue Service recently announced the inflation- adjusted 2016 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes. Beginning on Jan. 1, 2016, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (or a van, pickup [...]