Posts Tagged ‘Tax’

IRS Gift Tax Limit Amount

Thursday, June 30th, 2011

Did you know that the Gift Tax Limit is continuously being increased by the IRS. Currently, you can give a gift up to $13,000 to any number of people.
Further, you are allowed to split a gift up in to two separate amounts less than $26,000, if you are married. Simply, this is the $13,000 you are allowed for yourself multiplied by two if you and your spouse are giving one single gift.
The provider of the gift is the person who will owe tax on the item if it is over $13,000 for a single taxpayer and $26,000 for a married couple. The receiver will never owe tax on the gift, as the giver is always responsible for any tax assessed.
A gift is defined in the IRS tax code as a transfer of property where nothing is expected in return from the gift. For example, you can’t give someone your furniture, which is valued at $10,000 and expect something in return for it if you are claiming it as a gift.
Most people don’t realize but zero Federal or State tax is owed if the gift is given to a spouse or charity. You must make sure the charity is a qualified organization, which can be verified on the IRS website.

You are required to file a Gift Tax Return if you give a gift to someone else besides your spouse or charitable organization that exceeds $13,000.
If you are married, you will file a Gift Tax Return if you gave a gift exceeding $26,000. If you meet these requirements and are required to file a Gift Tax Return we recommend using Turbo Tax Online.

Further, you are allowed to split a gift up in to two separate amounts less than $26,000, if you are married. Simply, this is the $13,000 you are allowed for yourself multiplied by two if you and your spouse are giving one single gift.

The provider of the gift is the person who will owe tax on the item if it is over $13,000 for a single taxpayer and $26,000 for a married couple. The receiver will never owe tax on the gift, as the giver is always responsible for any tax assessed.

Small Business Tax Write-Offs

Sunday, June 26th, 2011

If you File a Schedule C for a Small Business you can qualify for many Tax Write-Offs.

First, you can depreciate property, known as an Asset. This can be items like office furniture, computers or any other general equipment used in your business. 

You can do what is called a 179 Depreciation expense deduction. This allows you to write-off the entire cost or part of the Asset you are reporting. For example, if you purchased $14,000 in office furniture, you could write-off the entire amount under Section 179.   

Further, if you rented or leased equipment you can also write that off. So, make sure that you are reporting all leased equipment and interest paid as well. 

You can also write-off Real Estate and personal property taxes on business assets. For example, if you paid real estate taxes during the year and use part of your home as an office, you can write some of those taxes off. Additionally, if you use a vehicle as part of your normal course of business, you can deduct the annual registration taxes. 

Most small businesses are required to pay License and Regulatory Fees to state and or local governments and this normally can be written off on your taxes. 

Make sure if you carry an inventory you are deducting the Cost of Goods Sold. You will need to keep good track of your inventory to accurately report this. Your records should show the exact beginning and ending inventory. 

If you qualify you can also deduct the Business Use of Your Home. When doing this you will need to measure out the exact square footage of your total home and business office. The Home Office has to be used exclusively for business in order to qualify. 

If you own a small business check out TurboTax Online to see what write-offs you might qualify for.

Small Business Tax Services

Sunday, June 5th, 2011

Running a small business can be surprisingly complicated work. And after the daily business is done, you also have a life, obligations, and hopefully some weekend plans. The last thing you need to is to sweat over a seemingly complicated process: annual tax filing.

 

Many people turn to their friends or colleagues who have experience managing their personal and business-related taxes; but even with years of experience, these “experts” usually miss something.

 

These days there’s a better way. There are online tax services that can:

 

· Show which expenses you can deduct for vehicles, supplies, utilities, home office expenses, and more, giving full knowledge of the possibilities

 

  • Walk you through industry-specific deduction that may be commonly overlooked
  • Calculate which method will get you the biggest vehicle deduction
  • Guide you through every type of related business income so nothing is missed
  • Help you create unlimited W2 and 1099 forms
  • Simplify the depreciation method and make sure you choose the method that guarantees more money to you
  • Offer streamlined expense entry wizard

These specific tools are only the beginning of what is offered exclusively through an online tax service like TurboTax Online. They also offer an award winning library of tax information including tips for new businesses. They boast a maximum money back guarantee and have been the nation’s number one rated tax service for a years.

There is so much to learn about small business tax breaks that I couldn’t possibly cover it all here. I’ve given you some food for thought and now will point you in a couple of directions to find more information. You can go to the IRS website and do all of the research yourself if you want to.

 

The obvious next question would be regarding fees. But you don’t have to worry about spending too much. TurboTax Online is reasonably priced, and better yet, you don’t have to pay anything until you have reached the end of the process and you are satisfied with the end result.

College Tuition Tax Deductions

Saturday, April 23rd, 2011

There are many questions when it comes to college tuition tax deductions. What is the tax benefit of the tuition and fees deduction? The tuition and fees deduction can reduce the amount of your income subject to tax by up to $4,000.

First Things First

If you have paid for education expenses during the year for yourself, your spouse, or your dependent, you may be able to deduct those qualified expenses. Now, if you filed as a married person but, filed separately or if another person can claim an exemption for you as a dependent on his or her tax return then, you cannot take advantage of this deduction. This deduction only counts for higher education. You can visit the IRS for detailed information about qualified education expenses.

Itemize Deductions

The college tuition tax deduction can be claimed even if you do not itemize deductions. This is an adjustment to your income. The college tuition deduction is the way to go if you cannot take either the Hope or lifetime learning credit because your income is too high. You will want to choose the one that will give you the lower tax.

Can You Claim the Deduction?

If you can answer yes to these questions then, you can claim the college tuition and fees deduction.

1. You are the student.

2. Your spouse is the student.

3. Your dependent that is claimed by you as an exemption on your tax return

4. You pay the tuition or course fees for the eligible student.

5. You pay for the qualified education of the higher education.

Remember the educational institution you choose must be eligible to claim the college tuition tax deduction. The school that you choose will be able to tell you if they are an eligible educational institution.

You will want to use an online tax TurboTax Online. It’s fast and easy to use. Don’t miss out on claiming the college tuition deduction! Your biggest refund is guaranteed. Turbo Tax covers more than 350 deductions to show you what you qualify for. Get your biggest refund today!

Tax Credit Calculator Earned Income

Saturday, March 26th, 2011

The Earned Income Credit is a credit that many low income people receive. It is quite a substantial credit that can help if you have a low income.

This credit can reduce your taxes, and can mean a refund. If you normally did not qualify for this credit in the past, you may want to review your situation this year as you may now qualify if you have had any changes in income or family size.

If you do qualify your credit could be worth up to $4,800.00. So it is worth double checking your return to see if you qualify. There are a few stipulations for this credit:

1. You must be married and filing jointly, head of household, qualifying widow, or single. You may not file separately.

2. You, your spouse, and any qualifying children must have valid social security numbers.

3. You must have earned income. This also applies if you are self-employed.

4. You may still qualify even if you do not have children.

5. You must be a U.S. citizen.

6. You cannot be a qualifying child on someone else’s return.

7. Qualifying children must be under the age of 18 by the end of the tax year unless they are a full time student.

The amount will vary depending on your income levels and family size. This amount will be figured automatically for you if you use some type of online tax preparation service such as TurboTax Online. TurboTax offers the tools for you to calculate your estimated earned income credit amount.

Visit TurboTax Online to see how much your credit will be.TurboTax offers free tools to see if you qualify for the earned income credit.

The earned income credit can reduce your taxes, and can mean a tax refund. If you normally did not qualify for the earned income credit in the past, you may want to review your situation this year as you may now qualify if you have had any changes in income or family size.

Best Income Tax Preparation Software

Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011

There are thousands of  available online that promise many great tax savings. I have done a large amount of research on tax preparation software and I have found that TurboTax Online will get you the most for your money.

TurboTax Online offers many benefits that cannot be beat by any other service available online. Some of the great benefits are:

Free E-filing for any return
Free tax preparation for simple filers
Live tax answers
Free technical support
Summary of your tax return for your review
Easy to understand explanations
They guarantee the biggest refund possible
Audit support if you should get audited on your return

That is only a few of the services offered by TurboTax Online. My favorite part about using TurboTax to file my return is that I was missing many deductions that I could have been taking. They guided me directly through all the questions necessary to my situation and I ended up getting the biggest return I have ever received for my federal return.

TurboTax Online offers tax preparation services for pretty much any life situation. They offer simple filing, itemized filing, business filing, and also investment and rental property filing. Their business software can also incorporate your personal return. This would be great if you own a small business that you may run out of your home or if your business is not incorporated.

Not only was the professional tax software rated #1 this year, it was also rated #1 last year. Now that’s a good track record. If you’re anything like me, tax time is a big hassle that I look forward to be done and over with. I do want it done correctly without any problems. The last thing I want is to have a problem and end up in a mess. Are you worried about an audit? The professional tax preparation software has an audit risk meter. If the software detects a problem, it will help you to reduce the risk of an audit.

Being human I have made several math calculation errors in my life. Using the Turbo Tax software gives me peace of mind. They will do the math for you and you will not have to worry about any errors. Did I mention they guarantee the accuracy? This would be very rare but, if you received a state penalty or IRS penalty because of a Turbo Tax calculation error, they will pay you the penalty and interest. Of course before you send your tax return in, the software will check the entire return for errors and make sure it is accurate and complete.

Tax Return Amended Federal

Monday, February 14th, 2011

If you need to make a change or an adjustment to a tax return that you have already filed then you will need to . This can be done by filing Form 1040X.

 

Form 1040X

 

This form is officially called the Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. Form 1040X should be used only to correct filed forms 1040 or 1040EZ. You can still file an amended return if you filed electronically.

 

Important Things to Remember

 

  • If you have made an error that is simply a mathematical error then you do not need to file an amended return. Either your tax preparation service or the IRS will find this error and correct it for you.
  • If you forgot to include any form then you will not need to file an amended return. These forms will simply be requested by the IRS at a later date.
  • It is very important to remember to enter the correct year that you are sending in the amendment for. You only have two years from the date you filed your return to file an amended return.
  • If you are correcting more than one return be sure you send in a Form 1040X for each return you are amending.

If you used an online tax preparation service then many of the errors that can cause you to file an amended return can be avoided. Services such as TurboTax Online offer step by step support to ensure you are entering all of your information correctly and that you are getting all the deductions and credits you deserve.

 

Visit TurboTax Online to file your amended return today.

Are you looking for free filing for your federal tax return? If you are then, you’ve come to the right place. I will say right at the beginning, if you are in a low-income tax bracket then, you may want to look into free tax preparation and filing through IRS programs and other helpful places online.