• Ideas to Help Teach Your Kids About Money
• 5 Ideas to Help Save Money
• Debt Relief and Taxes
• Banks Won't Always Save You from Scams
• Early Mortgage Payoff- Small Payments Can Save You Big Money
• Expand Your Professional Vocabulary
• Ideas to Lower Back-to-School Shopping Costs
• Beware of Scammers Targeting Your Tax Info, Warns IRS
• Tame Your Summer Energy Costs
• Is trying to retire in your 30s or 40s the right move for you?
• Prepare Yourself Financially When Purchasing a Vehicle
• You Need Tax Planning If...
• Ideas to Help Set Financial Goals
• Important Moves to Consider When Interest Rates Change
• Digital Skills for Today's Kids
• Password Madness: Tips to Keep Your Growing List Under Control
• Building an Emergency Fund When Cash is Scarce
• Every Business Needs Cash
• Beneficial Ownership Rules
• Give Your Personal Brand a Boost
• Moves to Improve Your Credit Score
• Ingredients of a Successful Business Partnership
• Tips for a Smooth Tax Season
• Year-End Tax Planning Tips for Your Business
• Tips to Be Money Smart with Your Vehicle
• 5 Great Money Ideas
• Take a Look at Better Savings Rates
• Hiring Family Members - What You Need to Know!
• Multiple Jobs: Be Prepared for Tax Surprises
• Common Tax Questions
• Budgeting Basics
• Never Take on the IRS Alone!
• Prioritizing Inventory Management Can Help Your Business
• Safeguarding Your Business's Cash with Segregation of Duties
• The Home Gain Exclusion: Make Sure You Qualify!
• Five Small Business Insurance Review Tips
• Know Your Rights When Debt Collectors Call
• Getting the Most Out of Homeowners Insurance
• IRS extends tax deadline to Oct. 16 for disaster areas in California
• Save Your Business Time and Money by Getting Organized
• Tips to Get Your Finances in Tip-Top Shape
• Keys to Keeping Great Business Records
• Shrink Your Tax Bill in 2023
• 6 Ways to Cut Your Everyday Expenses
• 'Tis the Season for Gift Card Fraud
• Maximize Your College Financial Aid With These FAFSA Tips
• Planning for Future Care: A Financial Dilemma
• Student Loan Forgiveness Q&A
• Taming Monthly Bill Creep
• Tips to Improve Your Credit Score
• Debit Card Smarts
• The IRS Announces Tax Scams
• Watch for These Tax Surprises
• Money Management Tips for Couples
• Summer Jobs and Taxes
• Making Your Home Office a Tax Deduction
• The Benefits of Being a Sole Proprietor
• Debt: Gone But Not Forgotten by the IRS
• Review Financial Decisions When Interest Rates Change
• Cryptocurrency: The IRS is Watching You!
• Protecting Your Digital Footprint
• Small Business Tax Return To-Do-List
• Ideas to Improve Your Financial Health in 2022
• Five Great Money Tips
• Fake Products (and Money!) Are Big Business
• Year-End Tax Planning Ideas For Your Business
• Time to Schedule Your Tax Planning Session
• IRS Backlog of Historical Proportions
• Protect Your Valuables BEFORE Thieves Arrive
• Make the Most of Your Vehicle Expense Deduction
• Help! I Just Got a Letter From the IRS
• Manage Your Business's Unemployment Taxes
• Common Tax Mistakes When Selling a Home
• The Hidden Tax Consequences of Cryptocurrency
• Building a Fortress Balance Sheet
• Taxes: These Basics are for Everyone
• Starting a Business Now Could Make a Lot of Sense
• Organized Business Records Save Time and Money
• Your Identity is NOT Your Own!
• Seven Tips For Financial Wellness In 2021
• PPP Loan Expenses Are Now Tax Deductible
• Deductibility of Business Meals Provided by Restaurants in 2021 and 2022
• Ideas For Better Savings Rates
• Retirement Savings Tips for Small Business Owners
• Steer Clear of Money-Making Scams While You're Stuck at Home
• How to Build Your Emergency Fund - When You Have No Money
• Great Tips to Improve Your Credit Score
• What does the executive action deferring payroll taxes mean for employers and employees?
• Should You Incorporate Your Business?
• How to Eliminate a Tax Surprise
• New law provides relief for eligible taxpayers who need funds from IRAs and other retirement plans
• How Stay-at-Home Orders Change Money Habits
• IRS guidance provides RMD rollover relief
• Financial Questions to Ask Mom and Dad
• The New Face of Banking
• PPP borrowers get concessions, additional guidance on forgiveness
• The IRS clarifies the deductibility of PPP-funded expenses
• SBA extends the PPP repayment deadline for self-certification
• Beware of Scams Tied to COVID-19 Economic Impact Payments
• Answers to Common COVID-19 Unemployment Questions
• The IRS announces new COVID-19-related assistance for taxpayers
• 3 Major Charity Scam Red Flags
• 2020 Social Security Benefits
• Avoid These Common Tax Mistakes
• What Employers Need to Know About Assembly Bill 5
• Bill Collector Calling? Know Your Rights
• Tips to Protect Yourself From Tax Scams
• The IRS Is Not Always Right
• Select the Right Health Insurance for Your Business
• The IRS Loves Your Business...and That is NOT Good
• Help Older Adults Stand Up Against Scams
• Amazon and eBay Sales Tax ALERT!
• No Excuses. Time to Lower Your Tax Bill.
• How To Protect Your Social Security Number
• You Know You Need Tax Planning If...
• What You Need To Know About IRS Audits
• How to Correct Common Financial Mistakes
• Don't Leave Your Business Exposed
• Watch Out! 7 Vacation Costs That Sneak Up on You
• Major Life Changes Ahead? Read This!
• 7 Tax-Free Ideas to Bolster Your Business Benefits Package
• Stay prepared to sell your business
• Great uses for your tax refund
• How to File Nonprofit Taxes
• 7 Common Missing Tax Return Items
• Is a Tax Surprise Waiting for You?
• School yourself on the student loan interest deduction
• Last-Second Money-Saving Tax Moves
• Retirement Contributions Get a Boost in 2019
• 5 Estate Planning Myths
• Disaster Preparedness Tips for Taxpayers and Businesses
• Five Tax Breaks for New Parents
• Setting up Your Business Accounting System
• Ideas to Improve Your Financial Health
• It's tax-planning time
• Managing Money Tips for Couples
• 6 tax benefits of owning a home
• Five Great Finance Tips Everyone Should Know
• How to handle a gap in health care coverage
• Update on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
• When an extension makes sense
• Tax checklist for business startups
• Answers to commonly asked tax questions
• New FASB Standards for Nonprofit Accounting
• The best way to avoid an audit: Preparation
• Boost your retirement savings now
• IRS Urges Travelers Requiring Passports to Pay Their Back Taxes
• Scam Alert: IRS Urges Taxpayers to Watch Out for Erroneous Refunds; Beware of Fake Calls to Return Money to a Collection Agency
• How to Get a Green Light for Commuting Expense Deductions
• Federal requirements for substantiating charitable contributions
• How to cut taxes under the new tax act
• FBI Warns of Online Dating Scams
• Year-end tax checklist
• The Equifax breach and you: be proactive
• Beware of Bogus Charities
• Planning A Wedding Over The Holidays?
Plan For Taxes Too
• Don't Include The IRS On Your Gift List
• Ready To Start Year-End Planning?
Focus On The Big Picture.
• Know When To Sell
• Put Your Tax and Financial House
in Order
• Are You Prepared For These Common
Business Problems?
• Scams Against the Elderly:
Know the Danger Signs
• Tax Benefits of Corporate Retirement
Plans
• Maneuvering the Corporate
Retirement Plan Maze
• Documenting your Business Travel and
Entertainment Expenses
• Maximizing your Travel and
Transportation Deductions
• Deducting Business Meals and
Entertainment Expenses
• Do Yourself a Favor by Filing
Your Taxes
• Do I Need A CPA?
• How to Save Money on Your Tax
Preparation Costs
• What To Do If You Can't Pay
Your Taxes
• What To Do If You Haven't Filed
Your Taxes
With all of the headlines about the changes to tax law, you probably have lots of questions. Here are answers to some of the most common questions taxpayers have this year.
Q. I'm hearing about a lot of changes to 2018 taxes. What should I do?
A. You're right, there are a lot of changes in 2018 due to the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), including to the income tax brackets. The simple answer to the question, "What should I do?" is to not make any major changes until you finish filing your 2017 taxes. Once you understand your 2017 tax obligation, you are in a better position to plan for 2018.
However, there are a few things you can start thinking about now. Depending on where you fall in the new income tax brackets, you may want to consider ways to lower your taxable income. This could include increasing your contributions to 401(k) retirement accounts or health savings accounts (HSAs). You'll also want to make sure your employer has adjusted your federal tax withholding so that you don't have to wait to receive a large refund (or tax bill) next year. You can review the IRS withholding calculator using your latest pay stub data to make sure the changes are accurate.
Q. What is the penalty amount if I didn't have health insurance in 2017?
A. The penalty per adult is calculated as the greater of either $695 or 2.5 percent of your yearly household income, up to a maximum of $3,264 for individuals or $16,320 for a family of five or more. Note that the penalty is still in place for tax years 2017 and 2018. The TCJA eliminates the penalty for 2019 through 2025.
Q. Is Social Security taxed?
A. It depends. You won't pay tax on more than 85 percent of your Social Security income, but how much gets taxed depends on your income bracket. If your combined income is less than $25,000 for the year, you won't pay tax on Social Security income.
Q. When is the last day to do my taxes?
A. Technically, Tuesday, April 17. But don't wait until the last minute. Ask for help to get started now, or to file an extension so you have time to complete your tax return later. The sooner you file, the sooner you can get your refund. It usually takes about three weeks to arrive from the date you file. Also, remember you need to keep most tax related documents for at least three years, so don't toss your paperwork after you file.
Q. The IRS contacted me, what should I do?
A. Ask for help. There are numerous scammers who impersonate the IRS during tax season. The real IRS will never contact you via social media, email or text message. In addition, an IRS agent will not contact you over the phone unless you first receive official correspondence in the mail. If you have received a notice in the mail, immediately ask for help to determine how to proceed.
These are just a few of the questions people have during tax season. If you have more, don't forget to bring them to your 2017 filing appointment.
Contact us for more information.