money sectionmoney section
Health insurance is often tax deductible, but it isn't a foregone conclusion that it will be deductible in your specific situation. Find out if health insurance is tax deductible for sole proprietorships with help from a dedicated and experienced insurance professional in this free video clip.
What do backyard pools, vet bills and dance lessons have in common? They're all things that, under the right circumstances, could be deductible business or personal expenses on your tax return. But claiming them isn’t easy -- you’ll need careful documentation, and even then, you may not qualify. Here are five of the weirdest expense categories you might be able to deduct.
If you install solar roof fans in your home you may be entitled to up to $1500 in tax credits. Learn about the tax credits for solar roof fans with help from an expert with Earth Wind and Solar Energy in this free video clip.
Giving goods to charity comes along with a few key tax deductions that you're definitely going to want to know about. Find out about tax deductions for goods given to charity with help from a professional public speaker and radio personality in this free video clip.
Casualty loss deductibility tends to have a few limitations that you're definitely going to need to know about. Find out about casualty loss deductibility limitations with help from an experienced accountant in this free video clip.
Newspaper headlines across the United States have reverberated with the drama as the country slides inexorably toward the Jan. 1 fiscal cliff. That's when a double whammy of major tax increases and federal spending cuts will strike the country if not forestalled. “Fiscal cliff stalemate spurs anxiety in states,” warned several newspapers across the country on Dec. 10. “As 'fiscal cliff' looms, voter angst is palpable,” they cautioned the next day. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has said that failing to resolve the tax hike and spending cut collision would push the unemployment rate back over above 9 percent. Some…
Preparing for and filing your income taxes can range from straightforward yet tedious to Byzantine-grade complicated and still tedious. But no matter your tax situation, there may be a smartphone app that can help make the process (at least somewhat) simpler, faster or more convenient. To help you wade through the myraid tax-related apps on the market -- and answer your questions and concerns about them -- we talked to tax and app experts to identify some apps you might want to consider using, as well as issues around the safety of using your phone to prepare, file and get…
Charitable contributions help to fuel our favorite charities in a financial way. Learn about carrying over charitable givings on your taxes with help from a CPA and partner at Safe Harbor, LLP in this free video clip.
Whether or not you accrue for payroll deductions in accounting depends entirely on a few particular things. Find out if you accrue for payroll deductions in accounting with help from an accounting professional in this free video clip.
There are only certain types of insurance that are tax deductible. Find out which types of insurance are tax deductible with help from a professional financial planner in this free video clip.
If you're going to deduct medical insurance from your taxes you need to go about doing it in a very particular way. Deduct medical insurance from your taxes with help from a certified public accountant in this free video clip.
When it comes to your health insurance, there are a few specific things that you can deduct when tax season rolls around. Find out about health insurance tax deductions with help from a certified public accountant and financial planner in this free video clip.
The child and dependent care credit is designed to offset the cost of child or dependent care so that you and your spouse, if you are married, may work or look for work. The credit is generally calculated as a percentage of the work-related expenses you incurred for care. Your adjusted gross income determines the percentage of the expenses you may claim.
A certain percentage of the expenses of a small business are tax deductible. Learn what percentage of expenses are tax deductible with help from a business consultant and marketing expert in this free video clip.
Job related moving expenses are tax deductible when you file each year. Find out whether moving expenses that are not job related are tax deductible with help from a practiced attorney in this free video clip.
Students claiming themselves on taxes has some pretty strong advantages. Learn about the advantages of a student claiming themselves on taxes with help from a practiced attorney in this free video clip.
Adobe Reader has drawn criticism for its utter lack of editing features and frequent prompting for updates. Fortunately, Windows users have many free alternatives, including Foxit Reader and PDF-XChange Viewer. Both PDF readers include tabbed browsing, comparable upgrade prices -- $49 and $44, respectively, at the time of publication -- and similar, overlapping feature sets.
Standing seam “tin” roofs, attractive for residential roofs, are actually steel that is galvanized with tin. You clip together seams that rise above the surface of the panels and run parallel to the roof. You should only install a tin roof should if the roof has a slope or pitch of 4:12, meaning it rises 4 feet for every 12 feet of length. You should be able to buy panels at most building supply companies in larger cities and towns in Tennessee.
You can deduct a number of different things that you use while learning and training for yoga. Learn about medical deductions for yoga with help from a yoga instructor in this free video clip.
A porch with a roof provides a place to enjoy your yard, protected from the sun and rain. It also protects visitors who arrive at your home and shields your home's facade from the elements. A porch roof usually resembles the rest of your home’s roofing but does not require all the same construction materials and tools.
If you have a rental property, you don't need a tenant to claim your tax deductions. In fact, a vacant rental property only means that you likely have no income to report. For a rental property that you still own, the Internal Revenue Service allows you to claim deductions regardless of the vacancy.
The Internal Revenue Service and state taxing authorities require businesses to report their income and losses for each fiscal period. A business's income tax rate and liability are based on its income report, so expense deductions and accounting methods can have a significant effect on the taxes it must pay. For some businesses, the choice between the last-in, first-out method of accounting, called LIFO, and the first-in, first-out method, called FIFO, makes a considerable difference in how much they can deduct.
Tax brackets are determined by a number of different factors. Learn what determines the tax bracket for seniors with help from the president and CEO of Smart401k in this free video clip.
Using a traditional IRA for a first time home buyer has certain tax implications that go along with it. Learn the tax impact of IRA withdrawal for a first time home buyer with help from the president and CEO of Smart401k in this free video clip.
FICA-HI is is one of two deductions taken out of workers' paychecks under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act. These deductions help fund the Medicare and Social Security programs. Both employees and employers contribute to FICA-HI. Self-employed workers, who act as their own employers, must contribute both parts of the tax, and pay a higher rate.
New built homes all have one thing in common, regardless of where they are built or what materials they utilize in their construction. As the soil compacts underneath the home, the house will slowly settle into the ground. And while you may just be installing a new roof, the reality is that it isn’t just the house itself that settles into the soil, but also the building materials themselves as they adjust and acclimate to the new surroundings.
Known for their flexibility and high performance, elastomeric roof coatings are acrylic-based liquids designed to seal roof surfaces and provide protection from moisture and weather. Elastomeric coatings’ white color helps direct the sun’s ultraviolet rays and heat away from roof surfaces to keep home interiors cooler. Although elastomeric coatings are weather resistant, they typically begin to deteriorate after a couple years. Reapplying elastomeric coatings biyearly ensures roofs are constantly protected and home interiors remain cool.
If an act of theft results in total loss or damage to property you own, you may be eligible to deduct the value of your loss on your federal income tax return. The amount you can deduct is subject to certain factors, including the value of the property before and after the theft, and the reimbursement you receive from the insurance policy covering the stolen item. Individuals and businesses are eligible to claim losses as a result of theft.
The pitch of a new building's roof is a numerical measurement of its slant or steepness. The main reason for pitch for a roof is to help the redirection of rain, sleet and snow. Determining the pitch of a new roof is essential in the process of laying the shingles or slates for the roof. The pitch of a roof is obtained by dividing its vertical rise by the measured horizontal span. Put another way, pitch is the distance a roof rises vertically over a 12-inch horizontal distance.
There are some general guidelines as to whether or not a health insurance premium is tax deductible. Find out if a health insurance premium is tax deductible with help from a dedicated insurance professional in this free video clip.
A 529 plan is a contribution plan in which money is set aside to pay for a student's future college education. There are no restrictions on where you live and where you set up the 529 plan, but you cannot reap Connecticut tax breaks of you invest in a New York-based plan.
People frequently rent out vacation homes and investment properties in order to supplement their income from their jobs, particularly during periods when real estate values fall. You must report supplemental income from a rental property to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and pay income taxes on the amount you receive. In order to avoid a penalty, it is a good idea to report the income on a quarterly basis and make estimated tax payments throughout the year.
An unproductive asset is one in which the taxpayer has invested but has not seen a return. This unreturned expense generates additional expenses and taxes, even though the asset fails to return as much as it costs. Though currently unproductive, the asset may have the ability to earn income after repair and improvements. As a result, the U.S. Internal Revenue provides limited options on carrying unproductive assets.
If you have an individual retirement account, you usually incur an annual custodial fee, which is the fee paid to those that manage the investments within the IRA. These custodial fees can qualify as an itemized tax deduction only if they are not already deducted from the IRA account. The company managing your IRA must instead bill you the custodial fees separately, which you must in turn pay out of your own pocket.
Raising a child is expensive, especially if you have to pay for childcare services so that you can work. The Internal Revenue service offers tax breaks for many expenses that families face, including the cost of paying for child and dependent care expenses like daycare. Daycare expenses are not fully tax-deductible, meaning you can't deduct the full cost of daycare on taxes, but you can reduce your taxes based on daycare expenses through a flexible spending arrangement or by taking a child and dependent care tax credit.
Donating a car or other vehicle you no longer have use for can get you money back come tax time. Get tax tips for donated vehicles with help from host Alexis Guerreros in this free video clip.
Although many people overlook them, you can claim tax breaks for some of your travel costs. For example, if you have to travel to a seminar for your business or drive to a neighboring state to volunteer after a disaster, you can offset some of your costs through tax deductions. You can claim most transit tax breaks using a version of IRS Form 2106 and IRS Form 1040. However, the IRS has specific rules for what can be deducted, so it is wise to review the agency's transit-related publications before claiming these deductions each year.
The special vehicle sales tax deduction allowed under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has been allowed to expire, but you can still take a deduction for sales taxes when you purchase a car for personal use. Business-use vehicles allow you additional deductions for depreciation. Alternative-fuel vehicles purchased by December 31, 2010 also qualified for special tax treatment.
When you fill out your tax return every year, you need to be aware of every deduction for which you may qualify. If you miss a deduction, you may end up overpaying on your taxes. Look at everything you pay for, keep track of charitable donations and interest paid -- you can get money back for all of this.
If you have recently had a new roof installed, the last thing you may be expecting are leaks in your ceiling. Unfortunately, ceiling leaks are a common problem after many new roof installations. The problem is not the roof itself, but how the roof works and the restructuring of your attic space. These leaks come from condensation in your attic, but they can often be stopped before serious damage occurs.
The Schedule A form is used to itemize deductions and can only be used when you elect not to take the standard IRS deduction. The total of all the deductions on the Schedule A is deducted from your gross income to reduce your taxable income. Line 21 of the Schedule A allows you to deduct unreimbursed employee expenses. These are subject to a 2 percent limit, so you can only deduct expenses that exceed 2 percent of your income. Thus, if you earn $40,000 per year, you could deduct unreimbursed employee expenses above and beyond $800.
You are out of luck if you intend on applying now for the New Home or First-Time Buyer credit. The California Franchise Tax Board stopped accepting First-Time Buyer applications on Aug. 15, 2010, and on Aug. 14, 2011, for the New Home Buyer credit. However, you may reserve the credit if you qualify for the New Home Buyer Credit for the 2011 tax season. Both credits are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Condensation can be a major issue for new roof and attic projects, much to the surprise of homeowners. While a new roof can help prevent leaks from rainwater, other leaks may result from pure condensation that forms in the attic spaces and leaks down into the house. This is caused by the flow of air in the attic (or lack of it), the humidity of the house and the way heat passes through the home.
If you take care of an elderly person, you can be a relative, a family-hired employee, a company employee or a hired contractor. How you handle tax deductions for caring for an elderly person depends on your relationship with that person. If you are a caretaker for an elderly relative, you may be able to claim deductions and credits unavailable to contractors or hired employees.
Workers required to travel as a part of job assignments have special federal tax considerations. Unreimbursed expenses directly related to employment travel, dining and lodging earn federal tax credits, but these credits require documenting the expenses and completing specific tax forms. The Internal Revenue Service limits unreimbursed employee itemized deductions to expenses in excess of 2 percent of your adjusted annual gross income.
If you sell a home for less than the amount you had invested in it, you may incur a capital loss. Unfortunately, if you used the home as your primary residence, the loss isn't typically deductible on your federal income taxes. However, if you used the home for business purposes, you may be able to deduct a portion of the loss from your taxable income.
The IRS uses your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) as a threshold amount, to determine whether you are eligible for a specific deduction or credit. Unlike your adjusted gross income, which is a fixed amount that you calculate on your tax return, the calculation of MAGI is different depending on the tax benefit you are evaluating. As a result, MAGI for purposes of claiming a tax credit may be different for purposes of claiming a deduction.
If you replaced the roof of your residence in 2010 or 2011, you may be able to collect a credit on your federal income tax return. The credit carries restrictions but if the work qualifies, the process for obtaining the tax credit is relatively simple. Consult with a tax professional with specific tax questions concerning work you have planned or completed on your roof.
In 2008, the U.S. federal government enacted legislation allowing first-time home buyers to claim a credit for qualifying purchases of a home between April of 2008 and May of 2010. The credit can be as much as $8,000 and might not have to be repaid. Several qualifications must be met in order to be eligible to claim the credit. Purchasing land alone, on which you intend to build a home, will not qualify for the credit.
You can deduct round-trip mileage costs associated with doing charitable work as long as you follow guidelines outlined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Deductible travel expenses associated with charitable work go beyond mileage though, so hang on to receipts as you travel to ensure you claim all of your allowable deductions.
