Picture this: For the past few years you've received your tax return and have had a small but nice refund. Now imagine your surprise, when this year, you are required to send in a fairly big check to settle your tax bill. Believe it or not, this message is almost as hard to deliver
Wages and self-employment earnings are taxable, but what about the random cash or financial benefits you receive through other means? If something of value changes hands, you can bet the IRS considers a way to tax it. Here are five taxable items that might surprise you: Scholarships and financial aid. Applying for scholarships and
The time to organize your tax records is now. Informational tax information is hitting your regular and digital mailboxes from now until late March. To make matters worse, this year there are economic recovery payments, unemployment benefits, and advance child tax payment records to organize! Here are some tips to get on top of
It is late February and you realize the Form 1099 you received is in error. In fact, it overstates your income by several thousand dollars. What should you do? Gather your facts. Put yourself in the shoes of the vendor, bank or investment company representative. Gather evidence they will need to support your claim
Tax return filing season usually gets a little crazy, but this year will be more turbulent than most. Due to new tax legislation and guidance from the IRS, you will have to cope with a wide variety of tax changes, some of which relate to the pandemic. Here are several tips for making some
If you have not already done so, now is the time to review your tax situation and make an estimated quarterly tax payment using Form 1040-ES. The 2021 4th quarter due date is now here. Due date: Tuesday, January 18, 2022 You are required to withhold at least 90 percent of your 2021 tax
To help taxpayers reconcile and receive all of the Child Tax Credits to which they are entitled, the IRS will send Letter 6419, 2021 advance CTC, starting late December 2021 and continuing into January. The letter will include the total amount of advance Child Tax Credit payments taxpayers received in 2021 and the number
It's that time again! The final chance to reduce your annual tax bill is here. Spend a few minutes considering the following ideas: Make last minute charitable donations. Review and maximize use of the $15,000 annual gift giving limit. Review your investment portfolio for capital gain and loss planning. Use your annual $3,000 net
Pretending to be an IRS agent is one of the favorite tactics of scam artists, according to the Better Business Bureau. The con artists impersonate the IRS to either intimidate people into making payments over the phone, or to send misleading emails tricking people into sharing personal information digitally. You can defend yourself against
There are always moves you can make to reduce your taxable income. Some of these tax-saving moves, however, must be completed by December 31. Here are several to consider: Tax loss harvesting. If you own stock in a taxable account that is not in a tax-deferred retirement plan, you can sell your underperforming stocks by