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Taxes are due Monday Apr. 18, 2011. These tips for how to deduct moving expenses on your 2010 taxes are summarized from the American Moving & Storage Association.
You can deduct reasonable moving expenses on your 2010 taxes if:
- you moved because of a change in your job or business location
- because you started a new job or business
- your new job is at least 50 miles farther from your old home than your old job was from your old home (If you had no previous job, your new job must be at least 50 miles from your old home) (more…)
Stop! Medical expenses can lower your taxes. Credit: TruthOut.org/Flickr
Keith Mendonsa, a tax expert from eHealthInsurance.com, shared the following four ways to reduce your taxes with health-related expenses. Consult an accountant or certified tax professional for more information about how these four tax deductions apply to you.
- Health tax deductions: A new deduction this year and only this year let’s self-employed persons deduct the cost of their health insurance premiums from their self-employment taxes on Schedule SE.Â
- Got self-employment income? “You may also be able to deduct health insurance premiums you paid for yourself and your dependents as an ‘above the line’ business expense (that is, without itemizing) on your federal tax return,” Mendonsa said in an email. You cannot deduct premiums paid during (more…)
A college student can be worth $2,500 under the American Opportunity Credit.
Last week I wrote about three educational and energy credits that reduce your taxes. I mentioned one deduction, too. So what’s the difference between a tax credit and a tax deduction?
A tax credit directly reduces the taxes you owe. So if you do your taxes and owe Uncle Sam $5,000, a $2,500 tax credit means you pay just $2,500 in taxes.
A tax deduction reduces your taxable income, which is what determines how much tax you pay. So if your gross income was $45,000, a $2,000 tax deduction means you pay taxes on $43,000.
In short, a tax credit saves you a lot more money than a tax deduction, so never skip a chance to claim a valid tax credit. Got questions? Leave a comment and I’ll do my best to answer.
More than 75 percent of all taxpayers get a refund, according to Turbo Tax, which says refunds averaged $3,000 last year. Three-fourths – could that be true? If it is, what are you going to spend your refund on?
If you’re still filling, here are three tax credits and one deduction to watch out for (in a good way). I summarized these tax tips from H&R Block.
- Energy credits. If you made an energy-efficient improvement to your home in 2010, you might be eligible to claim the non-business energy property tax credit. It is for (more…)
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This post is brought to you by Mint.com, a hot spot for personal finance software.
A friend of mine is getting a massive tax refund – almost $10,000. I’m frustrated that my friend lets the government keep his money interest-free for a year. But he likes the big cash influx, which he is more likely to save than if he had received a slightly bigger paycheck every two weeks during the year. Here is what he said when I asked him about his return.
“What are you going to do with it?”
“Put it in the bank.”
“All of it?”
“Yes. Why not?
“Isn’t there anything you want to spend it on?”
“Not really.”
I guess he didn’t get the memo that Americans are big consumers. Not that I want him to spend it all. I’m just surprised that he is not going to spend a fraction of it on himself.
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If you are getting a refund, here are five things to do with it:
- Pay off high-interest credit card debt.
- Pay off any other high-interest debt you may have.
- Boost your emergency savings account.
- Contribute to your IRA, Roth IRA, or other retirement fun.
- If you’re in a good place on the above four, spend a little on yourself!
If you haven’t filed, here are three places you can file your taxes online for free. Remember to review the new tax credits available and use all the tax coupon codes available. If you are looking for paid help, here are tips to hire a tax professional.
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This post is brought to you by Mint.com, a destination for budgeting software.
I’m slogging through my taxes and found these tax tips from CPA Steven Meyerson of JustAnswer.com to be super useful. Steven apparently gets a lot of the same questions year in year out because folks like you and me forget the most basic rules of tax preparation and filing. His tips:
Dealing with kids and marriages: If you’re married or divorced be sure that you and your spouse’s last names match all social security records, because your return will be rejected if they don’t. Also, if you’re divorced with children, be sure you know who’s claiming the kids. The rule is that whoever files first will initially get the credit and if it’s not the right person, correspondence with the IRS will be required by both parties to resolve the matter. To avoid that mess, it’s something you NEED to work out beforehand.
E-filing is the way to go: If you’re doing your taxes yourself, you should save yourself some time and money by e-filing using the IRS’s Free File program. The online form populates the numbers for you so you don’t have to worry about calculating the math. The other upside is that once you submit your return, you will receive your check earlier than if you had submitted it manually.
Use the correct forms: Make sure you use your W2 forms and not a recent pay stub – there is a huge difference.
Need an extension? Make sure you file it by April 15, unless you are living out of the country in which case you have until June 15 to file your return or file for an extension. Remember, extensions should include an approximation of the amount you owe, whether remitted or not. Failure to properly estimate your liability could lead to a rejection of your extension request and could result in late filing penalties.
Please Don’t Procrastinate: If you want your money earlier, you need to file your return earlier. The closer you file your return to the due date, the longer it will take for you to get it back.
And Don’t Pay Extra: Paying to get your return earlier is never worth it. Avoid anticipation loans or quick refunds because the cost isn’t worth having the funds a few day’s early.
Additionally, I found this IRS tax calculator to help you out over the next month. The post office has free hard copies of basic tax forms or you can get them online through the IRS.
