What do I do if I receive a notice from the IRS about
my taxes?
Don’t panic! the first thing to do is carefully read
the notice—to determine why it was sent, what the IRS
is requesting, and what they want you to do. It may be
nothing of importance; it may even be a notice in your favor.
After reading it you should bring it to our attention.
What is the difference between a C and an S
corporation?
A C Corporation and an S Corporation are exactly the same in
respect to liability protection. The difference is in how you
are taxed. A C Corporation has what is referred to as a
double taxation. First the corporation is taxed, and secondly
the dividends are taxed on the shareholders’ tax
returns. An S Corporation is not taxed at the corporate
level, only at the shareholder level. Most small businesses
are eligible to file as S corporations. But the appropriate
election must be made.
What do I need to bring when I am having my taxes
prepared?
Following is a list of the more common items you should bring
if you have them.
- Wage statements (Form W-2)
- Pension, or retirement income (Forms 1099-R)
- Dependents' Social Security numbers and dates of birth
- Last year's tax return
- Information on education expenses
- Information on the sales of stocks and/or bonds
- Self-employed business income and expenses
- Lottery and/or gambling winnings and losses
- State refund amount
- Social Security and/or unemployment income
- Income and expenses from rentals
- Record of purchase or sale of real estate
- Medical and dental expenses
- Real estate and personal property taxes
- Estimated taxes or foreign taxes paid
- Cash and non-cash charitable donations
- Mortgage or home equity loan interest paid (Form 1098)
- Unreimbursed employment-related expenses
- Job-related educational expenses
- Child care expenses and provider information And any other
items that you think may be necessary for your taxes.
How do I find out about my
refund?
The
best way is to use the Check Your Refund link from the
Resources pages of our website! To look up the status of your
federal or state refund, you will need your social security
number, filing status, and exact amount you’re
expecting back.
A Qualified Tuition Program (QTP), also called a "529 plan,"
is established and maintained to let you either prepay or
contribute to an account established for paying a student's
qualified higher education expenses at an eligible
institution. States and eligible educational institutions can
establish and maintain a QTP. You do not get any federal
deductions for the account, but any income earned in it is
tax-free. One of the big advantages of a 529 plan is that
many states allow you to deduct some contributions to the
plan from your state tax return.
There are several ways you can claim deductions for college
expenses on your tax return. They are the tuition deduction,
the HOPE credit and the Lifetime Learning Credit. If we are
preparing your return we will determine which ones you
qualify for and which one gives you the greatest tax
benefit.
What is the child tax credit?
The child tax credit is a credit of $1000 per child from the
IRS. In order to qualify the child must: 1. Be under 17 at
the end of the tax year 2. Be a citizen of the United States
3. Be your child 4. Live with you for more than half the year
5. Not be treated as the qualifying child of someone
else.
What medical expenses are
deductible?
A deduction is allowed only for expenses paid for the
prevention or alleviation of a physical or mental defect or
illness. Medical care expenses include payments for the
diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of
disease, or treatment affecting any structure or function of
the body. Except for insulin, only prescription drugs are
deductible. The cost of health insurance is deductible. You
may also deduct the cost of traveling to and from the care
provider. You can deduct only the part of your medical and
dental expenses that exceeds 7.5% of your adjusted gross
income.
What do I need to keep for my charitable
contributions?
All contributions must be made to qualified charitable
organizations.
What are the tax consequences of buying a
home?
The main tax consequence of buying a home is that you may be
able to deduct the property taxes you pay and any mortgage
interest you pay. Points you pay may also be deductible.
Please contact our office to determine the eligibility.
Normal expenses for maintaining a home are not deductible,
but you should keep records of any major expenses for repairs
or improvements. I you have a taxable gain when you sell your
home, these expenses may be deductible.
I haven’t been filing my tax returns what
should I do?
First, you must determine if you were required to file in the
years you did not file. There are many different items that
could figure into this—such as your filing status, your
sources of income, whether you had any tax withheld, etc.
This is a link to the IRS instructions for filing
requirements for 2007:
http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96623,00.html.
If you determine you should have filed, contact us and we can
handle all of your prior year filings. It is very important
that you do not just continue to not file. If you owe money
the penalties for not filing are high. If you are owed a
refund you will lose your claim to it 3 years after the due
date of the return.
When can I make contributions to my IRA?
Generally for any tax year, you can make a contribution to
your IRA up until the original due date of the return
(usually April 15). Thus for tax year 2007, you can make
contributions from January 1, 2007 through April 15,
2008.
What are the differences between a Roth and a
conventional IRA?
A traditional IRA lets you deduct contributions in the year
you make them, and the distributions are included as
income on your return when you withdraw from the IRA after
reaching age 59½. A Roth IRA does not let you deduct
the contributions, but you also do not report the
distributions as income, no matter how much the Roth account
has appreciated. With a Roth, you can exclude the income
earned in the account from being taxed.
How should I keep records for my business
driving?
Keep a log in your vehicle and record the purpose and mileage
of each trip. You also need to record the odometer readings
at the beginning and end of each year, as the IRS will ask
you for total miles driven during the year. Keep your repair
bills as these normally record odometer readings when the car
is serviced.
Can I deduct expenses for a business run out of my
home?
If you use a portion of your home for business purposes, you
may be able to take a home office deduction whether you are
self-employed or an employee. Expenses you may be able to
deduct for business use of your home may include the business
portion of real estate taxes, mortgage interest, rent,
utilities, insurance, depreciation, painting, and
repairs.
You can claim this deduction only if you use a part of your
home regularly and exclusively:
Generally, the amount you can deduct depends on the
percentage of your home that you used for business. Your
deduction will be limited if your gross income from your
business is less than your total business
expenses.
If you can afford to pay the amount you owe, it should be
paid. But many times that is not the case. If you cannot
afford to pay, you have several options. Ignoring the IRS
should not be one of them!