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Be Prepared For Your Taxes

There are many factors that can devalue your return during tax filing.  A bit of preparation each month can saves hours of work later on. This can also net you extra money on your return, which is always a good thing.
There are several ways to prepare for your taxes a little at a time.  Here we will discuss a few methods that will save you time when taxes roll around, or save you money if you are paying an accountant by the hour to prepare your taxes for you.

Save Your Receipts

Whether you are a business owner or simply buy supplies for your job out of your own income, you need to remember to save and file your receipts for any purchases made in relation to your work.  While most think of this when purchasing a new printer, laptop, or copier, they often forget the smaller purchases.  Other possible deductible purchases include:
•             Boxes of pens, pencils, highlighters, and other minor office supplies
•             Reams of paper and ink cartridges for printers and copy machines
•             Fuel used in travelling to purchase supplies

Stay Organized

There is nothing more frustrating and time consuming than a large box of random papers being dropped on your desk at tax time.  Save your accountant time and yourself money by properly filing these papers, receipts, and pay stubs for easier access during tax form preparation.  By doing this you will make a good impression as well as learn how to systematically reduce the stress that tax filing brings.

Communication is Key

During the year, if you have any doubts as to whether an activity will be important to your taxes, do your research and communicate with your tax professional.  This simple act can also protect you from possible auditing as your tax preparer will be able to notify you if an activity is going to bring up red flags later.
It is also important to communicate with your accountantabout any changes in your life or business. Common events that can affect your tax filing include:
•             Marriage, divorce, and separation
•             Custody changes
•             Insurance rate changes
•             Vehicle maintenance related to work

Plan Ahead

In the event that an audit takes place, you will need your records for several years prior to the year of audit.  In order to avoid excess stress and hassle, keep all tax records filed in an easily accessible place for at least ten years, more if you prefer.  The space taken by one four-drawer filing cabinet can save you from a very nasty auditing experience.

Some regularly saved records include:
•             Previous tax records
•             Purchase/Sale records for livestock in farm related industries
•             Banking records for all bank accounts
•             Receipts or proof-of-purchase for all vehicles
•             Maintenance records for all vehicles
•             Year-end paystubs for at least five years

Summation

By following these simple steps you will take a large bite out of the stress, time, and expense of tax preparation, as well as keeping secure and reliable resources handy in case of audit.  This system will also allow you more broad range of possibilities where your deductions are concerned, offering you a larger return at the end of each fiscal year.

Author’s Bio: Val Anne is an in-house writer from Franklin Debt Relief, a company specializing in programs for people with high credit card debt.

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Tax Carnival Ecstasy – April 5, 2012

Welcome to the April 5, 2012 edition of Tax Carnival Ecstasy. In this edition we start with Learning About Tax Liability by Bill Smith. We also have an article on starting a small business, Home Business, Yay or Nay? from the site 2010 Tax. Jeffery Weber looks at Using Credit Card Rewards to Reduce the Cost of Paying your Taxes. Finally, Edward Webber examines How Much Can a tax payer can Earn Without Paying Taxes 2012. Hope you enjoy the articles, bookmark, share, tweet, like on Facebook and come back real soon.

Amy Gardner presents Social Media Marketing Basics for Small Businesses posted at Small Business Credit Cards.

Jill Thompson presents What Debt Collectors Cannot Do To Collect Your Debts posted at How Does Rent To Own Work?.

Maria Clark presents Phrases to Avoid When Negotiating With Lenders posted at Credit Cards for Bad Credit Resource.

filing

Bill Smith presents Learn About Tax Liability posted at 2010Taxes, saying, “Tax liability can have you make wrong choices. However, the IRS has been helpful to some people in difficulties such as these.”

taxes

Bill Smith presents Home Business, Yay or Nay? posted at 2010 Tax, saying, “While the old American dream was once to land a steady job with good benefits and an early retirement, the updated version often entails becoming an…”

Jeffery Weber presents Using Rewards to Reduce the Cost of Paying Taxes with a Credit Card posted at Smart Balance Transfers, saying, “Paying taxes with a credit card is costly, but these costs can be mitigated with certain rewards credit cards.”

Edward Webber presents How Much Can You Earn Without Paying Taxes 2012? posted at TaxFix Feed Update, saying, “Each year the amount that you can earn tax free changes. This article will look at how much you can earn in 2012 without being taxed”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of tax carnival ecstasy using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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Technorati tags: tax carnival ecstasy, blog carnival.

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Tax Adjustments Now For The Taxes Are A Changing

April 15th, this is the date that all Americans associate with the IRS. For many it is a stressful situation to try and figure out what exactly needs to go on their return. This is where a Certified Public Accountant or other tax professionals can help by pointing out useful tax adjustments now for next year’s return.

The regulations and codes for taxes are constantly changing and that is truer for this year because the Bush tax cuts are set to expire December 31. These cuts are projected to change how deductions can be made for retirement plans like the traditional IRA and Roth IRAs. Contributing more to a 401k through work can also be a good way to lower the taxable income one acquires within a fiscal year.

For the more affluent individuals it might make sense to roll over any traditional IRAs they own into Roth IRAs if they are projecting that their income after the age of 59 and half will be higher than it currently is. This would allow them to draw the payments from the Roth IRA as non-taxable income when they retire because they have already paid the taxes on the interest returns from those accounts.

Again, it is imperative to talk to tax professionals in order to gain the advice needed to plan for the changes coming in the next year. Seeking the advice of the benefits office within one’s company can help and is where the necessary adjustments need to be requested for changes in the 401k and the withholding forms. Also, the customer service representatives of the financial institutions that the retirement portfolios are being managed can also offer some guidance to tax adjustments now.

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E-File And Get Your Tax Return Sooner

At the beginning of every year literally millions of people across the country are rushing to get their tax returns. A lot of people choose to file on paper which can be plagued by the usual delays of using the mail. If you would like to get your return more promptly then the best option is probably to e-file.

Doing taxes used to be a mess of paperwork for most people. Many people used to use expensive preparation services to help them deal with this chore. Now there is no need to go through endless papers or to take your taxes to someone else. Millions of people now choose to file electronically and you could say that this has become the norm.

E-filing has advantages. First of all there is software designed to help make it much easier than in the past. You can make sure you do not miss out on any deductions as well as maximize your refund with this help. No more getting confused sorting through reams of papers looking for obscure instructions. Another nice advantage of filing electronically is that your refund will be processed right away and can be direct deposited to your account within days of filing in some cases.

So if you are looking for the best ways to take care of your tax returns, perhaps you should look at the many ways to e-file. You will save time and money as well as receiving any money owed you quicker than through the mail.

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Commonly Overlooked Tax Deductions to Watch Out For

Tax season is upon us, and with it comes a lot of work and a lot of stress. It is everyone’s goal to come out of a tax filing with some extra money in pocket – or at least to have to come up with as little out of pocket as possible. Therefore, it is extremely important not to miss any and every possible deduction you can take whenever you are preparing your tax forms. If you are not an expert in tax code, then it is likely there are some deductions you could miss if you are not conscious of them. Here are some commonly overlooked tax deductions to watch out for:

State sales tax. It is hard to miss this deduction, but many people skip over it in favor of the state income tax deduction, which makes sense, considering state income taxes are often the bigger tax burden. However, you might want to reconsider if you have made any large purchases over the past year, as sales tax on automobiles and homebuilding supplies can really add up. Many people overlook the sales taxes they paid on these major items, and therefore fail to even make the comparison when itemizing their deductions.

Charitable donations. It is easy to forget the small contributions you make toward charities over the year, but it pays to keep records of them because they really can add up. In addition to that furniture you dropped off at the Goodwill, you can also write off payments to your child’s PTA fundraiser, any supplies involved in making those cakes for the bake sale, and any mileage your car incurred while driving to and from charitable events, among other things.

Caregiver expenses. If you are the responsible caregiver for you parent, then you can write off the costs associated with providing that care, from nursing home bills to in-home health aides.

Mortgage-related costs. You can write off any points you paid to get your new mortgage loan or refinance your existing mortgage loan, as well as any interest you paid on your mortgage over the course of the year.

Job-related expenses. Costs related with finding a job, maintaining a job, and moving for a job can be written off. Common expenses that often get overlooked include transportation to and from interviews and training, employment agency fees, moving company fees, and costs associated with marketing yourself for a job (business cards, resumes, websites, etc.).

It may be possible for you to fare better on your taxes this year if you dig in this list of commonly overlooked deductions. Tax time requires some serious time and thought, but if you put those two things in, you can increase your chances of getting more (or giving less) in your annual dealings with the IRS.

About the Author: Maryalice Dunwoody is a tax advisor who enjoys helping family members and friends maximize their returns. When she’s not working, she relaxes with the oolong tea she loves most and searches goldenmoontea.com for new blends and gifts for others.

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Married Filing Separate vs. Filing Jointly

I have spent the entire Saturday analyzing my tax returns, both Federal and State, first I did a Joint return with the Federal we came out even that is we do not owe the tax man and he owes us very little, not even enough for a very good bottle of wine. However with the sate that was different we owe almost five hundred dollars, so I decided to evaluate the option of Married Filing Separate, at the back of my mind I know that in the Federal Tax return this is the most expensive option, but there could be savings on the State return.

I allocated all the income between my wife and I, that is whatever income is attached to her social security number belongs to her, then I analyzed the Schedule A deductions, this gets a little tricky, like the mortgage interest expense and Real Estate Taxes is attached to my social security number therefore I had to split those between us. Expenses such as medical, dental, eye glasses we have our separate bills for the year and as faith would have it all the medications are mine. I had to pay special attention to the medical expenses because we are residents of Ohio and there is a credit for medical expenses on Ohio Tax Line 47. Please note there are many good Tax Return software on the market which could have done this automatically, if I had use one like TurboTax it would have taken me a lot less time, but it snowed today and I am confined to the basement of our home.

After refiguring both federal and State, the result shows it would be a very bad idea to file Married Separate for the Federal return, however on the State return was completely different, we both ended up with small refunds instead of a liability of almost five hundred. On our combine return filing joint we had an effective Tax Rate of almost 5% while on the Married Filing Separate return my effective tax rate is 4.5% and hers 3.5% although collectively we have a total higher rate on the Separate returns we did not owe any State Tax as in the Joint Return which has a lower rate.

I was very amazed and I checked it several times, then I logged on to the State of Ohio Tax Web page and entered the information for two separate returns and Walla I was right all that work pays off sometimes it is better to File Married Filing Separate for the State return. Although I am not a Tax Expert I found the process was not that difficult our return was a simple clear cut return with just my wife and I, can I claim the dog?, OH the dog belongs to my youngest child Dang remember a pet is not a dependent.

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