When you retire, you may consider moving to another state — say, for the weather or to be closer to your loved ones. Don’t forget to factor state and local taxes into the equation. Establishing residency for state tax purposes may be more complicated than it initially appears to be. Identify all applicable taxes It… [keep reading…]
Category: Tax
Stretch your college student’s spending money with the dependent tax credit
If you’re the parent of a child who is age 17 to 23, and you pay all (or most) of his or her expenses, you may be surprised to learn you’re not eligible for the child tax credit. But there’s a dependent tax credit that may be available to you. It’s not as valuable as… [keep reading…]
Some of your deductions may be smaller (or nonexistent) when you file your 2018 tax return
While the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) reduces most income tax rates and expands some tax breaks, it limits or eliminates several itemized deductions that have been valuable to many individual taxpayers. Here are five deductions you may see shrink or disappear when you file your 2018 income tax return: 1. State and local… [keep reading…]
3 Big TCJA changes affecting 2018 individual tax returns and beyond
When you file your 2018 income tax return, you’ll likely find that some big tax law changes affect you — besides the much-discussed tax rate cuts and reduced itemized deductions. For 2018 through 2025, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) makes significant changes to personal exemptions, standard deductions and the child credit. The degree… [keep reading…]
Investment interest expense is still deductible, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll benefit
As you likely know by now, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) reduced or eliminated many deductions for individuals. One itemized deduction the TCJA kept intact is for investment interest expense. This is interest on debt used to buy assets held for investment, such as margin debt used to buy securities. But if you… [keep reading…]
What will your marginal income tax rate be?
While the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) generally reduced individual tax rates for 2018 through 2025, some taxpayers could see their taxes go up due to reductions or eliminations of certain tax breaks — and, in some cases, due to their filing status. But some may see additional tax savings due to their filing… [keep reading…]
4 ways to encourage use of an employee assistance program
Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for good employees to battle personal problems, such as substance dependence, financial or legal woes, or mental health issues. These struggles can negatively affect their productivity and the working environment around them. Employers can help by offering an employee assistance program (EAP). An EAP helps assist at-risk employees in finding the… [keep reading…]
The pass-through provisions of the TCJA: The devil is in the details
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) has been touted for cutting the corporate tax rate, but the law also contains some valuable goodies for smaller businesses that operate as pass-through entities, including partnerships, limited liability companies, S corporations and sole proprietorships. These businesses stand to see their tax liabilities fall significantly, but determining just… [keep reading…]
Now may be a good time to start a paid family and medical leave program
Does your organization have a formalized program under which it offers employees paid time off for an illness or family emergency? If not, there’s now an excellent reason to consider establishing one: The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, passed late last year, created a tax credit for qualifying employers that begin providing paid family and… [keep reading…]
Home equity borrowers get good news from the IRS
Passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) in December 2017 has led to confusion over some of the changes to longstanding deductions, including the deduction for interest on home equity loans. In response, the IRS has issued a statement clarifying that the interest on home equity loans, home equity lines of credit and… [keep reading…]