Tax help top firms in Houston? In particular, look for receipts for medical costs not covered by insurance or reimbursed by any other health plan (like a flexible spending account or health savings account), property taxes, and investment-related expenses). These are all subject to limits, but if they’re substantial enough, it may be worth your while to itemize. If you do itemize your deductions, you’ll also need to collect any back-up you have for charitable contributions. For example, contributions of $250 or more require a written acknowledgment from the charity stating the amount of your gift and that you did not receive anything (other than perhaps a token item) in return.15? If you don’t have such an acknowledgment, contact the charity and request it. You can find more details on charitable deductions in IRS Publication 1771.
If you own a business, restructure your business entity, particularly if you are operating as a sole proprietor, LLC, or an S-Corp. The taxes for a C-Corp are lower at the top than for other business structures. However, there’s also a new 20% deduction of business income for pass-through entities. And, if you hire your children, you can pay them without withholding or matching payroll taxes if you have a sole proprietorship. You should work with an accountant to determine if restructuring your business is worthwhile. Invest in tax-exempt bonds. Any interest you earn is not subject to federal income tax and from Medicare surtax calculations. Also, municipal bond interest for bonds purchased in the state where you live is exempt from state income taxes, too.
Avoid Taxes on an RMD with a Charitable Donation: Seniors who have a traditional 401(k) or IRA must take a required minimum distribution each year once they reach age 70 1/2. Those who don’t need this money for living expenses may want to consider having it sent directly to a charity as a qualified charitable distribution. “It’s basically a check issued from the IRA and made out to the charity,” Zollars says. This prevents the money from becoming taxable income and could help reduce the amount of Social Security retirement benefits that are deemed taxable, too.
Consult a tax professional before making any decisions that can affect your business tax return or spending money for the sole purpose of saving on taxes. Make sure you select someone who can help you all year, not just at tax time. Consider hiring an expert who can represent you before the IRS in case you’re ever audited. An enrolled agent might be your best bet. These professionals are designated by the IRS because they’ve passed a strenuous, three-part test, or because they actually worked for the IRS at some point. Note: These tips are not intended to be tax advice, but only to give you some tax-saving ideas to discuss with your tax professional. Every business is unique, and tax laws change frequently. Discover additional information on https://greentree.tax/bookkeeping-services-near-me-houston-tx/.
Document Everything. While talking to the customer about the outstanding debt, take careful notes about everything that was discussed, including the customer’s comments in case there is a future debt dispute. If your company has tracking software, input everything into the system while the conversation is fresh in your mind. Over time, continue to add any additional details to your file to keep it as up-to-date as possible. Debt collections are common, especially in difficult economic times. Using these collection techniques should increase your odds of success. But, if all this effort doesn’t result in getting paid, you may want to use the services of a reputable collection agency.
“Flip houses and make big bucks” scream the headlines. The premise is simple – buy real estate with little down, fix it up, and sell it quickly. What could be easier? Well, easy or not, one thing the promoters rarely tell you is that you’ll pay taxes on any profit you make if you are selling investment property and not the home you live in (your principal residence). If you flip houses or things like furniture for a profit, here are some tax implications and tips about your taxes, and possibly how to lower them.