Working in the Gig Economy Results in Tax Obligations
Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the number of people engaged in the “gig” or sharing economy had been growing, according to several reports. And reductions in working hours during the [...]
Providing Education Assistance to Employees? Follow These Rules
Many businesses provide education fringe benefits so their employees can improve their skills and gain additional knowledge. An employee can receive, on a tax-free basis, up to $5,250 each year [...]
How Virtual Currency Transactions Affect Your Tax Situation
The IRS wants to know about any virtual currency transactions. However, many taxpayers are surprised to learn that Bitcoin and other forms of virtual currency are considered "property" for tax purposes, [...]
Trader Status Offers Significant Tax Benefits
In January 2021, online day traders trapped institutional short sellers in a short squeeze by buying up shares of the video and computer game retailer GameStop. This episode brought attention to [...]
Hobby-Related Loss Deductions Are Disallowed, but Don’t Give Up Hope
Let's say you have an unincorporated sideline activity that you think of as a business, including an activity involving horses. If you have a net loss (deductible expenses exceed revenue) on [...]
Unemployed Last Year? Buying Health Insurance This Year? You May Benefit From Favorable New Changes
In recent months, there have been a number of tax changes that may affect your individual tax bill. Many of these changes were enacted to help mitigate the financial damage [...]
Avoiding the 10% Penalty On Early IRA Withdrawals
For one reason or another, you may need to take some money out of an IRA before reaching retirement. You can withdraw money from an IRA at any time and [...]
Home Sales: How to determine your “Basis”
The housing market in many parts of the country is strong this spring. If you’re buying or selling a home, you should know how to determine your “basis.” How it [...]
Who Qualifies for “Head of Household” Tax Filing Status?
When you file your tax return, you must check one of the following filing statuses: Single, married filing jointly, married filing separately, head of household or qualifying widow(er). Who qualifies [...]
Need a New Business Vehicle? Consider a Heavy SUV
Are you considering buying or replacing a vehicle that you’ll use in your business? If you choose a heavy sport utility vehicle (SUV), you may be able to benefit from [...]
Retiring Soon? Recent Law Changes May Have an Impact on Your Retirement Savings
If you’re approaching retirement, you probably want to ensure the money you’ve saved in retirement plans lasts as long as possible. If so, be aware that a law was recently [...]
New Law: Parents and Other Eligible Americans to Receive Direct Payments
The American Rescue Plan Act, signed into law on March 11, provides a variety of tax and financial relief to help mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the [...]
COVID-19 Relief: Overview of the New American Rescue Plan Act
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was signed into law on March 11, 2021. The new law will provide roughly $1.9 trillion in much-needed financial relief to individuals, businesses, not-for-profit organizations, [...]
Estimated Tax Payments: The Deadline for the First 2021 Installment is Coming Up
April 15 is not only the deadline for filing your 2020 tax return, it’s also the deadline for the first quarterly estimated tax payment for 2021, if you’re required to [...]
4 Important Changes on Your 2020 Tax Return
Tax season has started. Your tax professional is ready to prepare your 2020 federal and state returns — but are you ready? The pandemic has led to several changes to the [...]