Home Office Deductions
Whether you are self-employed or an employee, if you use a portion of your home for business, you may be able to take a home office deduction.
Ten Tips for Taxpayers Contributing to an Individual Retirement Plan
If you haven’t made all the contributions to your traditional Individual Retirement Arrangement that you want to make – don’t worry, you may still have time. Here are the top 10 things the Internal Revenue Service wants you to know about setting aside retirement money in an IRA.
Eight Facts about the New Vehicle Sales and Excise Tax Deduction
If you bought a new vehicle in 2009, you may be entitled to a special tax deduction for the sales and excise taxes on your purchase. Here are eight important facts the Internal Revenue Service wants you to know about this deduction:
Standard or Itemized Deductions
Whether to itemize deductions on your tax return depends on how much you spent on certain expenses last year. Money paid for medical care, mortgage interest, taxes, charitable contributions, casualty losses and miscellaneous deductions can reduce your taxes. If the total amount spent on those categories is more than your standard deduction, you can usually benefit by itemizing.
Ten Tips for Deducting Charitable Contributions
When preparing to file your federal tax return, don’t forget your contributions to charitable organizations. If you made qualified donations last year, you may be able to take a tax deduction if you itemize on IRS Form 1040, Schedule A.
Real Estate Taxes: Additional Standard Deductions
The IRS wants taxpayers who pay state or local real estate taxes but don’t qualify to itemize their tax deductions, to know that they may qualify for an increased standard deduction. This is the last year that the higher standard deduction for real estate taxes is available.
The Alternative Minimum Tax: 7 Quick Tips
The Alternative Minimum Tax attempts to ensure that anyone who benefits from certain tax advantages pays at least a minimum amount of tax. Congress created the AMT in 1969, targeting taxpayers who could claim so many deductions they owed little or no income tax.
2010 Standard Mileage Rates
A taxpayer may not use the business standard mileage rate for a vehicle after using any depreciation method under the Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS) or after claiming a Section 179 deduction for that vehicle. In addition, the business standard mileage rate cannot be used for any vehicle used for hire or for more than four vehicles used simultaneously.
