With plentiful opportunities for teen employment this year, now is the perfect time to consider opening a Roth IRA for your minor child. Here’s what you need to know.
Roth IRAs: Put Your Child’s Summer Earnings to Work
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Category: Featured Articles
Qualified Charitable Distributions From IRAs
If you’re a retiree aged 70 1/2 or older, consider taking advantage of legislation that allows you to reduce or eliminate the amount of income tax on IRA withdrawals transferred directly to a qualified charitable organization. You can use this tactic even though minimum distributions are no longer required until age 72. Referred to as Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs), they can also be used to satisfy all or part of your required minimum distribution.
Do You Need to File an Amended Return?
If you discover a mistake on your tax return after you've already filed it, don't panic. In most cases, all you have to do is file an amended tax return. What Tax Form is Used to File an Amended Return? Taxpayers should use Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, to file an amended (corrected) tax return. An amended tax return should only be filed to correct errors or make changes to your original tax return. For example, you should amend your return if you need to correct your...
Deducting Business-related Car Expenses
If you're self-employed and use your car for business, you can deduct certain business-related car expenses. The first thing small business owners need to know is that there are two options for claiming deductions: Actual Expenses. To use the actual expense method, you need to figure out the actual costs of operating the car for business use. You are allowed to deduct the business-related portion of costs related to gas, oil, repairs, tires, insurance, registration fees, licenses, and...
Dirty Dozen Tax Scams for 2022
The "Dirty Dozen" is a list of common tax scams that target taxpayers. Compiled and issued annually by the IRS, it includes a number of aggressive and evolving schemes that taxpayers should avoid. Let's take a look at this year's "Dirty Dozen" tax scams: 1. Use of Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust (CRAT) to Eliminate Taxable Gain In this transaction, appreciated property is transferred to a CRAT. Taxpayers improperly claim the transfer of the appreciated assets to the CRAT in and of itself...
Tax Withholding for Seasonal and Part-Time Employees
Many businesses hire part-time or full-time workers, especially in the summer. The IRS classifies these employees as seasonal workers, defined as an employee who performs labor or services on a seasonal basis (i.e., six months or less). Examples of this seasonal work include retail workers employed exclusively during the holidays, sports events, or during the harvest or commercial fishing season. Part-time and seasonal employees are subject to the same tax withholding rules that apply to other...
Tax Tips for Students with a Summer Job
With teen employment expected to be plentiful this summer, with better pay and more opportunities, chances are good that your high school or college student will have a job this summer. Here's what they should know about summer jobs and taxes: Form W-4 When anyone gets a new job, they need to fill out a Form W-4, Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate. Employers use this form to calculate how much federal income tax to withhold from the new employee's pay. The Withholding Calculator on...
Settling Tax Debt With an IRS Offer in Compromise
An offer in compromise (OIC) is an agreement between a taxpayer and the Internal Revenue Service that settles a taxpayer's tax liabilities for less than the full amount owed. That's the good news. The bad news is that not everyone can use this option to settle tax debt; the IRS rejected nearly 60 percent of taxpayer-requested offers in compromise. If you owe money to the IRS and wonder if an IRS offer in compromise is the answer, here's what you need to know. Who is Eligible? If you can't pay...
Common Small Business Budgeting Errors to Avoid
When creating a budget, it's essential to estimate your spending as realistically as possible. Here are five budget-related errors commonly made by small businesses and some tips for avoiding them. Not Setting Goals It's almost impossible to set spending priorities without clear goals for the coming year. It's important to identify, in detail, your business and financial goals and what you want or need to achieve in your business. Underestimating Costs Every business has ancillary or...
Tips to Help You Get Started Saving for Retirement
It's never too late to start saving for retirement, but the sooner you begin, the more time your money has to grow. That's because gains each year build on the prior year's gains thanks to the power of compound interest - and it's the best way to accumulate wealth. Let's take a look at ten tips to help you when saving for retirement: Set Realistic Goals and Understand Your Risk Tolerance Project your retirement expenses based on your needs, not rules of thumb. Be honest about how you want to...
