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Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Happy Holidays!

Please see my post below of a couple of the new Changes for 2010 from the IRS website.

Earned Income Credit (EIC)

2010 Changes
The following paragraphs explain the changes to the credit for 2010. For details, see Publication 596, Earned Income Credit (EIC).
Amount of credit increased. The maximum amount of the credit has increased. The most you can get for 2010 is:
$3,050 if you have one qualifying child,
$5,036 if you have two qualifying children,
$5,666 if you have three or more qualifying children, or
$457 if you do not have a qualifying child.
Earned income amount increased. The maximum amount of income you can earn and still get the credit has increased for 2010. You may be able to take the credit if:
You have three or more qualifying children and you earn less than $43,352 ($48,362 if married filing jointly),
You have two qualifying children and you earn less than $40,363 ($45,373 is married filing jointly),
You have one qualifying child and you earn less than $35,535 ($40,545 if married filing jointly), or
You do not have a qualifying child and you earn less than $13,460 ($18,470 if married filing jointly).
Investment income amount. The maximum amount of investment income you can have and still get the credit is still $3,100 for 2010.
Advance payment of the credit. If you get the advance payments of the credit from your employer with your pay, the total advance payments you get during 2010 can be as much as $1,830.

Deduction for New Motor Vehicle Taxes

You can deduct state or local sales or excise taxes (or certain other taxes or fees in a state without a sales tax) paid in 2010 for the purchase of any new motor vehicle(s) after February 16, 2009, and before January 1, 2010.
This deduction can be used to increase the amount of your standard deduction, or you can take it as an itemized deduction.
To use the deduction to increase your standard deduction, use Schedule L (Form 1040A or 1040). To take the deduction as an itemized deduction, use Schedule A (Form 1040).

Friday, September 24, 2010

Education Credits

If you are a student, be sure to save your reciepts for Tuition, books, supplies, etc. You may qualify for an education tax credit this year.

Monday, July 12, 2010

New Home buying Credit extended

The Irs has extended the deadline for the New Home buyers Credit till September 30th, 2010 from June 30th, 2010. They where worried some people wouldn't be able to make the June deadline.
Hope every one is having a great summer!

Monday, March 15, 2010

Nine Things You Should Know about Penalties
The tax filing deadline is approaching. If you don’t file your return and pay your tax by the due date you may have to pay a penalty. Here are nine things the IRS wants you to know about the two different penalties you may face if you do not pay or file on time.

1. If you do not file by the deadline, you might face a failure-to-file penalty.
2. If you do not pay by the due date, you could face a failure-to-pay penalty.
3. The failure-to-file penalty is generally more than the failure-to-pay penalty. So if you cannot pay all the taxes you owe, you should still file your tax return and explore other payment options in the meantime.
4. The penalty for filing late is usually 5 percent of the unpaid taxes for each month or part of a month that a return is late. This penalty will not exceed 25 percent of your unpaid taxes.
5. If you file your return more than 60 days after the due date or extended due date, the minimum penalty is the smaller of $135 or 100 percent of the unpaid tax.
6. You will have to pay a failure-to-pay penalty of ½ of 1 percent of your unpaid taxes for each month or part of a month after the due date that the taxes are not paid. This penalty can be as much as 25 percent of your unpaid taxes.
7. If you filed an extension and you paid at least 90 percent of your actual tax liability by the due date, you will not be faced with a failure-to-pay penalty if the remaining balance is paid by the extended due date.
8. If both the failure-to-file penalty and the failure-to-pay penalty apply in any month, the 5 percent failure-to-file penalty is reduced by the failure-to-pay penalty. However, if you file your return more than 60 days after the due date or extended due date, the minimum penalty is the smaller of $135 or 100% of the unpaid tax.
9. You will not have to pay a failure-to-file or failure-to-pay penalty if you can show that you failed to file or pay on time because of reasonable cause and not because of willful neglect.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

E-File

If you have never Electronically Filed your Tax return you should consider it this year. It's faster than mailing a paper Return in, you can have your refund in as little as 10 days! It also cuts down on errors when filing, the IRS will notifiy you if it's eccepted or not, and give an explanation as to why it wasn't eccepted so you can make corrections more quickly and re- submit it. They don't notify you when you mail it in. Also if you owe you can e-file and pay later, as long as it's payed by April 15th. They're site is secure. So there are advantages to e-file. So give it a try this year.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

American opportunity tax credit (AOC)

For tax years 2009 and 2010, there is a new education credit called the American opportunity tax credit (AOC). This is a modification of the Hope Credit.
The maximum amount of the AOC is $2,500 per student. The credit is phased out (gradually reduced) if your modified adjusted gross income (AGI) is between $80,000 and $90,000 ($160,000 and $180,000 if you file a joint return). Exception. For 2009, if you claim a Hope credit for a student who attended a school in a Midwestern disaster area, you can choose to figure the amount of the credit using the previous rules. However, you must use the previous rules in figuring the credit for all students for which you claim the credit.
The credit can be claimed for the first four years of post-secondary education. Previously the credit could be claimed for only the first two years of post-secondary education.
Generally, 40% of the AOC is now a refundable credit for most taxpayers, which means that you can receive up to $1,000 even if you owe no taxes.
The term "qualified tuition and related expenses" has been expanded to include expenditures for "course materials." For this purpose, the term "course materials" means books, supplies, and equipment needed for a course of study whether or not the materials must be purchased from the educational institution as a condition of enrollment or attendance.

Income limits for Hope and lifetime learning credit reduction increased. For 2009, the amount of your Hope or lifetime learning credit is phased out (gradually reduced) if your modified adjusted gross income (AGI) is between $50,000 and $60,000 ($100,000 and $120,000 if you file a joint return). You cannot claim a Hope or lifetime learning credit if your modified AGI is $60,000 or more ($120,000 or more if you file a joint return). For more information, see chapters 3 and 4 in Publication 970.
Eligibility for the Hope credit. For 2009, you can claim a Hope credit only if at least one eligible student is attending an eligible educational institution in a Midwestern disaster area and you do not claim an American opportunity credit for any other student in the same year.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

New Motor Vehicle Sales & Excise Tax Deduction

Deduction for Sales and Excise Taxes Imposed on Purchase of New Motor Vehicles

In 2009, you can deduct the state or local sales and excise taxes imposed on the purchase of a qualified motor vehicle after February 16, 2009, and before January 1, 2010. A qualified motor vehicle includes a passenger automobile, light truck, or motorcycle, the original use of which begins with that purchaser and that has a gross vehicle weight rating of 8,500 pounds or less. A qualified motor vehicle also includes a motor home, the original use of which begins with that purchaser. The amount of tax you are able to deduct is limited to the tax that is imposed on the first $49,500 of the purchase price of the vehicle. The deduction is phased out over a $10,000 range that begins when modified adjusted gross income is more than $125,000 ($250,000 if married filing a joint return). No deduction is allowed when modified adjusted gross income is equal to or more than $135,000 ($260,000 if married filing a joint return). The new deduction can be used to increase the amount of your standard deduction or you can take it as an itemized deduction (if you are not electing to take the state and local general sales tax deduction).

Making Work Pay Tax Credit

Check Your Withholding

How will the Making Work Pay tax credit affect you?
Most wage earners will benefit from larger paychecks in 2009 and 2010 as a result of the changes made to the federal income tax withholding tables to implement the Making Work Pay tax credit. However, some people may find that the changes built into the withholding tables result in less tax being withheld than they prefer.
If you're not eligible for the Making Work Pay tax credit, withholding changes could mean a smaller refund next spring. A limited number of people, including those who usually receive very small refunds, could in some situations owe a small amount rather than receiving a refund. Those who should pay particular attention to their withholding include:
Pensioners (see more information under Pensioners, below)
Married couples with two incomes
Individuals with multiple jobs
Dependents
Some Social Security recipients who work
Workers without valid Social Security numbers
The Making Work Pay tax credit, normally a maximum of $400 for working individuals and $800 for working married couples, is reduced by the amount of any Economic Recovery Payment ($250 per eligible recipient of Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, Railroad Retirement or Veteran's benefits) or Special Credit for Certain Government Retirees ($250 per eligible federal or state retiree) that you receive. If you are affected by this reduction, you should review your withholding to ensure that sufficient funds have been withheld to meet your tax obligation.
If you wind up owing tax because too little was taken out of your paychecks during 2009, you may qualify for special relief on a penalty that sometimes applies.
If you believe your current withholding is not appropriate for your personal situation, you can perform a quick check using the IRS withholding calculator. If you are not familiar with the withholding calculator, watch this IRS how-to video for instructions. When you have determined your correct withholding, make any adjustments by filing a revised Form W-4, Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate, with your employer.
Pensioners
Pensioners do not qualify for the Making Work Pay credit, unless they receive earned income. However, because the 2009 and the 2010 withholding tables also apply to pensioners, the IRS has provided pension plans with an optional adjustment procedure. If you are a pensioner with questions about your withholding, contact your pension plan administrator.
If desired, pensioners can adjust their withholding by filing Form W-4P, Withholding Certificate for Pension or Annuity Payments.
Self-EmployedSelf-employed individuals can also benefit now from the Making Work Pay tax credit by evaluating their expected income tax liability, allowing for this tax credit if they are eligible, and making the appropriate adjustment in the amount of their regularly scheduled estimated tax payments.
Your 2009 Tax Return
Information on completing your tax return if you're claiming the tax credit is available.
Information for Employers
For 2010: Notice 1036 contains the 2010 withholding tables, which reflect reduced withholding resulting from the Making Work Pay credit. The notice also includes information about an optional procedure permitting administrators of pension plans to offset the withholding reduction.
For 2009: In February 2009 the IRS issued updated withholding tables to help employers implement the withholding adjustments required by the Making Work Pay credit. More details are available in Publication 15-T.
In May 2009, the IRS subsequently issued an optional adjustment procedure allowing plan administrators to offset the February 2009 withholding reduction for some pension recipients.
Questions and Answers
If you have questions about the Making Work Pay provision, these questions and answers might help.
General Information
In 2009 and 2010, the Making Work Pay provision of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will provide a refundable tax credit of up to $400 for working individuals and up to $800 for married taxpayers filing joint returns.
This tax credit will be calculated at a rate of 6.2 percent of earned income and will phase out for taxpayers with modified adjusted gross income in excess of $75,000, or $150,000 for married couples filing jointly.
For people who receive a paycheck and are subject to withholding, the credit will typically be handled by their employers through automated withholding changes. These changes may result in an increase in take-home pay. The amount of the credit will be computed on the employee's 2009 income tax return filed in 2010 and the employee's 2010 tax return filed in 2011. Taxpayers who do not have taxes withheld by an employer during the year can also claim the credit on their 2009 and 2010 tax returns.
It is not necessary to do anything to get the automatic withholding change. However, an employee with multiple jobs or a married couple whose combined income places it in a higher tax bracket should consult the IRS withholding calculator and, if necessary, submit a revised Form W-4, Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate, to ensure enough tax is withheld. Publication 919, How Do I Adjust My Tax Withholding? provides additional guidance for tax withholding including a special Making Work Pay worksheet.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Did You Know?

"If you are 25 years old but under age 65 at the end of the year and had low wages, worked for yourself or had other earned income you may be able to claim the credit. If you are married, either you or your husband or wife must be at lease age 25 but under 65 at the end of the year. Check on

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Tax Tip of the Day

Did you know- The homebuyer tax credit in 2008, the credit was actually an interest-free, long-term loan. For people who purchased a home in 2009, the credit is a true credit — it only has to be paid back if you stop using the home as your principal residence within three years of purchase. The credit is $8,000 for first-time homebuyers, defined as those who haven't owned a home in the last three years.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010