Archive for Milton Boothe

Innocent Spouse Relief

Many married taxpayers choose to file a joint tax return because of the benefits to be derived from this filing status. On a joint return, both taxpayers are jointly and individually responsible for the tax and any interest or penalty due on the return, even if they later divorce. This is true even if a divorce decree should state that your former spouse will be solely responsible for any amounts due on previously filed joint returns.

The situation can exist, then, where one spouse could be held responsible for all the tax due, even if all the income was earned by the other spouse. In cases like this, the IRS, in the interest of equity may allow a spouse in such a situation to be relieved of tax, interest, and penalties that are due on the joint tax return. Read More

Written by | Posted in IRS • Tax Controversy • Tax Provision/Tax Reporting

Injured Spouse Allocation

Many married taxpayers choose to file a joint tax return because of the benefits to be derived from this filing status. On a joint return, both taxpayers are jointly and individually responsible for the tax and any interest or penalty due on the return, even if they later divorce. This is true even if a divorce decree should state that your former spouse will be solely responsible for any amounts due on previously filed joint returns.

The situation can exist, then, where one spouse could be held responsible for all the tax due, even if all the income was earned by the other spouse. In cases like this, the IRS, in the interest of equity may allow a spouse in such a situation to be relieved of the tax, interest, and penalties that are due. Read More

Written by | Posted in Income Tax • Individual • IRS

How To File For An Extension

If you believe that you will not be able to file your tax return by the due date (generally April 15) you can apply for an automatic six-month extension of time to file, by filing Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. With the 6-month extension, you must file your tax return by October 15.

It is very important to note that when you file for an extension, you are only requesting an extension of time to file, and NOT an extension of time to pay. Therefore, you have an obligation to make an accurate estimate of your tax liability for the year, and pay the amount due by regular due date (April 15). If you do not pay the taxes due, you could be hit with a penalty. Read More

Written by | Posted in Income Tax • Individual • IRS

Filing An Amended Tax Return

If subsequent to filing your tax return, you discover that errors were made, you should file an amended tax return to correct these errors. Naturally, this corrective information will alter your tax calculations. The following are some of the typical errors you can make on your tax return:

• You did not report all of your income. For example, you received a W-2 with additional income, which arrived after you filed your original return.
• You claimed deductions or credits on your original tax return that you were not eligible for, and need to remove them.
• Conversely, you subsequently discovered that you did not claim all the deductions or credits you should have claimed, and need to include them. Read More

Written by | Posted in Income Tax • Individual

You Could Be A Big Loser If You Don’t Itemize All Your Expenses

The government affords all taxpayers a standard deduction from their incomes. This deduction naturally decreases your taxable income, and the amount you are entitled to, is based on your filing status. However, if your total eligible deductible expenses exceed the standard deduction amount, you may be allowed to itemize your deductions. Also, you must itemize if you do not qualify for the standard deduction. Itemized deductions are comprised of certain eligible expenses that individual taxpayers in the United States can report on their federal income tax returns in order to decrease their taxable income. Most taxpayers are allowed a choice between the itemized deductions and the standard deduction.

To claim your itemized deductions, you must complete Schedule A, Itemized Deductions. Read More

Written by | Posted in Individual

Nonrefundable Tax Credits vs. Refundable Tax Credits

A nonrefundable tax credit is a credit that can reduce the amount of an individual’s tax liability to zero, but cannot exceed the total amount of income taxes owed. In other words, you would not receive a tax refund if the credit exceeds the amount of your tax liability. For example, if you have a nonrefundable tax credit of $5,000 and a tax liability of $3,000, the credit will eliminate the tax liability, that is, reduce it to zero. The remaining $2,000 of the credit, however, will be lost, because the IRS will not send you a refund for this amount.

Nonrefundable credits for tax year 2014 include the following:

• Credit for child and dependent care expenses.
• Child tax credit. Read More

Written by | Posted in Tax Tips

Is There Anything as Nontaxable Income?

Nontaxable or tax exempt income is income that is not subject to income tax, and you do not report these on your tax return. Surprisingly to some taxpayers, there are quite a number of income sources that are actually nontaxable, and these include the following:

• Child support.
• Federal tax refunds.
• Interest on state or local government obligations, such as municipal bonds.
• Welfare and other public assistance benefits.
• Workers’ compensation and similar payments for sickness and injury.
• Meals and lodgings provided by your employer. These will be excluded from your taxable income if: (a) the meals are furnished on your employer’s business premises, (b) the Read More

Written by | Posted in Income Tax • Individual

The Home Office Deduction

If you use a part of your home for your business or for your employer’s business, you can claim a deduction for the business use of your home. This deduction is also referred to as the home office deduction.

There are some tests that you must meet to be eligible for this deduction; these are as follows:

• To claim this deduction, the part of your home used for business, must be used regularly and exclusively for that purpose.
• This part of your home should be the place where you meet or deal with customers, patients, or clients in the normal course of your business. Read More

Written by | Posted in Individual • IRS • Tax Deductions • Tax Tips

Why Choosing Married Filing Jointly Might Not Be Your Best Option

Most married taxpayers automatically tend to choose the Married Filing Jointly filing status, because they enjoy being taxed at the lowest rate, and also because there are certain tax breaks they might not be entitled to if they were to file separate returns. This, however, might not always be a wise decision.

If you and your spouse each have income, it might be wise to figure your taxes both on a joint return and on separate returns, and then choose the filing status that gives you the lower combined tax. Generally, you will pay more combined tax on separate returns than you would on a joint return, because the tax rate is higher for the MFS filing status. However, if both you and your spouse are high earners; and both of you also have large deductions, there may be a possibility that filing MFS could result in a lower tax bill, as Read More

Written by | Posted in Individual • IRS • Tax Planning

Can You Claim Losses on Deposits Held In Insolvent Financial Institutions And Ponzi-Type Investments?

If you suffered a loss on deposits you had with an insolvent financial institution, or in a ponzi-type investment scheme, all may not be totally lost.

You may be able to claim a deduction for losses on deposits in insolvent financial institutions, and the IRS affords you a number of choices of how to deduct these losses:

• You can treat the loss as a non-business bad debt, and deduct it as a short-term capital loss on Schedule D.
• You can deduct the loss as a casualty loss on Schedule A.
• You can deduct the loss as an ordinary loss under the “miscellaneous deductions subject to a 2% limit” section of Schedule A. Read More

Written by | Posted in Tax Deductions

The Concept of Being Married, But Considered Unmarried For Tax Purposes

The general rule for married taxpayers filing their tax returns is that they can only file Married Filing Jointly (MFJ) or Married Filing Separately (MFS). There is, however, a very important exception to this rule. If you are married and separated from your spouse, under tax law you may be considered unmarried if certain conditions are met. This means that you could qualify to use the Head Of Household filing status instead of MFS, and will not be subject to the disadvantages associated with the MFS filing status.

Under tax law, you can be considered unmarried if you meet all the following tests:

• Obviously, you must intend to file a separate return from your spouse.
• You must have paid more than half the costs of keeping up a home for the tax year. Read More

Written by | Posted in Income Tax • Individual • TaxConnections
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