Tag Archive for Individual Tax

Missing From Tax Plans – A “Normal” Personal Income Tax

Missing From Tax Plans - A "Normal" Personal Income Tax

We can gather some general ideas about tax changes in looking at various websites and documents of presidential candidates. This includes the Democratic Party platform for 2020, Republican Party platform for 2016 (it was not updated for 2020, so actually includes pre-TCJA tax ideas), and candidate websites. I recently reviewed these plans for an upcoming webinar. One observation I’ll make about both plans (best I can tell since most details are missing):

Why not fix an outstanding problem with the individual income tax that has worsened with recent law changes and ways people generate additional income and cash flow today? This problem is that expenses of producing taxable income are not allowed unless the activity is a business (other than the business of being an employee). This started with the Tax Reform Act of 1986 and worsened with the TCJA.

Read More

Written by | Posted in Individual Tax

Tax Credits Can Mean A Refund for Individual Taxpayers

Taxpayers who are not required to file a tax return may want to do so. They might be eligible for a tax refund and don’t even know it. Some taxpayers might qualify for a tax credit that can result in money in their pocket. Taxpayers need to file a 2017 tax return to claim these credits.

Here is information about four tax credits that can mean a refund for eligible taxpayers:

  • Earned Income Tax Credit. A taxpayer who worked and earned less than $53,930 last year could receive the EITC as a tax refund. They must qualify for the credit and may do so with or without a qualifying child. They may be eligible for up to $6,318. Taxpayers can use the 2017 EITC Assistant tool to find out if they qualify.

Read More

Written by | Posted in Individual Tax • Refund • Tax Credit

IRS Audit Rates Continue Downward Spiral

For years, IRS audit rates have been declining as Congress has cut the IRS budget and its workforce has shrunk. The agency has relapsed its audit statistics for 2017, which marked the sixth consecutive year that audit rates have gone down.

The number of people audited by the IRS in 2016 dropped to just over 1 million. The last time so few people were audited was 2004. Since then, the U.S. has added about 30 million people. Read More

Written by | Posted in Audit • IRS

How The New Tax Law Affects Small Business Owners

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R. 1, “TCJA”) has is now law. The law contains many provisions affecting both individuals and small businesses. The main provisions affecting businesses are summarized below. Except where otherwise noted, these changes apply to after January 1, 2018. Thus, they do not apply to your 2017 taxes and your upcoming tax return.

What’s The New Corporate Tax Rate?

The cornerstone of the TCJA is a new lower rate for regular C corporations. C corporations are separate taxpaying entities with their own tax rates. Under the TCJA all C corporations are subject to single flat tax rate of 21 percent. The previous tax rates ranged from 15 percent to 35 percent. Read More

Written by | Posted in Small Business • Tax Cuts Jobs Act

Iowa Tax Climate And Incentives

This month we travel to the Midwestern state of Iowa, the Hawkeye State. Sitting between the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, the state is known for its rolling plains and cornfields.

Iowa has a humid continental climate throughout the state with extremes of both heat and cold. The average annual temperature at Des Moines is 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Winters are often harsh and snowfall is common. Iowa summers are known for heat and humidity, with daytime temperatures reaching 90 degrees.

Spring ushers in the beginning of severe weather season. Iowa averages about 50 days of thunderstorm activity per year. Iowa averages about 47 tornadoes per year. However, 2008 had the most tornadoes ever in a year: 105! Read More

Written by | Posted in Iowa

Top 10 Self-Employed Tax Questions And Answers

A lot of us fancy having our own business. The idea of being your own boss is quite a strong motivating factor. But there is no denying the fact that you have to take care of most of the factors in self-employment. Here are the top 10 tax related question for self-employed individuals along with their answers.

  • Can I avail home office deductions?

Self-employed individuals usually skip out this part with the fear of increasing their chances of being audited. However, more than 50% of businesses run from an office at home. So, you need your bother yourself with any probabilities of audit as long as you are following the ground rules. The space that you use exclusively for your business requirements is only eligible for any write offs.

  • Can I deduct auto expenses?

Read More

Written by | Posted in Self Employment Tax • Tax Questions

Some Taxpayers Eligible For A Refund And Do Not Even Know It

Taxpayers who are not required to file a tax return may want to do so. They might be eligible for a tax refund and don’t even know it. Some taxpayers might qualify for a tax credit that can result in money in their pocket. Taxpayers need to file a 2017 tax return to claim these credits.

Here is information about four tax credits that can mean a refund for eligible taxpayers:

  • Earned Income Tax Credit. A taxpayer who worked and earned less than $53,930 last year could receive the EITC as a tax refund. They must qualify for the credit, and may do so with or without a qualifying child. They may be eligible for up to $6,318. Taxpayers can use the 2017 EITC Assistant tool to find out if they qualify.

Read More

Written by | Posted in Individual Tax • Tax Credit • Tax Cuts Jobs Act • Tax Return

Breaking Down The President’s Tax Plan

Lisa Nason, Trump Tax Plan

Many of you have heard that President Donald Trump has proposed changes to the tax laws, some of which includes lowering the rates paid by businesses. Here are a few of the highlight’s of the proposed plan: Read More

Written by | Posted in Donald Trump Tax Plan

Transparency For Individual Taxes

Annette Nellen

Transparency as a principle of good tax policy means taxpayers should understand taxes and how they apply to them. Despite lots of data on a filer’s Form 1040, the one number people focus on is the amount due or refund. Clearly the better number is total federal income tax liability. And better yet, people should also Read More

Written by | Posted in Form 1040 • Individual • Individual Tax