News

Last month, we learned about getting QuickBooks ready for time-tracking by activating it in Preferences and creating a record for a service item. This month, the focus is on using that record in the two different ways you will be using it in QuickBooks: to pay employees for their hourly work...

If you haven’t filed your taxes yet, it’s time to stop procrastinating. If you’re not sure what to do first, the fastest way to get started is to figure out which filing status applies to you. In addition, if your name or that of a dependent changed during the...

Withholding issues can be complicated, and with the passage of the recent tax reform legislation–most of which takes effect starting in 2018–, it’s important to make sure the right amount of tax is withheld for your personal tax situation. As a first step to reflect the tax law changes,...

Everyone wants to save money on their taxes, and older Americans are no exception. If you’re age 50 or older, here are five tax tips that could help you do just that. 1. Standard Deduction for Seniors. If you and/or your spouse are 65 years old or older and you...

If a lender cancels part or all of a debt, a taxpayer must generally consider this as income. However, the law allows an exclusion that may apply to homeowners who had their mortgage debt canceled in 2017. Here are seven things you should know about debt cancellation: 1. Main...

April 17 is the deadline for most people to file their federal income tax return and pay any taxes they owe. The bad news is that if you miss the deadline (for whatever reason) you may be assessed penalties for both failing to file a tax return and for...

Tax credits can reduce your tax bill or give you a bigger refund but not all tax credits are created equal. While most tax credits are refundable, some credits are nonrefundable but before we take a look at the difference between refundable and nonrefundable tax credits, it’s important to...

Compiled annually by the IRS, the “Dirty Dozen” is a list of common scams taxpayers may encounter. While many of these scams peak during the tax filing season, they may be encountered at any time during the year. Here is this year’s list: 1. Phishing Scam artists continue to...

If you’ve been procrastinating when it comes to preparing and filing your tax return this year you might be considering filing an extension. While obtaining a 6-month extension to file is relatively easy–and there are legitimate reasons for doing so–there are also some downsides. If you need more time...

The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (BBA) retroactively extended a number of tax provisions through 2017 for individual taxpayers. Let’s take a look at five of them. 1. Mortgage Insurance Premiums Homeowners with less than 20 percent equity in their homes are required to pay mortgage insurance premiums (PMI)....

Estimated tax is the method used to pay tax on income that is not subject to withholding. This includes income from self-employment, interest, dividends, and rent, as well as gains from the sale of assets, prizes and awards. You also may have to pay estimated tax if the amount...

April 2 Electronic filing of Forms 1097, 1098, 1099, 3921, and 3922 – File Forms 1097, 1098, 1099, 3921, and 3922 with the IRS (except a Form 1099-MISC reporting nonemployee compensation). This due date applies only if you file electronically. Otherwise, see February 28. The due date for giving the...