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Tag Archives: Tax Deduction

Charitable Contributions Deduction Liberalized for 2021

Lake Wylie Tax Service | Bookkeeping | Payroll Service Posted on January 12, 2021 by Lake Wylie Tax Services StaffJanuary 12, 2021

Charitable Giving Deductions changes for 2021As a means to stimulate charitable contributions during the COVID crisis, Congress made two notable changes for 2020—one allowing taxpayers that don’t itemize their deductions an above-the-line deduction for cash contributions of up to $300 and another for those itemizing their deductions to increase the maximum deduction for cash contributions to 100% of their adjusted gross income (AGI).

The recent COVID-related tax relief act, passed late in December, extends and enhances those liberalized charitable contribution deduction provisions. Here is a rundown on these charitable contribution tax benefits for 2021:

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Posted in Tax Central | Tagged Charity, Covid-19, Tax Deduction

Mortgage Insurance Premium Deduction Retroactively Extended

Lake Wylie Tax Service | Bookkeeping | Payroll Service Posted on January 28, 2020 by Lake Wylie Tax Services StaffJanuary 28, 2020

Mortgage Insurace Premiums Tax DeductionOn December 20, 2019, President Trump signed into law the Appropriations Act of 2020, which included a number of tax law changes, including retroactively extending certain tax provisions that expired after 2017 or were about to expire, a number of retirement and IRA plan modifications, and other changes that will impact a large portion of U.S. taxpayers as a whole. This article is one of a series of articles dealing with those changes and how they may affect you.

For tax years 2007 through 2017, when taxpayers itemized deductions, they could deduct the cost of premiums for mortgage insurance on a qualified personal residence as home mortgage interest.

This deduction has been retroactively extended back to 2018 and through 2020. If you paid premiums for mortgage insurance in 2018 or were amortizing prepaid mortgage insurance premiums from an earlier year’s home purchase, you may be able to amend your 2018 return for a tax refund.

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Posted in Tax Central | Tagged Home and Mortgage, Tax Deduction

Above-the-Line Education Tax Deduction Reinstated

Lake Wylie Tax Service | Bookkeeping | Payroll Service Posted on January 21, 2020 by Lake Wylie Tax Services StaffJanuary 23, 2020

Education Tax Deduction Reinstated
Looking back a few years, a taxpayer who had higher education expenses could generally take advantage of four* possible tax benefits: an itemized deduction if the education was job-related, a higher education tuition and expenses tax credit using either the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC) or the Lifetime Learning Tax Credit (LLC), or an above-the-line deduction for higher education tuition and fees. However, the 2017 tax reforms did away with the itemized deduction through 2025, and Congress allowed the above-the-line deduction for higher education tuition and fees to expire at the end of 2017, leaving only the two education credits as options.

As part of the Appropriations Act of 2020, Congress has retroactively reinstated the above-the-line deduction for 2018 through 2020.

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Posted in Education Planning | Tagged Tax Credit, Tax Deduction

Is It Better to Have a Tax Credit or a Deduction?

Lake Wylie Tax Service | Bookkeeping | Payroll Service Posted on October 15, 2019 by Lake Wylie Tax Services StaffJanuary 23, 2020

People often say that an expense is “a tax write-off”; most everyone interprets this to mean that the expense will have a tax benefit. Generally, such a benefit takes the form of either a deduction or a credit; these benefits’ effects are quite different, however, and each type has various categories. As a result, the tax implications may not be as expected. This is especially true when the write-off claim comes from a salesperson who is touting the tax benefits of a product or service, as such individuals often leave out key details. In general, a deduction reduces taxable income, whereas a credit reduces the tax itself.

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Posted in Tax Central | Tagged Tax Credit, Tax Deduction

Small Business Owners May Qualify for a Home-Office Deduction

Lake Wylie Tax Service | Bookkeeping | Payroll Service Posted on July 15, 2019 by Lake Wylie Tax Services StaffJanuary 23, 2020

Home Office Tax Benefits“Home office” is a type of tax deduction that applies to the business use of a home; the space itself may not actually be an office. One of the following must apply to be able to deduct home office expenses. The home office:

  • Must be the taxpayer’s main place of business. OR
  • Must be a place of business where the taxpayer meets patients, clients or customers. The taxpayer must meet these people in the normal course of business. OR
  • Must be in a separate structure that is not attached to the taxpayer’s home. The taxpayer must use this structure in connection with their business. OR
  • Must be a place where the taxpayer stores inventory or samples. This place must be the sole, fixed location of their business. OR
  • Under certain circumstances, must be where the taxpayer provides day-care services.

Generally, except when used to store inventory, an office area must be used on a regular and continuing basis and be exclusively restricted to the trade or business (i.e., no personal use).

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Posted in For Business | Tagged home-office, Tax Deduction, Tax Planning

Eldercare Can Be a Medical Deduction

Lake Wylie Tax Service | Bookkeeping | Payroll Service Posted on May 8, 2019 by Lake Wylie Tax Services StaffJanuary 23, 2020

Senior Care can be a medical deductionBecause people are living longer now than ever before, many individuals are serving as care providers for loved ones (such as parents or spouses) who cannot live independently. Such individuals often have questions regarding the tax ramifications associated with the cost of such care. For these individuals, the cost of such care may be deductible as a medical expense.

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Posted in Elder Care & Planning | Tagged Medical, Tax Deduction

When To Claim a Disaster Loss

Lake Wylie Tax Service | Bookkeeping | Payroll Service Posted on December 3, 2018 by Lake Wylie Tax Services StaffJanuary 23, 2020

Disaster Loss Claim for TaxesTax reform eliminated the deduction for casualty losses but did retain a deduction for losses within a disaster area. With the wild fires in the west, hurricanes and flooding in the southeast and eastern seaboard we have had a number of presidentially declared disaster areas this year. If you were an unlucky victim and suffered a loss as a result of a disaster, you may be able to recoup a portion of that loss through a tax deduction. If the casualty occurred within a federally declared disaster area, you can elect to claim the loss in one of two years: the tax year in which the loss occurred or the immediately preceding year.

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Posted in Tax Central | Tagged 2018 Tax Reform, Tax Deduction, Tax Reform

Rejoice – Business Meals Are Still Deductible

Lake Wylie Tax Service | Bookkeeping | Payroll Service Posted on October 11, 2018 by Lake Wylie Tax Services StaffJanuary 23, 2020

Business Meals Still DeductibleIf you are a business owner who is accustomed to treating clients to sporting events, golf getaways, concerts and the like, you were no doubt saddened by the part of the tax reform that passed last December that did away with the business-related deductions for entertainment, amusement or recreation expenses, beginning in 2018. You can still entertain your clients; you just can’t deduct the costs of doing so as a business expense.

While the ban on deducting business entertainment was quite clear in the revised law, a lingering question among tax experts has been whether the tax reform’s definition of entertainment also applied to business meals, such as when you take a customer or business contact to lunch. Some were saying yes, and others no. Either way, both sides recommended keeping the required receipts and documentation until the issue was clarified.

The IRS recently issued some very business-friendly guidance, pending the release of more detailed regulations. In a notice, the IRS has announced that taxpayers generally may continue to deduct 50 percent of the food and beverage expenses associated with operating their trade or business, including business meals

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Posted in 2018 Tax Law Changes, For Business | Tagged Business Meals, Tax Deduction, Tax Planning, Tax Reform

Tax Reform Dealt Teachers a Raw Deal

Lake Wylie Tax Service | Bookkeeping | Payroll Service Posted on October 11, 2018 by Lake Wylie Tax Services StaffJanuary 23, 2020

Tax Reform for TeachersIt is quite common for teachers to spend their own money on classroom supplies – so common, in fact, that a few years back, Congress created a special deduction that allowed teachers to deduct up to $250 above-the-line for classroom supplies. “Above-the-line” means the deduction can be claimed whether or not the taxpayer itemizes their deductions. Although the $250 amount is subject to an inflation adjustment, there has been no increase to the limit, at least through 2018.

Eligible educators are those who work in a school as teachers of kindergarten through grade 12, instructors, counselors, principals, or aides for at least 900 hours during a school year. Because of the 900-hour requirement, many substitute teachers do not qualify for this above-the-line deduction.

But $250 is not much, and even if the teacher is in a tax bracket as high as 24% (most are in lower brackets), the deduction will only net them a tax savings of $60. A $60 tax savings is nothing to write home about, and the $250 special deduction was nothing more than a token gesture by Congress. Many conscientious teachers spend far more than $250 for classroom supplies every year.

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Posted in 2018 Tax Law Changes, Income Tax Preparation, Tax Central | Tagged 2018 Tax Reform for Teachers, Tax Deduction, Tax Reform
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