[Originally published on Forbes.com] At this point it should not be news to taxpayers that the last two filing seasons have been hard on tax professionals and that this season is not showing any signs of improvement. Still, it’s tax season and taxpayers need to be able to communicate with their tax professionals to ensure… Read More
The CARES Act and the more recent legislation (it doesn’t have a catchy name so I’ll call it CARES2) have created an above-the-line adjustment for certain charitable contributions. Pro-tip: If it’s “above the (AGI) line” it’s an adjustment to income; if it’s below the (AGI) line it is a deduction. If you are a #taxpro… Read More
We’re not quite to the new year yet, but I’m sprinting toward the goal line! I’m also expecting that many taxpayers will be required to complete a new Form W4 soon. Form W4 is what your employer uses to determine how much federal and state income tax to withhold from your paycheck each pay period.… Read More
Remember when they were doing direct deposit or mailing a paper check? Well someone convinced someone that prepaid debit cards were a better idea. I won’t wax philosophical on the fact that you can’t usually pay rent with a debit card. Instead, I will link to this article from The Tax Girl letting you know… Read More
Wow! That’s all I can say. This blog post is late because I have managed to string together three productive work days in a row and it feels like it’s gonna hold through the rest of the week! So, where are we at? Unfortunately we are still in early to mid-March as far as return… Read More
In case you missed the memo, NM Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (a.k.a. Notorious MLG), has extended the stay-at-home order through May 15th. Cat and I are going to continue to honor that by Cat staying at home. That means no phone support for me. That means leave a message! I am usually at the office… Read More
OK! Still feeling like I’ve turned a corner. Getting returns processed. Cat is finding her “work at home” groove too. We are moving slowly through the stacks that have been here since mid-March when all hell broke loose. I am still having to set aside some of the more complex ones for when I am… Read More
Economic Impact Payments I got mine. So I can answer one question—no, the IRS is not going to “do the math” to see if your dependent child who was eligible for the Child Tax Credit (CTC) in 2018 or 2019 is going to be eligible in 2020. You will get the additional $500 payment if… Read More
When, where, how, I don’t know yet, but remember yesterday’s post where I mentioned the “donut hole” for college-age dependents? Two Michigan senators have introduced legislation to address that and it will probably be part of a larger Phase 4 relief package according to Kay Bell at Don’t Mess with Taxes.… Read More
This is me, showing you how to hold onto some of your money (or to mitigate the tax consequences of using it)… Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) Recent legislation has suspended RMDs for 2020. If you haven’t already taken your RMD for 2020, you don’t have to. This includes RMDs from inherited IRAs. You know what… Read More