The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that it costs nearly $15,000.00 a year for a middle-class family to raise a child born in 2002 to age 17 (without adjustment for inflation). In recognition of this cots, you can claim a tax credit each year until your child reaches the ago of 17. The credit is currently up to $1,000.00 per child. This credit is in addition to the dependency exemption for the child.
You may claim a tax credit of up to $1,000.00 in 2004 for each child under the age of 17. If the credit you are entitled to claim is more than your tax liability, you may be entitled to a refund under certain conditions.
Generally, the credit is refundable to the extent of 10 percent of earned income over $10,750.00 in 2004.
Conditions:
To claim the credit, you must meet two conditions.
1. You must have a qualifying child.2. Your income must be below a set amount.
QUALIFYING CHILD.You can claim the credit only for a "Qualifying Child." This is a child who is under age 17 at the end of the year and whom you claim as a dependent.
The child need not be your own child ? he or she can be a stepchild, grandchild, great-grandchild, sibling, stepbrother, stepsister, or a descendant of any of these.
For example, if you support your 16 year old sister and claim her as a dependent on your return, she is a qualifying child. An adopted child is a qualifying child as long as the child has been placed with you by an authorized agency for legal adoption, even if the adoption is not yet final.
MAGI LIMIT.You must have modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) below a set amount. The credit you are otherwise entitled to claim is reduced or eliminated if your MAGI exceeds a set amount. MAGI for purposes of the child tax credit means AGI increased by the foreign earned income exclusion, the foreign housing exclusion or deduction, or the possessions exclusion for American Samoa residents.
The credit amount is reduced by $50.00 for each $1,000.00 of MAGI or a fraction thereof over the MAGI limit for your filing status. The phaseout begins if MAGI exceeds the following limits:
1. Married filing jointly $110,000.002. Head of household $75,000.003. Unmarried (single) $75,000.004. Qualifying widow(er) $75,000.005. Married filing separately $55,000.00
Example: In 2004 you are a head of household with two qualifying children. Your MAGI is $90,000.00. Your credit amount of $2,000 ($1,000 x 2) is reduced by $750 ($90,000 - $75,000 = $15,000 MAGI over the limit) = 15 x 50 = $750. Your credit is $1,250.00 ($2,000 - $750).
HOW TO CLAIM THE CREDIT AND GET A BIGGER REFUND.If the credit you are entitled to claim is more than your tax liability, you can receive the excess amount as a "refund." The refund is limited to 10 percent of your taxable earned income (such as wages, salary, tips, commissions, bonuses, and net earnings from self-employment) over $10,750 in 2004. If your earned income is not over $10,750, you may still qualify for the additional credit if you have three or more children.
If you have three or more children for whom you are claiming the credit, you may qualify for a larger refund, called the additional child tax credit.
QUICK TIP.If you know you will become entitled to claim the credit (e.g. you are expecting the birth of a child in 2004), you may wish to adjust your withholding so that you don't have too much income tax withheld from your paycheck. Increase your withholding allowances so that less income tax is withheld from your pay by filing a new from W-4, Employee's withholding allowance certificate, with your employer.
The child tax credit is scheduled to decline to $700 per child in 2005 and then increase to $800 in 2009, and $1,000 in 2010 and later years.
You figure the credit on a worksheet included in the instruction for your return. You claim the credit in the "Tax and Credits" section of Form 1040 or the "Tax, Credits, and Payments" section of form 1040A; you cannot claim the credit if you file form 1040EZ
If you are eligible for the additional child tax credit, you figure this on Form 8812, Additional Child Tax Credit.
Mr. Patel is a widely recognized and well respected authority on Personal Income Tax matters (Single Parents, Married Families, Small Business Owners). He put his Harvard MBA on hold to start his own Accounting firm and help everyday people just like you from all walks of life to cut your tax bill in half (by at least $1,250 - $7,500). His firm has 50+ years of experience helping everyday people just like you from all walks of life. He can help you file you Income Tax Return and put a guaranteed bigger refund back in your pocket TODAY regardless of where you live in America. Patel Financial Services has served diverse clients from all backgrounds from ALL OVER AMERICA; all the way from Maine and Florida to California and Texas. To sign up for his newsletter titled "The Wealth Builder & The Tax Cutter" visit his website at http://www.Patelfinancialservices.com or send a blank email to Subscribe@patelfinancialservice.com with the word "Subscribe" in the subject line.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
How Likely Are You To Be Audited?
Statistics for Individuals
Unfortunately, the IRS increased its rate of auditing individuals in 2003 when compared to 2002. The increase was approximately 14%, but still constituted only 6.5 audits for every 1,000 taxpayers. Put another way, the risk of being audited on your personal return is less than 1 in 100.
In regard to the above numbers, it is important to note that the IRS pursued a large number of "correspondence audits" instead of face?to?face meetings. As the name suggests, these audits consists of correspondence being sent from the IRS to a taxpayer regarding a contested issue. The taxpayer can respond to the audit or pay the accessed amount depending upon the request of the IRS.
Favorable Audit News For Businesses
The audit rate for businesses is much lower than those for individuals. In 2002, the IRS audited roughly 2.2 out of every 1,000 businesses. In 2003, this rate dropped slightly to 2.1 out of every 1,000 businesses.
The IRS has attributed the decline in business audits to the "explosive growth" in tax shelters, which requires the Agency to pursue more expensive and time consuming audits due to the complexities involved in the plans. The Agency reported pursuing more than 2,200 such shelters in 2003, which the audits taking an average of 7 1/2 months longer than normal corporate audits.
Audit Risk
Whether you are a business or individual taxpayer, your risk of being audited is very low. The nominal risk, however, is not a license to pursue frivolous deductible claims on your returns. As long as you stick to valid deductions, you should be able to sleep without much concern.
Richard Chapo is CEO of http://www.businesstaxrecovery.com - Obtaining tax refunds for small businesses by finding overlooked tax deductions and credits through a free tax return review.
Unfortunately, the IRS increased its rate of auditing individuals in 2003 when compared to 2002. The increase was approximately 14%, but still constituted only 6.5 audits for every 1,000 taxpayers. Put another way, the risk of being audited on your personal return is less than 1 in 100.
In regard to the above numbers, it is important to note that the IRS pursued a large number of "correspondence audits" instead of face?to?face meetings. As the name suggests, these audits consists of correspondence being sent from the IRS to a taxpayer regarding a contested issue. The taxpayer can respond to the audit or pay the accessed amount depending upon the request of the IRS.
Favorable Audit News For Businesses
The audit rate for businesses is much lower than those for individuals. In 2002, the IRS audited roughly 2.2 out of every 1,000 businesses. In 2003, this rate dropped slightly to 2.1 out of every 1,000 businesses.
The IRS has attributed the decline in business audits to the "explosive growth" in tax shelters, which requires the Agency to pursue more expensive and time consuming audits due to the complexities involved in the plans. The Agency reported pursuing more than 2,200 such shelters in 2003, which the audits taking an average of 7 1/2 months longer than normal corporate audits.
Audit Risk
Whether you are a business or individual taxpayer, your risk of being audited is very low. The nominal risk, however, is not a license to pursue frivolous deductible claims on your returns. As long as you stick to valid deductions, you should be able to sleep without much concern.
Richard Chapo is CEO of http://www.businesstaxrecovery.com - Obtaining tax refunds for small businesses by finding overlooked tax deductions and credits through a free tax return review.
10 Tax Tips to Reduce Costs and Increase Income
No one likes paying tax. Everyone understands that tax is a necessary evil and that without it our government would not be able to afford our roads, health services, education, welfare system etc. However you are not obliged to pay more tax than that for which you are legally liable.
Here are some tips to keep your tax down:
Reduce all stock to levels and cut costs.Never carry excess stock because that is money that is sitting on the shelves and not in your bank.
Clear out stock that is slow.Clear stocks and turn them into cash. If necessary reduce your prices and turn stock into cash rather than have it sitting on the shelves or in the warehouse. Best to cut your losses and use the cash to buy in stock that does sell.
Reduce rental costs.Cut your rental cost by letting out or letting go space that are excess to your requirements. Talk to your landlord about what you can do. It may be that you can obtain approval to rent out areas that you don't need.
Pay your bills on time but not before the due date.Do not pay your bills too early because having the money sitting in your bank will reduce your bank fees and interest costs. Make use of any early payment discounts offered and, where necessary, if the funds are short talk to your suppliers and see if they would allow you extra time to pay.
Make sure you are making a profit on your sales. The correct profit margin you put on to your products is critical and will determine whether you will be profitable or not.
Use your credit card.Credit cards often have an interest-free period so make use of it. Advantage can be taken of this fact by using your card to pay some expenses and then paying the credit card on the due date. The result is that you effectively obtain an interest-free period through the use of this facility.
Dump and no longer stock products that are not profitable.Check your product range and discontinue all slow moving stock that is not generating profit. It is far wiser turning poor products into ready cash and using that cash for those products which provide a profit contribution.
Look after your customers.No customers mean no business. Your customers are critical to your success, so look after them. Satisfied customers will keep coming back to buy. Unhappy ones will never be seen again. When they stop coming back, sales will be lost and your business will suffer.
Reduce credit to customers.Don't sell on credit unless you have to. Provide credit to customers who are regulars and who support the business all the time. Give credit to those who pay their bills on time. Late payers should be dropped as the costs of servicing them will drain your profits.
Keep all papers.Remember papers are "worth more than money". Keep a record of all claims you make and all receipts to justify those claims. It is very important for you to write/record in your working papers the basis or reasoning or viewpoint relating to every claim you make. If your basis is sound but wrong then you will have a better chance to resist any claim for tax avoidance or evasion directed at you. If you have no basis at all and no thought given to how you arrived at the claim made, and your claim is rejected, you could be up for the "high jump" and be charged with the intention to evade tax.
Copyright 2005 StartRunGrowhttp://www.startrungrow.com
StartRunGrow (http://www.startrungrow.com) is a global online information organization that specializes in creating, developing and marketing business help information specifically with the aim of "making business easier" for entrepreneurs around the world. The StartRunGrow objective is to become a dominant player in the business help arena providing end to end solutions for the millions of small and medium businesses worldwide who continue to struggle daily with the difficulties of starting, running and growing a successful business.
Here are some tips to keep your tax down:
Reduce all stock to levels and cut costs.Never carry excess stock because that is money that is sitting on the shelves and not in your bank.
Clear out stock that is slow.Clear stocks and turn them into cash. If necessary reduce your prices and turn stock into cash rather than have it sitting on the shelves or in the warehouse. Best to cut your losses and use the cash to buy in stock that does sell.
Reduce rental costs.Cut your rental cost by letting out or letting go space that are excess to your requirements. Talk to your landlord about what you can do. It may be that you can obtain approval to rent out areas that you don't need.
Pay your bills on time but not before the due date.Do not pay your bills too early because having the money sitting in your bank will reduce your bank fees and interest costs. Make use of any early payment discounts offered and, where necessary, if the funds are short talk to your suppliers and see if they would allow you extra time to pay.
Make sure you are making a profit on your sales. The correct profit margin you put on to your products is critical and will determine whether you will be profitable or not.
Use your credit card.Credit cards often have an interest-free period so make use of it. Advantage can be taken of this fact by using your card to pay some expenses and then paying the credit card on the due date. The result is that you effectively obtain an interest-free period through the use of this facility.
Dump and no longer stock products that are not profitable.Check your product range and discontinue all slow moving stock that is not generating profit. It is far wiser turning poor products into ready cash and using that cash for those products which provide a profit contribution.
Look after your customers.No customers mean no business. Your customers are critical to your success, so look after them. Satisfied customers will keep coming back to buy. Unhappy ones will never be seen again. When they stop coming back, sales will be lost and your business will suffer.
Reduce credit to customers.Don't sell on credit unless you have to. Provide credit to customers who are regulars and who support the business all the time. Give credit to those who pay their bills on time. Late payers should be dropped as the costs of servicing them will drain your profits.
Keep all papers.Remember papers are "worth more than money". Keep a record of all claims you make and all receipts to justify those claims. It is very important for you to write/record in your working papers the basis or reasoning or viewpoint relating to every claim you make. If your basis is sound but wrong then you will have a better chance to resist any claim for tax avoidance or evasion directed at you. If you have no basis at all and no thought given to how you arrived at the claim made, and your claim is rejected, you could be up for the "high jump" and be charged with the intention to evade tax.
Copyright 2005 StartRunGrowhttp://www.startrungrow.com
StartRunGrow (http://www.startrungrow.com) is a global online information organization that specializes in creating, developing and marketing business help information specifically with the aim of "making business easier" for entrepreneurs around the world. The StartRunGrow objective is to become a dominant player in the business help arena providing end to end solutions for the millions of small and medium businesses worldwide who continue to struggle daily with the difficulties of starting, running and growing a successful business.
Tax Tips for Home-Based Business Owners
As tax time approaches, many home-based business owners begin completing their forms or paying their accountants with trepidation. This nervousness comes from two sources: a fear of being audited and a fear of having to pay a lot. For the most part, both of these fears are unfounded.
For one, audits are rare. In fact, only 0.5% of taxpayers are subjected to audits every year. And if you do beat the odds, keeping good records and maintaining receipts will help you weather the IRS storm.
Obviously you have not control over whether or not your return is chosen for an audit, but you can control how much you are going to owe the government this year. Most people who own small or home-based businesses end up paying more than they should in taxes simply because they are not taking advantage of all their deduction possibilities, even those that are right around them every day.
Your Automobile
You may not realize it, but one of your biggest potential tax savers is sitting in your garage right now. Most people realize that their car can be a tax write-off if it is used for advertising purposes, but the majority of home-based business owners don't realize that it they may also be eligible for deductions as well.
For example, if you drive your car to the post office to buy stamps for your business or if you drive to the office supply store to stock up on paper clips, you can claim that mileage on your taxes. You can even claim the mileage if your business-related stop was made on the way to picking your daughter up from ballet class or dropping your dog off at the vet.
In addition, you can write-off other automobile related expenses such as gas, insurance, and parking costs if they pertain to any business related activity.
Be sure to keep records, however. You will want to have a small notebook in your car at all times so you can jot down your start and stop mileage as well as a note about the business activity in which you are engaged. Keep all gas, parking, and insurance receipts as well if you plan to claimthose as business expenses.
Your Family
If you pay your children an allowance, you can also count these as deductions if you hire them as part of your staff. Any business owner knows that the money he or she pays to employees does not count as part of their profit. The same is true for home-based businesses.
Most business owners also know they can find employees among their own family without raising any eyebrows. The same is true for home-based businesses. You can hire your fourteen year old to help you answer phones, file, or type up correspondence. You can offer your eight year old a job emptying wastebaskets, straightening your office, etc. Then you pay them a certain amount of money every week for their labor.
Again keeping records is essential. Keep track of the hours your children work for you as well as the activities they do. Pay them, if possible, by check from your business account. You can set up a checking or savings account for the children in which the money can be deposited.
Your Home
Obviously if you worked in a small office building you could deduct the amount of rent you paid for that property from your taxes, as well as the costs of all the equipment and expenses. Well, just because you work out of your home that does not mean you lose out on those deductions.
Chances are you have a small area of your home that is set aside for your business purposes. Now while you cannot write-off the cost of your entire house, you can write-off the cost of that area.
What you do is determine what percentage of your home's total square feet is dedicated to your business. For example, if your office takes up 10% of your home's total area and you pay $600 per month for the property, you can claim $60 per month as a business expense which would be $720 per year.
The same formula works for your utilities, such as electricity, water, and telephone (unless you have a separate line just for business). All of your equipment - your computer, printer, scanner, cell phone, printer ink, etc - is also tax deductible.
Remember to keep track of those expenses and hold on to your receipts in order to claim them on your taxes.
When it comes to tax time, no home-based business owner needs to feel afraid. By taking advantage of all your potential deductions and keeping thorough records, you can not only significantly reduce your yearly tax bill, but you can also prepare yourself in the rare event you may be chosen for an audit.
Vishal P. Rao is the owner of: http://www.work-at-home-forum.com/ An online community of people who work at home.
For one, audits are rare. In fact, only 0.5% of taxpayers are subjected to audits every year. And if you do beat the odds, keeping good records and maintaining receipts will help you weather the IRS storm.
Obviously you have not control over whether or not your return is chosen for an audit, but you can control how much you are going to owe the government this year. Most people who own small or home-based businesses end up paying more than they should in taxes simply because they are not taking advantage of all their deduction possibilities, even those that are right around them every day.
Your Automobile
You may not realize it, but one of your biggest potential tax savers is sitting in your garage right now. Most people realize that their car can be a tax write-off if it is used for advertising purposes, but the majority of home-based business owners don't realize that it they may also be eligible for deductions as well.
For example, if you drive your car to the post office to buy stamps for your business or if you drive to the office supply store to stock up on paper clips, you can claim that mileage on your taxes. You can even claim the mileage if your business-related stop was made on the way to picking your daughter up from ballet class or dropping your dog off at the vet.
In addition, you can write-off other automobile related expenses such as gas, insurance, and parking costs if they pertain to any business related activity.
Be sure to keep records, however. You will want to have a small notebook in your car at all times so you can jot down your start and stop mileage as well as a note about the business activity in which you are engaged. Keep all gas, parking, and insurance receipts as well if you plan to claimthose as business expenses.
Your Family
If you pay your children an allowance, you can also count these as deductions if you hire them as part of your staff. Any business owner knows that the money he or she pays to employees does not count as part of their profit. The same is true for home-based businesses.
Most business owners also know they can find employees among their own family without raising any eyebrows. The same is true for home-based businesses. You can hire your fourteen year old to help you answer phones, file, or type up correspondence. You can offer your eight year old a job emptying wastebaskets, straightening your office, etc. Then you pay them a certain amount of money every week for their labor.
Again keeping records is essential. Keep track of the hours your children work for you as well as the activities they do. Pay them, if possible, by check from your business account. You can set up a checking or savings account for the children in which the money can be deposited.
Your Home
Obviously if you worked in a small office building you could deduct the amount of rent you paid for that property from your taxes, as well as the costs of all the equipment and expenses. Well, just because you work out of your home that does not mean you lose out on those deductions.
Chances are you have a small area of your home that is set aside for your business purposes. Now while you cannot write-off the cost of your entire house, you can write-off the cost of that area.
What you do is determine what percentage of your home's total square feet is dedicated to your business. For example, if your office takes up 10% of your home's total area and you pay $600 per month for the property, you can claim $60 per month as a business expense which would be $720 per year.
The same formula works for your utilities, such as electricity, water, and telephone (unless you have a separate line just for business). All of your equipment - your computer, printer, scanner, cell phone, printer ink, etc - is also tax deductible.
Remember to keep track of those expenses and hold on to your receipts in order to claim them on your taxes.
When it comes to tax time, no home-based business owner needs to feel afraid. By taking advantage of all your potential deductions and keeping thorough records, you can not only significantly reduce your yearly tax bill, but you can also prepare yourself in the rare event you may be chosen for an audit.
Vishal P. Rao is the owner of: http://www.work-at-home-forum.com/ An online community of people who work at home.
Rearrange Your Affairs For Maximum Tax Savings
One way to maximize your business profits is by reducing your taxes.Frequently, income and other taxes could be lowered significantly if only the taxpayer were willing to plan ahead. By taking some simple steps to rearrange your affairs, you could save a fortune!
1. Are You Splitting Your Business Income?
You may pay reasonable salaries to spouse or children through your incorporated or unincorporated business. If you are not doing so, you may be missing out on some real tax savings.
In the Canadian Federal Budget of February 16, 1999, measures were introduced to discourage income splitting with minor children through family trusts. However, these measures do not apply to paying reasonable wages to family members. Thus, this may be one of the last ways of legally splitting income left for the small business person with minor children.
Obviously, the amounts paid must bear some relationship to the work performed. Of course, all required payroll taxes should be remitted and proper records need to be maintained.
Why not rearrange your affairs so that family members with little or no income can perform duties for and be paid by your business? Then, they can contribute out of their own income towards the operation of the household. In this way, little or no tax will be paid by your dependants and you will have successfully shifted taxable income out of your hands.
2. Should You Register For The Goods And Services Tax?
Even if your business grosses less than $30,000.00 per year in taxablesales, you may still benefit by registering your business to collect the Goods and Services Tax (G.S.T.). If you are not doing so, you may be missing out on some real tax savings.
For example, you will be paying G.S.T. on many of your business expenses. If not registered for G.S.T., you must absorb this cost. If registered, you may deduct the G.S.T. paid on such business expenses (input tax credits) from the tax collected. Many business persons expect to pay G.S.T. and it doesn`t really cost them anything since they deduct such amounts as input tax credits from the G.S.T. they collect from their customers.
In some cases, the quick method of calculating G.S.T. may actually allow you to retain more of the G.S.T. collected than you would have just claiming the G.S.T. actually paid by you.
A factor to consider also: If you are not registered for G.S.T. in Canada, you are telling your clients that you do under $30,000.00 per year in taxable sales or that you cheat. Is this the image you want your clients to have?
3. Could You Benefit From Incorporating Your Business?
Although incorporating your business may result in increased accounting and legal fees (for setup, extra tax returns, and annual minutes), the advantages of incorporation may justify this added expense. Not only will you enjoy limited liability by incorporating, but you may reap significant tax savings as well.
Corporations are often subject to lower tax rates on small business income. In Canada, sales of shares of qualifying small business corporations can obtain a lifetime $500,000.00 capital gains exemption. Certain tax incentives and government programs are only available to incorporated entities. Additionally, corporations can be used for income-splitting and estate, retirement, and succession planning objectives.
4. Do You Engage in Tax Planning Year-Round?
Some people only worry about their taxes during tax season. However,you will save a fortune in taxes, legally, if you make tax planning your year-round concern.
Can you make some changes to turn your hobby into a moneymaking business? Can you use that extra room in your house as a home office for your business? Can you arrange to use your car more for business purposes and have you documented your business use mileage? Can you arrange for more of your entertainment expenses to be business related and have you listed the business purpose on the back of each receipt?
Do you make business and personal purchases, investments, and other expenditures with tax savings in mind. Do you document your expenses well so that you they would survive a tax audit? Whenever you are faced with a business or personal financial decision, do you consider the tax consequences?
Make year-round tax planning part of your business management mindset and, thus, enjoy maximum tax savings. Yes, by rearranging your affairs to account for tax implications, you will save a fortune in taxes.
RESOURCE BOX
J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc.,http://www.popeconsultinginc.com/ has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twenty-five years.
1. Are You Splitting Your Business Income?
You may pay reasonable salaries to spouse or children through your incorporated or unincorporated business. If you are not doing so, you may be missing out on some real tax savings.
In the Canadian Federal Budget of February 16, 1999, measures were introduced to discourage income splitting with minor children through family trusts. However, these measures do not apply to paying reasonable wages to family members. Thus, this may be one of the last ways of legally splitting income left for the small business person with minor children.
Obviously, the amounts paid must bear some relationship to the work performed. Of course, all required payroll taxes should be remitted and proper records need to be maintained.
Why not rearrange your affairs so that family members with little or no income can perform duties for and be paid by your business? Then, they can contribute out of their own income towards the operation of the household. In this way, little or no tax will be paid by your dependants and you will have successfully shifted taxable income out of your hands.
2. Should You Register For The Goods And Services Tax?
Even if your business grosses less than $30,000.00 per year in taxablesales, you may still benefit by registering your business to collect the Goods and Services Tax (G.S.T.). If you are not doing so, you may be missing out on some real tax savings.
For example, you will be paying G.S.T. on many of your business expenses. If not registered for G.S.T., you must absorb this cost. If registered, you may deduct the G.S.T. paid on such business expenses (input tax credits) from the tax collected. Many business persons expect to pay G.S.T. and it doesn`t really cost them anything since they deduct such amounts as input tax credits from the G.S.T. they collect from their customers.
In some cases, the quick method of calculating G.S.T. may actually allow you to retain more of the G.S.T. collected than you would have just claiming the G.S.T. actually paid by you.
A factor to consider also: If you are not registered for G.S.T. in Canada, you are telling your clients that you do under $30,000.00 per year in taxable sales or that you cheat. Is this the image you want your clients to have?
3. Could You Benefit From Incorporating Your Business?
Although incorporating your business may result in increased accounting and legal fees (for setup, extra tax returns, and annual minutes), the advantages of incorporation may justify this added expense. Not only will you enjoy limited liability by incorporating, but you may reap significant tax savings as well.
Corporations are often subject to lower tax rates on small business income. In Canada, sales of shares of qualifying small business corporations can obtain a lifetime $500,000.00 capital gains exemption. Certain tax incentives and government programs are only available to incorporated entities. Additionally, corporations can be used for income-splitting and estate, retirement, and succession planning objectives.
4. Do You Engage in Tax Planning Year-Round?
Some people only worry about their taxes during tax season. However,you will save a fortune in taxes, legally, if you make tax planning your year-round concern.
Can you make some changes to turn your hobby into a moneymaking business? Can you use that extra room in your house as a home office for your business? Can you arrange to use your car more for business purposes and have you documented your business use mileage? Can you arrange for more of your entertainment expenses to be business related and have you listed the business purpose on the back of each receipt?
Do you make business and personal purchases, investments, and other expenditures with tax savings in mind. Do you document your expenses well so that you they would survive a tax audit? Whenever you are faced with a business or personal financial decision, do you consider the tax consequences?
Make year-round tax planning part of your business management mindset and, thus, enjoy maximum tax savings. Yes, by rearranging your affairs to account for tax implications, you will save a fortune in taxes.
RESOURCE BOX
J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc.,http://www.popeconsultinginc.com/ has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twenty-five years.
Organizing Your Taxes
Does this scene sound familiar? It's April 7. You haven't seen the top of your dining room table in two weeks because of the piles of paid bills, receipts, canceled checks, and unidentified cash register receipts covering it. Your head pounds and your stomach churns as the countdown to April 15 begins.
You might hate to pay taxes, think the system is unfair, dislike the forms, and even stage a mini-tax rebellion, but in the end the tax man cometh ? with penalty if you're not careful! The key to your survival is taking an organized approach to this unavoidable task.
There are really two issues here. Number one, of course, is getting the information together for this year's tax return. Number two is developing a strategy, which will eliminate the panic you're feeling now next year ? and now is the easiest time to do that too. Consider these tips:
? If you use a tax advisor, make an appointment to get together well before April 15. For the future, do it before the end of the tax year, and you may be able to save on your tax bill.
? Designate a specific, easily accessible place to keep all the information relevant to your tax return.
? Pay tax-deductible items by check or credit card whenever possible. If you have many tax-deductible items, get a separate credit card for those expenses.
Now, for this year:
Step 1: Collect all the records you can find: canceled checks, credit card receipts and statements, canceled checks, cash register receipts, calendars, and any articles or other information you may have collected with information about what you can deduct. (Use Post-it? Flags to highlight important information.) If you're not sure, discuss with your accounting the critical information to include with your tax return, including documents to support any wages or other income received as well as mortgage interest paid.
Step 2: Separate all the papers into appropriate categories. Put each one into a separate container ? large envelope, plastic basket or shoebox. Labeling each category with a Post-it? Note will make it easier to adjust your category names if you change your mind as you proceed. Since you will probably need more than one sitting to complete your taxes, these labeled containers make it easier to clear your work area, if necessary, and to find your place when you are ready to continue.
Step 3: Take one category at a time and eliminate (or staple together) any duplicate receipts. If you need to correlate your expenses with your calendar in order to prove tax-deductible expenses, such as in the case of entertainment, put all receipts in chronological order to speed up the process. (Use a different color Post-it? Flag for each deductible category.)
Step 4: Now you are ready to begin entering the information on the tax forms, into your computer program, or to take the information to your accountant. (Many accountants will provide a worksheet of compiling information.)
Once you've finished filing your return, the next consideration is how long to keep the material you've collected. The simple answer is to keep whatever you need to persuade the IRS that everything on your return is accurate, and hang on to the evidence for as long as the IRS has the right to question your return. But I'm sure you wanted a more practical answer!
Ordinarily that's three years from the due date for the return, including extensions, to assess any additional tax. But a return can be audited for six years if the IRS suspects the taxpayer has neglected to report substantial income. If fraud is suspected, there is no time limit.
Your record keeping system doesn't have to be elaborate or sophisticated. What is more important is to have a system ? and the discipline to keep it up to date.
Make sure to keep tax information separated by year. If you have a minimum amount of back-up material, one file folder may be sufficient. Staple together all information for each itemized deduction. Label it clearly with a Post-it? Note. Otherwise, use separate file folders or envelopes for each category. If you run a business and have a very large amount of material, use one storage box for each year. Make sure to label the outside of the box! Put all boxes together. As you put in this year's box, you can remove the box with information you no longer need to keep. Sorting your back-up materials will be easy to do right after you filed this year's return when the categories are fresh in your mind. If you are audited, it will be easy to provide documents to support your tax return.
In addition, consider these tax tips:
? If you write off the cost of a business car, keep the logbook in which you recorded your trips as well as evidence of the costs you incur.
? If you claim as a dependent someone who is not your child, keep a separate file for the evidence that shows you provide more than half of that person's support.
? Keep information that relates to the purchase of all homes at least six years after the sale of the last house. This includes your title, deed of purchase, and information about your home's purchase price, sales price, capital improvements and repairs.
© Barbara Hemphill is the author of Kiplinger's Taming the Paper Tiger at Work and Taming the Paper Tiger at Home and co-author of Love It or Lose It: Living Clutter-Free Forever. The mission of Hemphill Productivity Institute is to help individuals and organizations create and sustain a productive environment so they can accomplish their work and enjoy their lives. We do this by organizing space, information, and time. We can be reached at 800-427-0237 or at www.ProductiveEnvironment.com
You might hate to pay taxes, think the system is unfair, dislike the forms, and even stage a mini-tax rebellion, but in the end the tax man cometh ? with penalty if you're not careful! The key to your survival is taking an organized approach to this unavoidable task.
There are really two issues here. Number one, of course, is getting the information together for this year's tax return. Number two is developing a strategy, which will eliminate the panic you're feeling now next year ? and now is the easiest time to do that too. Consider these tips:
? If you use a tax advisor, make an appointment to get together well before April 15. For the future, do it before the end of the tax year, and you may be able to save on your tax bill.
? Designate a specific, easily accessible place to keep all the information relevant to your tax return.
? Pay tax-deductible items by check or credit card whenever possible. If you have many tax-deductible items, get a separate credit card for those expenses.
Now, for this year:
Step 1: Collect all the records you can find: canceled checks, credit card receipts and statements, canceled checks, cash register receipts, calendars, and any articles or other information you may have collected with information about what you can deduct. (Use Post-it? Flags to highlight important information.) If you're not sure, discuss with your accounting the critical information to include with your tax return, including documents to support any wages or other income received as well as mortgage interest paid.
Step 2: Separate all the papers into appropriate categories. Put each one into a separate container ? large envelope, plastic basket or shoebox. Labeling each category with a Post-it? Note will make it easier to adjust your category names if you change your mind as you proceed. Since you will probably need more than one sitting to complete your taxes, these labeled containers make it easier to clear your work area, if necessary, and to find your place when you are ready to continue.
Step 3: Take one category at a time and eliminate (or staple together) any duplicate receipts. If you need to correlate your expenses with your calendar in order to prove tax-deductible expenses, such as in the case of entertainment, put all receipts in chronological order to speed up the process. (Use a different color Post-it? Flag for each deductible category.)
Step 4: Now you are ready to begin entering the information on the tax forms, into your computer program, or to take the information to your accountant. (Many accountants will provide a worksheet of compiling information.)
Once you've finished filing your return, the next consideration is how long to keep the material you've collected. The simple answer is to keep whatever you need to persuade the IRS that everything on your return is accurate, and hang on to the evidence for as long as the IRS has the right to question your return. But I'm sure you wanted a more practical answer!
Ordinarily that's three years from the due date for the return, including extensions, to assess any additional tax. But a return can be audited for six years if the IRS suspects the taxpayer has neglected to report substantial income. If fraud is suspected, there is no time limit.
Your record keeping system doesn't have to be elaborate or sophisticated. What is more important is to have a system ? and the discipline to keep it up to date.
Make sure to keep tax information separated by year. If you have a minimum amount of back-up material, one file folder may be sufficient. Staple together all information for each itemized deduction. Label it clearly with a Post-it? Note. Otherwise, use separate file folders or envelopes for each category. If you run a business and have a very large amount of material, use one storage box for each year. Make sure to label the outside of the box! Put all boxes together. As you put in this year's box, you can remove the box with information you no longer need to keep. Sorting your back-up materials will be easy to do right after you filed this year's return when the categories are fresh in your mind. If you are audited, it will be easy to provide documents to support your tax return.
In addition, consider these tax tips:
? If you write off the cost of a business car, keep the logbook in which you recorded your trips as well as evidence of the costs you incur.
? If you claim as a dependent someone who is not your child, keep a separate file for the evidence that shows you provide more than half of that person's support.
? Keep information that relates to the purchase of all homes at least six years after the sale of the last house. This includes your title, deed of purchase, and information about your home's purchase price, sales price, capital improvements and repairs.
© Barbara Hemphill is the author of Kiplinger's Taming the Paper Tiger at Work and Taming the Paper Tiger at Home and co-author of Love It or Lose It: Living Clutter-Free Forever. The mission of Hemphill Productivity Institute is to help individuals and organizations create and sustain a productive environment so they can accomplish their work and enjoy their lives. We do this by organizing space, information, and time. We can be reached at 800-427-0237 or at www.ProductiveEnvironment.com
How to Donate Your Car to Charity and Get Tax Deduction
Donating your used car to charity is a win-win situation; the charity gets your gift and you get tax deduction. Below are some simple steps to make a car donation.
1. Understand the rules. A good place to read the government rule on car donation is IRS Publication 4303, A Donor's Guide to Car Donations (available on the IRS's website at www.irs.gov). This guide outlines some important rules regarding car donation. For example, one important rule states that car donation must be made to qualified organizations in order to be tax deductible.
2. Determine the value of your used car. Although the blue book might help you determine the value of your car, you should read IRS Publication 561, Determining the Value of Donated Property (available on the IRS's website), to see what your car really worth.
3. Find a charity to donate your vehicle. If you are associated with any charity or non-profit organizations, that organization might be your choice for donating your car. Otherwise, check the Yellow Book or search on the Internet to find an organization to which you feel like donating your car. After you have identified a candidate, you should review IRS Publication 78, which is a list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions. This document is also available on the IRS's website and it's searchable. Make sure the candidate charity is eligible. Otherwise, you might not get your tax deduction!
4. Make your donation. After you have made the donation, make sure to ask for a written acknowledgement from the charity. You will need to attach this acknowledgement to your tax return in order to get your tax deduction.
John Lee is a freelance Internet writer. He has written articles for websites such as Car Donation Helper, (http://www.car4donation.com)
1. Understand the rules. A good place to read the government rule on car donation is IRS Publication 4303, A Donor's Guide to Car Donations (available on the IRS's website at www.irs.gov). This guide outlines some important rules regarding car donation. For example, one important rule states that car donation must be made to qualified organizations in order to be tax deductible.
2. Determine the value of your used car. Although the blue book might help you determine the value of your car, you should read IRS Publication 561, Determining the Value of Donated Property (available on the IRS's website), to see what your car really worth.
3. Find a charity to donate your vehicle. If you are associated with any charity or non-profit organizations, that organization might be your choice for donating your car. Otherwise, check the Yellow Book or search on the Internet to find an organization to which you feel like donating your car. After you have identified a candidate, you should review IRS Publication 78, which is a list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions. This document is also available on the IRS's website and it's searchable. Make sure the candidate charity is eligible. Otherwise, you might not get your tax deduction!
4. Make your donation. After you have made the donation, make sure to ask for a written acknowledgement from the charity. You will need to attach this acknowledgement to your tax return in order to get your tax deduction.
John Lee is a freelance Internet writer. He has written articles for websites such as Car Donation Helper, (http://www.car4donation.com)
Tax Reduction Tips
In the rush to get tax returns prepared and filed by April 15th, many overpay their taxes. Following are a few tax reduction tips that could help you save a bundle.
Tax Credit For Starting A Small Business Pension Plan
Establishing a pension plan can help you retain important employees. What many business owners don't realize is a tax credit can be claimed if the business has 100 or fewer employees. Meet this requirement and you can take a tax credit of up to $500 in each of the first three years of the plan. Tax credits are extremely valuable because they are deducted directly from the taxes you owe, not gross revenues.
The credit is 50% of certain start up costs you incur in each of the first three years. The costs include the expenses incurred in establishing and maintaining the plan. They also include the cost of any educational retirement planning programs you provide for employees.
For example, first assume that you spent $1,500 starting a pension plan for your employees in 2004. Next assume that you will spend $1,200 in both 2005 and 2006 for maintaining the program and educating your employees. In this scenario, you would be eligible to claim a tax credit of $500 in 2004, 2005 and 2006.
Personal Loans To Business
Many business owners lose track of loans they make to their business. As a result, they incorrectly classify the proceeds of the loan as part of their gross revenues. This artificially raises the gross revenues of the business and adds to the tax liability. Closely review your records for 2004 to make sure you are not making this mistake. Pay particular attention to charges on personal credit cards. You will be surprised how quickly the numbers add up.
SUV Deduction Wounded, But Still Alive
Much has been made about the "SUV Tax Deduction" that allowed purchasers of SUVs over 6,000 pounds to immediately deduct up to $100,000 of the cost. Many mistakenly believe that the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 eliminated this deduction. It did not. Instead, it reduced the deduction to $25,000 with the remaining amount allocated to depreciation. This is still a significant immediate deduction. If you purchased a non-SUV truck that weighed over 6,000 pounds in 2004, you are not restricted to a "mere" $25,000 deduction.
Tsunami Relief Contributions Paid in 2005
Millions of Americans contributed to charitable organizations providing relief to Tsunami victims. Typically, charitable contributions are deducted in the year they are made. New legislation, however, allows you to deduct Tsunami contributions you made in January 2005 on your 2004 tax returns. Alternatively, you can wait and deduct the donation on 2005 returns. Unfortunately, you cannot deduct the contribution on both!
Sales Tax Deduction
If you itemize deductions, you have a choice of deducting your state and local income taxes OR your state and local sales tax. This option is available for the 2004 and 2005 tax years. If you live in a state that does not collect income tax, the optional sales tax deduction should be claimed for significant tax savings. See IRS Publication 600 for more information.
Deduction for Discrimination Lawsuit Costs
If you were required to pay attorney's fees and court costs associated with a discrimination lawsuit, you may be able to claim a tax deduction. The deduction is available only for costs and fees incurred after October 22, 2004 in relation to a judgment and settlement. The deduction is not limited by the alternative minimum tax. Realistically, this deduction will be more viable for the 2005 tax year, but a few taxpayers may be eligible this year.
There are numerous deductions and credits available if you take the time to look for them. Taxes can be confusing, but the savings justify the time and effort of finding all available deductions and credits.
Richard Chapo is CEO of http://www.businesstaxrecovery.com - Obtaining tax refunds for small businesses by finding overlooked tax deductions and credits through a free tax return review.
Tax Credit For Starting A Small Business Pension Plan
Establishing a pension plan can help you retain important employees. What many business owners don't realize is a tax credit can be claimed if the business has 100 or fewer employees. Meet this requirement and you can take a tax credit of up to $500 in each of the first three years of the plan. Tax credits are extremely valuable because they are deducted directly from the taxes you owe, not gross revenues.
The credit is 50% of certain start up costs you incur in each of the first three years. The costs include the expenses incurred in establishing and maintaining the plan. They also include the cost of any educational retirement planning programs you provide for employees.
For example, first assume that you spent $1,500 starting a pension plan for your employees in 2004. Next assume that you will spend $1,200 in both 2005 and 2006 for maintaining the program and educating your employees. In this scenario, you would be eligible to claim a tax credit of $500 in 2004, 2005 and 2006.
Personal Loans To Business
Many business owners lose track of loans they make to their business. As a result, they incorrectly classify the proceeds of the loan as part of their gross revenues. This artificially raises the gross revenues of the business and adds to the tax liability. Closely review your records for 2004 to make sure you are not making this mistake. Pay particular attention to charges on personal credit cards. You will be surprised how quickly the numbers add up.
SUV Deduction Wounded, But Still Alive
Much has been made about the "SUV Tax Deduction" that allowed purchasers of SUVs over 6,000 pounds to immediately deduct up to $100,000 of the cost. Many mistakenly believe that the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 eliminated this deduction. It did not. Instead, it reduced the deduction to $25,000 with the remaining amount allocated to depreciation. This is still a significant immediate deduction. If you purchased a non-SUV truck that weighed over 6,000 pounds in 2004, you are not restricted to a "mere" $25,000 deduction.
Tsunami Relief Contributions Paid in 2005
Millions of Americans contributed to charitable organizations providing relief to Tsunami victims. Typically, charitable contributions are deducted in the year they are made. New legislation, however, allows you to deduct Tsunami contributions you made in January 2005 on your 2004 tax returns. Alternatively, you can wait and deduct the donation on 2005 returns. Unfortunately, you cannot deduct the contribution on both!
Sales Tax Deduction
If you itemize deductions, you have a choice of deducting your state and local income taxes OR your state and local sales tax. This option is available for the 2004 and 2005 tax years. If you live in a state that does not collect income tax, the optional sales tax deduction should be claimed for significant tax savings. See IRS Publication 600 for more information.
Deduction for Discrimination Lawsuit Costs
If you were required to pay attorney's fees and court costs associated with a discrimination lawsuit, you may be able to claim a tax deduction. The deduction is available only for costs and fees incurred after October 22, 2004 in relation to a judgment and settlement. The deduction is not limited by the alternative minimum tax. Realistically, this deduction will be more viable for the 2005 tax year, but a few taxpayers may be eligible this year.
There are numerous deductions and credits available if you take the time to look for them. Taxes can be confusing, but the savings justify the time and effort of finding all available deductions and credits.
Richard Chapo is CEO of http://www.businesstaxrecovery.com - Obtaining tax refunds for small businesses by finding overlooked tax deductions and credits through a free tax return review.
What the Tax Software Companies Dont Want You to Know
Haven't done your taxes yet? No problem. Now there is a new way you can use top tax software programs, like TurboTax and H&R Block, to get your taxes done quickly and easily. And the best part is it won't cost you a thing.
The secret is an IRS program called Free File, that allows you to prepare and file your federal tax return electronically, using these and dozens of other popular tax software programs, for free!
Free File has been around for a few years, but it used to have very stringent income requirements (i.e., only taxpayers whose incomes were below a certain level could use it). This year is the first time the service is being opened up to 99% of taxpayers.
Important: You must go through the IRS official web site in order to get this deal. Go to http://www.irs.gov and click on the link at the top of the home page that says Free File. (Note: It's not on the navigation bar. It's on the home page itself.)
Next, you'll want to click the gray button at the bottom of the page that says, "Start Now." At this point, you'll have the option of browsing all of the services offered or choosing to use the "Guide Me to a Service" wizard to help you select one. The wizard will ask you a few basic questions about your age and income and then come back with a list of companies whose free products meet your needs.
Why is the IRS doing this? In a nutshell, to save money. It's cheaper, faster and easier for them to process returns electronically.
Why should you do it? Because it's cheaper and easier to file, and you can get your refund faster.
Why are the big tax companies offering this deal? They're trying to get you to upgrade to one of their deluxe products, which offer things like tax planning advice, the ability to import data from software you used last year, etc.
Also, state tax programs are not included in this deal. So the companies probably figure that if you use their free federal program you'll end up buying their state one.
Remember: You must go through the IRS official web site in order to get this deal. If you go to the tax companies' sites, you will not get this offer. In fact, some of these companies not only charge you to do your return online, but then they'll also hit you with a fee once you try to file electronically. So you'll pay twice if you don't go through the IRS web site.
Happy tax preparing!
Stephanie Gallagher reveals her closely-guarded shopping secrets in her ezine, The Shopping Mom's Weekly Tip. Click here to get the eCookbooks Recipe Sampler Cookbook as a special gift when you subscribe: mailto: theshoppingmom@aweber.com
The secret is an IRS program called Free File, that allows you to prepare and file your federal tax return electronically, using these and dozens of other popular tax software programs, for free!
Free File has been around for a few years, but it used to have very stringent income requirements (i.e., only taxpayers whose incomes were below a certain level could use it). This year is the first time the service is being opened up to 99% of taxpayers.
Important: You must go through the IRS official web site in order to get this deal. Go to http://www.irs.gov and click on the link at the top of the home page that says Free File. (Note: It's not on the navigation bar. It's on the home page itself.)
Next, you'll want to click the gray button at the bottom of the page that says, "Start Now." At this point, you'll have the option of browsing all of the services offered or choosing to use the "Guide Me to a Service" wizard to help you select one. The wizard will ask you a few basic questions about your age and income and then come back with a list of companies whose free products meet your needs.
Why is the IRS doing this? In a nutshell, to save money. It's cheaper, faster and easier for them to process returns electronically.
Why should you do it? Because it's cheaper and easier to file, and you can get your refund faster.
Why are the big tax companies offering this deal? They're trying to get you to upgrade to one of their deluxe products, which offer things like tax planning advice, the ability to import data from software you used last year, etc.
Also, state tax programs are not included in this deal. So the companies probably figure that if you use their free federal program you'll end up buying their state one.
Remember: You must go through the IRS official web site in order to get this deal. If you go to the tax companies' sites, you will not get this offer. In fact, some of these companies not only charge you to do your return online, but then they'll also hit you with a fee once you try to file electronically. So you'll pay twice if you don't go through the IRS web site.
Happy tax preparing!
Stephanie Gallagher reveals her closely-guarded shopping secrets in her ezine, The Shopping Mom's Weekly Tip. Click here to get the eCookbooks Recipe Sampler Cookbook as a special gift when you subscribe: mailto: theshoppingmom@aweber.com
Take Control of Your Taxes
As everyone in the U.S. knows, we have just passed one of our most "favorite" times of the year: income tax season. If you are going to create and sustain wealth, it is inevitable that you will have to address your personal tax situation.
By "address," what I really mean is take control. This is true whether you live in the U.S. or just about any other country. Agree or disagree with the "fairness" of taxes, this is a subject that you must obtain some basic understanding if you want to significantly increase your wealth.
Before I start, let me say that I am certainly not a tax expert. And space does not permit going into detailed tax strategy. The purpose of this article is to explain why it is so important for you to take up the study of basic tax law and strategies, and even more important seek out the advice of a true tax expert.
Why is it important to understand taxes?
In most cases, taxes are your largest expense. This is probably the key reason that wealthy people spend so much time, effort, and money doing their best to minimize their tax expense. Depending on your tax bracket, your federal taxes may be as high as 28%-35% of your income! And then there are social security, state income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, etc., etc. If you are generating all of your income from your wages (earned income), you may be lucky to actually keep 50% of what you really earn.
That is a staggering figure when you think about it. That means that if you have a salary of $50,000, you may be only keeping $25,000 of your earnings for your own purposes.
If you think I am exaggerating, pull out your last paycheck and look at the tax withholdings for taxes that have been taken off the top of your earnings. If you take your net earnings and divide them by the gross earnings, what is that percentage? Don't be shocked if it isn't about 40%. Then take a look at your sales taxes. In California, the sale tax is around 8.25%. So just doing a quick estimate, I'm already at about 48% in tax expense (assuming most of the money is spent on taxable items).
The cost of ignoring your tax expense and not doing everything legally possible to minimize it is huge. Of course, tax law can be exceedingly complex, and the penalties of making a mistake are high. So a large number of people, simply accept this large tax expense as inevitable. They concede defeat without really even trying to take any type of action to minimize the impact.
What are some actions that you can take?
1) Recognize that you can take action to reduce your tax expense. Too many people blindly assume that it is impossible to significantly reduce their tax expense. Either they think it is too complicated, too much trouble, or they are afraid that if they take deductions that are legitimate, that the government will come after them. If you assume there is nothing you can do (learned helplessness), you are right. If you assume you can improve your tax position, you're right. The fact is that while you must pay your legal share of taxes, the government actually wants you to take advantage of tax deductions and credits. That's why the laws were passed to allow for them.
2) Make a commitment to study basic tax law so that you have at least enough knowledge to speak with a tax advisor with a certain degree of intelligence. You can't take deductions that you are not aware of. Because of the potential savings, the study of tax law needs to be a fundamental part of your financial literacy education. Your two highest priorities must be to create wealth in the most efficient manner and protect it. And any protection strategy must include protecting it from over taxation. Don't just limit your study to books. Also seek out college classes, night-school, and seminars. But be careful of seminars as they can be a lot more expensive and not as thorough as a class from a community college.
3) Seek out a CPA and/or Certified Financial Planner to come up with a long range plan to minimize your taxes and increase your wealth. Start with the most experienced person you can afford and plan to pay for even more expert advice as your wealth increases. Ultimately, it will probably be less expensive to pay for outstanding advice than to over pay on your taxes. If you wait until tax time to come up with your plan, you have waited too long.
4) If you haven't already, start keeping detailed financial records. This is a good habit to get into even if you don't yet have a business. If you keep detailed records (using a computer program!) as you go through the year, it makes it much easier to turn over your records to your tax preparer when tax time comes.
5) When you record your income from your paycheck, be certain to record all deductions taken from your check. Don't just record the net. If you actively track your tax expenses deducted from the top of your wages, you will be more motivated to do everything possible to legitimately reduce that expense. If you simply record the net wages, you have probably fallen prey to the tax trap without a fight.
6) If you are an employee, make certain you are taking full advantage of your 401k and medical flex spending plan if available. Money set aside for your 401k (usually matched by your employer) helps reduce your taxable income. You have to pay taxes eventually, but hopefully by the time that happens you will be in a lower tax bracket. Medical flex spending plans help you pay for medical costs (including over-the-counter medicines, dental work, glasses, etc.) using pre-tax dollars. Flex spending plans are also available for child day care.
7) As soon as possible, replace your income from wages with income from your own business and unearned income from investments. Of course, this is easier said than done, but the benefits are huge. If your income comes from a business that you own, it's much easier to pay for expenses with pre-tax dollars. Obviously, you have to have a real business (not just a hobby) and the expenses must be legitimate business expenses, but this allows you to have a lot more flexibility in your tax planning. Realize that you can (I would say must) still start a business even if you have a full-time job. If you want to create great wealth (and minimize your tax expense), don't let fear, unbelief, or lack of knowledge prevent you from starting your own business. You must take action to overcome those obstacles.
Eventually, you need to target making the ultimate shift to getting your income from unearned income rather than wages. Unearned income is taxed at a lower rate than earned income. That's one of the ironies of our tax law: the more income that is "unearned" the lower your tax expense.
Some Power Affirmations Related to Helping you Take Control of Your Tax Expense
1) I am now in confident control of my tax expenses.
2) I have a clear understanding of basic tax law and strategies.
3) I regularly seek out sound tax advice from seasoned professionals.
4) My unearned income from investments is increasing everyday.
5) I record all financial transactions regularly and take advantage of every legitimate tax deduction.
6) I now take maximum advantage of my employee benefits including my 401k and flexible spending accounts.
7) I pay as many expenses as possible with pre-tax dollars.
8) I enjoy studying basic tax law, because I enjoy the savings my knowledge brings.
9) I am absolutely committed to increasing my financial intelligence everyday.
10) I now take full advantage of every legal tax deduction available to me.
11) I track my tax expenses and take every action possible to minimize that expense.
12) By studying books, taking college-level classes, and attending seminars, my financial intelligence is increasing everyday.
Copyright (c) 2005 Bill Marshall - All rights reserved. Feel free to republish this article provided you include the copyright information and the weblinks where possible.
For practical self-improvement tips, visit http://www.poweraffirmations.com. Get my new free e-book, "Power Affirmations: Power Positive Conditioning for Your Subconscious Mind"
By "address," what I really mean is take control. This is true whether you live in the U.S. or just about any other country. Agree or disagree with the "fairness" of taxes, this is a subject that you must obtain some basic understanding if you want to significantly increase your wealth.
Before I start, let me say that I am certainly not a tax expert. And space does not permit going into detailed tax strategy. The purpose of this article is to explain why it is so important for you to take up the study of basic tax law and strategies, and even more important seek out the advice of a true tax expert.
Why is it important to understand taxes?
In most cases, taxes are your largest expense. This is probably the key reason that wealthy people spend so much time, effort, and money doing their best to minimize their tax expense. Depending on your tax bracket, your federal taxes may be as high as 28%-35% of your income! And then there are social security, state income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, etc., etc. If you are generating all of your income from your wages (earned income), you may be lucky to actually keep 50% of what you really earn.
That is a staggering figure when you think about it. That means that if you have a salary of $50,000, you may be only keeping $25,000 of your earnings for your own purposes.
If you think I am exaggerating, pull out your last paycheck and look at the tax withholdings for taxes that have been taken off the top of your earnings. If you take your net earnings and divide them by the gross earnings, what is that percentage? Don't be shocked if it isn't about 40%. Then take a look at your sales taxes. In California, the sale tax is around 8.25%. So just doing a quick estimate, I'm already at about 48% in tax expense (assuming most of the money is spent on taxable items).
The cost of ignoring your tax expense and not doing everything legally possible to minimize it is huge. Of course, tax law can be exceedingly complex, and the penalties of making a mistake are high. So a large number of people, simply accept this large tax expense as inevitable. They concede defeat without really even trying to take any type of action to minimize the impact.
What are some actions that you can take?
1) Recognize that you can take action to reduce your tax expense. Too many people blindly assume that it is impossible to significantly reduce their tax expense. Either they think it is too complicated, too much trouble, or they are afraid that if they take deductions that are legitimate, that the government will come after them. If you assume there is nothing you can do (learned helplessness), you are right. If you assume you can improve your tax position, you're right. The fact is that while you must pay your legal share of taxes, the government actually wants you to take advantage of tax deductions and credits. That's why the laws were passed to allow for them.
2) Make a commitment to study basic tax law so that you have at least enough knowledge to speak with a tax advisor with a certain degree of intelligence. You can't take deductions that you are not aware of. Because of the potential savings, the study of tax law needs to be a fundamental part of your financial literacy education. Your two highest priorities must be to create wealth in the most efficient manner and protect it. And any protection strategy must include protecting it from over taxation. Don't just limit your study to books. Also seek out college classes, night-school, and seminars. But be careful of seminars as they can be a lot more expensive and not as thorough as a class from a community college.
3) Seek out a CPA and/or Certified Financial Planner to come up with a long range plan to minimize your taxes and increase your wealth. Start with the most experienced person you can afford and plan to pay for even more expert advice as your wealth increases. Ultimately, it will probably be less expensive to pay for outstanding advice than to over pay on your taxes. If you wait until tax time to come up with your plan, you have waited too long.
4) If you haven't already, start keeping detailed financial records. This is a good habit to get into even if you don't yet have a business. If you keep detailed records (using a computer program!) as you go through the year, it makes it much easier to turn over your records to your tax preparer when tax time comes.
5) When you record your income from your paycheck, be certain to record all deductions taken from your check. Don't just record the net. If you actively track your tax expenses deducted from the top of your wages, you will be more motivated to do everything possible to legitimately reduce that expense. If you simply record the net wages, you have probably fallen prey to the tax trap without a fight.
6) If you are an employee, make certain you are taking full advantage of your 401k and medical flex spending plan if available. Money set aside for your 401k (usually matched by your employer) helps reduce your taxable income. You have to pay taxes eventually, but hopefully by the time that happens you will be in a lower tax bracket. Medical flex spending plans help you pay for medical costs (including over-the-counter medicines, dental work, glasses, etc.) using pre-tax dollars. Flex spending plans are also available for child day care.
7) As soon as possible, replace your income from wages with income from your own business and unearned income from investments. Of course, this is easier said than done, but the benefits are huge. If your income comes from a business that you own, it's much easier to pay for expenses with pre-tax dollars. Obviously, you have to have a real business (not just a hobby) and the expenses must be legitimate business expenses, but this allows you to have a lot more flexibility in your tax planning. Realize that you can (I would say must) still start a business even if you have a full-time job. If you want to create great wealth (and minimize your tax expense), don't let fear, unbelief, or lack of knowledge prevent you from starting your own business. You must take action to overcome those obstacles.
Eventually, you need to target making the ultimate shift to getting your income from unearned income rather than wages. Unearned income is taxed at a lower rate than earned income. That's one of the ironies of our tax law: the more income that is "unearned" the lower your tax expense.
Some Power Affirmations Related to Helping you Take Control of Your Tax Expense
1) I am now in confident control of my tax expenses.
2) I have a clear understanding of basic tax law and strategies.
3) I regularly seek out sound tax advice from seasoned professionals.
4) My unearned income from investments is increasing everyday.
5) I record all financial transactions regularly and take advantage of every legitimate tax deduction.
6) I now take maximum advantage of my employee benefits including my 401k and flexible spending accounts.
7) I pay as many expenses as possible with pre-tax dollars.
8) I enjoy studying basic tax law, because I enjoy the savings my knowledge brings.
9) I am absolutely committed to increasing my financial intelligence everyday.
10) I now take full advantage of every legal tax deduction available to me.
11) I track my tax expenses and take every action possible to minimize that expense.
12) By studying books, taking college-level classes, and attending seminars, my financial intelligence is increasing everyday.
Copyright (c) 2005 Bill Marshall - All rights reserved. Feel free to republish this article provided you include the copyright information and the weblinks where possible.
For practical self-improvement tips, visit http://www.poweraffirmations.com. Get my new free e-book, "Power Affirmations: Power Positive Conditioning for Your Subconscious Mind"
Seven Key Tax Deductions for the Self Employed
As a sole proprietor, it's wise to familiarize yourself with the some key deductions that may reduce your tax bill for 2004.
Small-business consultants generally recommend that you hire an accountant to prepare your tax returns, payroll and financial statements. But you should also meet with your accountant well before the year-end rush to discuss such matters as tax planning, and record keeping for tax deductions.
Seven common small business tax deductions:
1. Employee Benefit Plans - You may deduct contributions to employee benefit plans (such as health insurance plans and retirement plans). Depending on your circumstances the maximum contribution that you may deduct per employee in a qualified retirement plan can go up to:
$100,000 or more For a Defined Benefit Plan$44,000 For a 401(k) plan$41,000 For a SEP-IRA or Keogh
2. Automobile Expenses? You can elect to deduct the actual expenses incurred (including gas, oil, tires, repairs, insurance, depreciation, and rent or lease payments) for the business-related portion of your car or truck expenses, or simply take the 2004 standard mileage rate of 37.5 cents per business mile.
3. Taxes - You may deduct Social Security and Medicaid taxes paid to match required withholdings on employee wages, federal unemployment taxes, sales taxes and real estate or personal property taxes paid on business assets.
4. Home Office - Depending on whether you use your home or other real estate for business purposes, you may deduct some or all of any mortgage interest paid, as well as some or all of the maintenance and repair expenses associated with the property. The cost of utilities and business supplies associated with business use are also deductible.
5. Depreciation ? Depreciation may be taken on passenger cars, equipment used for entertainment or recreational purposes (i.e., photographic equipment, cell phones and computers), as long as these items are used solely for the business.
6. Professional Fees - You may deduct professional fees, such as those paid to a lawyer or accountant.
7. Meals and Entertainment - You may deduct 50 percent of meal and entertainment expenses directly associated with the conduct of your business Remember to keep on file the records and documentation necessary to substantiate all of your deductions.
Daniel Lamaute, of Lamaute Capital, Inc. specializes in setting up retirement plans for small business owners. http://www.InvestSafe.com
Small-business consultants generally recommend that you hire an accountant to prepare your tax returns, payroll and financial statements. But you should also meet with your accountant well before the year-end rush to discuss such matters as tax planning, and record keeping for tax deductions.
Seven common small business tax deductions:
1. Employee Benefit Plans - You may deduct contributions to employee benefit plans (such as health insurance plans and retirement plans). Depending on your circumstances the maximum contribution that you may deduct per employee in a qualified retirement plan can go up to:
$100,000 or more For a Defined Benefit Plan$44,000 For a 401(k) plan$41,000 For a SEP-IRA or Keogh
2. Automobile Expenses? You can elect to deduct the actual expenses incurred (including gas, oil, tires, repairs, insurance, depreciation, and rent or lease payments) for the business-related portion of your car or truck expenses, or simply take the 2004 standard mileage rate of 37.5 cents per business mile.
3. Taxes - You may deduct Social Security and Medicaid taxes paid to match required withholdings on employee wages, federal unemployment taxes, sales taxes and real estate or personal property taxes paid on business assets.
4. Home Office - Depending on whether you use your home or other real estate for business purposes, you may deduct some or all of any mortgage interest paid, as well as some or all of the maintenance and repair expenses associated with the property. The cost of utilities and business supplies associated with business use are also deductible.
5. Depreciation ? Depreciation may be taken on passenger cars, equipment used for entertainment or recreational purposes (i.e., photographic equipment, cell phones and computers), as long as these items are used solely for the business.
6. Professional Fees - You may deduct professional fees, such as those paid to a lawyer or accountant.
7. Meals and Entertainment - You may deduct 50 percent of meal and entertainment expenses directly associated with the conduct of your business Remember to keep on file the records and documentation necessary to substantiate all of your deductions.
Daniel Lamaute, of Lamaute Capital, Inc. specializes in setting up retirement plans for small business owners. http://www.InvestSafe.com
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