The list of medical care services for a range of chronic conditions allowed to be provided by a high deductible health plan (HDHP) was expanded effective July 17, 2019. These medical services and items are limited to the specific medical care services or items listed for chronic conditions including hypertension, congestive heart failure, osteoporosis, asthma, depression, liver disease, and diabetes. Any medical care previously recognized as preventive care for these rules is still treated as preventive care.
Tax Deductions for Teachers and Educators
Educators can take advantage of tax deductions for qualified out-of-pocket expenses related to their profession such as classroom supplies, training, and travel. As such, as the new school year begins, teachers, administrators, and aides should remember to keep track of education-related expenses that could help reduce the amount of tax owed next spring.
Prior to tax reform, educators could choose one of two methods for deducting qualified expenses: Claiming the Educator Expense Deduction (up to $250) or, for those who itemized their deductions, claiming eligible work-related expenses as a miscellaneous deduction on Schedule A, Itemized Deductions.
Tax Deduction for Classic or Antique Cars Used in Business
Question
I enjoy your articles on the dollars-and-cents aspects of buying antique furniture for use in a business.
It would be interesting if you could give an example of, say, buying an antique or a classic car versus a new car as a business-use vehicle. Let’s say a 1972 Pontiac GTO versus a 2019 Lexus GS.
New Opportunities for Deferring Taxable Gains: Qualified Opportunity Zones 101
What are Qualified Opportunity Zones and how can I benefit as a taxpayer?
Recently, I’ve had many clients – individuals, business owners, and investors – ask me about the recent buzz surrounding Qualified Opportunity Zones (QOZs). They’ve come to me saying they’ve heard that QOZs can help them defer…and even reduce…their tax liability on capital gains.
The first thing I tell them is, yes, all of the above is true. Next? I warn them that it’s complicated, like many of the tax regulations that have emerged from 2018’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. You must consult with a qualified CPA to ensure you’re following proper protocol required for reaping the rewards of investing in a Qualified Opportunity Zone.
IRS Ends Tax Transcript Fax and Third-Party Services
Due to ongoing efforts to protect taxpayers from identity thieves, the Internal Revenue Service no longer offers tax transcript faxing service and third-party mailing of tax returns and certain transcripts. These measures are effective June 28 and July 1, 2019, respectively, and affect individual and business transcripts.
Tax Reform Reminder: Changes to Itemized Deductions
Under tax reform, many tax laws changed, including those affecting itemized deductions. While many people no longer need to itemize due to the nearly doubling of the standard deduction, certain taxpayers whose total deductions exceed the standard deduction may still want to consider itemizing. As a reminder, here is a quick summary of how tax reform affected four itemized deductions used by many taxpayers in prior years:
Seminar Event: Investing in Economic Opportunity Zones
EVENING SEMINAR
INVESTING IN ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY ZONES
WEDNESDAY, JULY 24, 2019 • 5 PM – 6 PM
Presented by Jeffrey Cassin, Esq., Stephanie Edelstein, Esq., & Robert P. Russo CPA PC.
Moderated by James Melonichok
For 199A Tax Deductions, Must Landlords Give 1099s to Vendors?
The preamble to the Section 199A final regulations contains the following new sentence:
… taxpayers should consider the appropriateness of treating a rental activity as a trade or business for purposes of section 199A where the taxpayer does not comply with the information return filing requirements under section 6041.1
Tax code Section 6041 requires a trade or business to issue 1099s to certain vendors.2
So, the IRS is saying that you “should consider the appropriateness” of NOT giving 1099s to vendors if you are asserting that your rental property qualifies as a trade or business for the Section 199A tax deduction.
How the Sharing Economy Affects Your Taxes
If you’ve ever used—or provided services for—Uber, Lyft, Airbnb, Etsy, Rover, or TaskRabbit, then you’re a member of the sharing economy and it could affect your taxes. The good news is that if you’ve only used these services (and not provided them), then there’s no need to worry about the tax implications.
Employers: Backup Withholding Lowered to 24 Percent
Small business owners are reminded that tax reform legislation lowered the backup withholding tax rate to 24 percent. In addition, the withholding rate that usually applies to bonuses and other supplemental wages was also lowered to 22 percent.