January 27, 2020, marked the start of this year’s tax filing season. Complicating matters is a newly revised Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. With more than 150 million individual tax returns expected to be filed for the 2019 tax year, here’s what individual taxpayers can expect:
Tax Breaks for Taxpayers Itemizing Deductions
Many taxpayers opt for the standard deduction because it is easier, but sometimes itemizing deductions is the better choice — often resulting in a lower tax bill. Whether you bought a house, refinanced your current home, or had extensive gambling losses, you may be able to take advantage of tax breaks for taxpayers who itemize. Here’s what to keep in mind:
Updated Rules: Deductible Business & Other Expenses
Taxpayers using optional standard mileage rates in computing the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving expense purposes should be aware of an updated set of rules. The updated rules reflect changes to certain deductible expenses resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).
Tax Breaks for Business: Charitable Giving
Tax breaks for charitable giving aren’t limited to individuals, your small business can benefit as well. If you own a small to medium-size business and are committed to giving back to the community through charitable giving, here’s what you should know.
Employer Benefits of Using the EFTPS
Small business owners who are also employers should remember that the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) has features that make it easier to meet their tax obligations – whether they prepare and submit payroll taxes themselves or hire an outside payroll service provider to do it on their behalf.
Got Crypto? New IRS Ruling Requires You to Do 3 Things
In mid-October 2019, the IRS released new rulings regarding how virtual currency is viewed in light of tax law.
The main takeaway is this: If you’ve got crypto, the IRS is keeping a close eye on you. There’s no need to panic! Here at Robert Russo CPA, we’ve put together 4 things you need to understand about taxes on cryptocurrency – and how the new October ruling impacts you.
Reporting Virtual Currency Transactions, Bitcoin and Taxes
With the price of Bitcoin hitting record highs in 2017, many Bitcoin holders cashed out not realizing the impact it could have on their tax bill. Many people, for example, did not understand that it was a reportable transaction and found themselves with a hefty tax bill—money they may have been hard-pressed to come up with at tax time. Others may have been unaware that they needed to report their transactions at all or failed to do so because it seemed too complicated.
New Tax Rules for Divorce and Alimony Payments
With the divorce rate hovering just below 50 percent, divorce is a painful reality for many people both emotionally and financially. The last thing on anyone’s mind is the effect a divorce or separation will have on their tax situation. Furthermore, most court decisions do not take into account the effects divorce or separation has on your tax situation, which is why it’s always a good idea to speak to an accounting professional before anything is finalized.
October 1 Deadline to Set up SIMPLE IRA Plans
Of all the retirement plans available to small business owners, the SIMPLE IRA plan (Savings Incentive Match PLan for Employees) is the easiest to set up and the least expensive to manage. The catch is that you’ll need to set it up by October 1st. Here’s what you need to know.
Higher Ed Institutions Affected by Proposed Regulations
Proposed regulations were issued by the IRS on June 18, 2019, regarding the new 1.4 percent excise tax on the net investment income of certain private colleges and universities. While the new excise tax is estimated to affect 40 or fewer institutions, it applies to any private college or university that has at least 500 full-time tuition-paying students (more than half of whom are located in the U.S.) and that has assets other than those used in its charitable activities worth at least $500,000 per student.