Your guide to Medicare premiums and taxes
Medicare health insurance premiums can add up to big bucks — especially if you’re upper-income, married, and you and your spouse both pay premiums. Read on to understand how taxes fit in.
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Healthy savings: How tax-smart HSAs can benefit your small business and employees
As a small business owner, managing health care costs for yourself and your employees can be challenging. One effective tool to consider adding is a Health Savings Account (HSA). HSAs offer a range of benefits that can help you save on health care expenses while providing valuable tax advantages. You may already have an HSA….
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Senior tax-saving alert: Make charitable donations from your IRA
If you’ve reached age 70½, you can make cash donations directly from your IRA to IRS-approved charities. These qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) may help you gain tax advantages.
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Self-employment tax: A refresher on how it works
If you own a growing, unincorporated small business, you may be concerned about high self-employment (SE) tax bills. The SE tax is how Social Security and Medicare taxes are collected from self-employed individuals like you.
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Get tax breaks for energy-saving purchases this year because they may disappear
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), enacted in 2022, created several tax credits aimed at promoting clean energy. You may want to take advantage of them before it’s too late. On the campaign trail, President-Elect Donald Trump pledged to “terminate” the law and “rescind all unspent funds.” Rescinding all or part of the law would require action…
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Unlocking the mystery of taxes on employer-issued nonqualified stock options
Employee stock options remain a potentially valuable asset for employees who receive them. For example, many Silicon Valley millionaires got rich (or semi-rich) from exercising stock options when they worked for start-up companies or fast-growing enterprises. We’ll explain what you need to know about the federal income and employment tax rules for employer-issued nonqualified stock…
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The nanny tax: What household employers need to know
Hiring household help, whether you employ a nanny, housekeeper or gardener, can significantly ease the burden of childcare and daily chores. However, as a household employer, it’s critical to understand your tax obligations, commonly called the “nanny tax.” If you hire a household employee who isn’t an independent contractor, you may be liable for federal…
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How can you build a golden nest egg if you’re self-employed?
If you own a small business with no employees (other than your spouse) and want to set up a retirement plan, consider a solo 401(k) plan. This is also an option for self-employed individuals or business owners who wish to upgrade from a SIMPLE IRA or Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) plan. A solo 401(k), also…
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You don’t have to be in business to deduct certain vehicle expenses
When you think about tax deductions for vehicle-related expenses, business driving may come to mind. However, businesses aren’t the only taxpayers that can deduct driving expenses on their returns. Individuals may also be able to deduct them in certain circumstances. Unfortunately, under current law, you may be unable to deduct as much as you could…
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Employers: In 2025, the Social Security wage base is going up
As we approach 2025, changes are coming to the Social Security wage base. The Social Security Administration recently announced that the wage base for computing Social Security tax will increase to $176,100 for 2025 (up from $168,600 for 2024). Wages and self-employment income above this amount aren’t subject to Social Security tax. If your business…
