Families with college students may save tax on their 2017 returns with one of these breaks
Whether you had a child in college (or graduate school) last year or were a student yourself, you may be eligible for some valuable tax breaks on your 2017 return. One such break that had expired December 31, 2016, was just extended under the recently passed Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018: the tuition and fees deduction….
Individual Tax Changes
New income tax rates and brackets. For tax years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026, seven tax rates apply for individuals: 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, and 37%. The Act also provides four tax rates for estates and trusts: 10%, 24%, 35%, and 37%. The specific application of these rates,…
Tax Filing Season is Here – Things for Taxpayers to Consider
The IRS is now accepting tax returns as the annual tax filing season is underway. The IRS expects taxpayers to file more than 155 million returns this year. Here are some things for taxpayers to consider as they are filing:
TCJA temporarily lowers medical expense deduction threshold
With rising health care costs, claiming whatever tax breaks related to health care that you can is more important than ever. But there’s a threshold for deducting medical expenses that may be hard to meet. Fortunately, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) has temporarily reduced the threshold.
State and local sales tax deduction remains, but subject to a new limit
Individual taxpayers who itemize their deductions can deduct either state and local income taxes or state and local sales taxes. The ability to deduct state and local taxes — including income or sales taxes, as well as property taxes — had been on the tax reform chopping block, but it ultimately survived. However, for 2018 through 2025, the Tax Cuts and…
2 tax credits just for small businesses may reduce your 2017 and 2018 tax bills
Tax credits reduce tax liability dollar-for-dollar, potentially making them more valuable than deductions, which reduce only the amount of income subject to tax. Maximizing available credits is especially important now that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has reduced or eliminated some tax breaks for businesses. Two still-available tax credits are especially for small businesses…
Can you deduct home office expenses?
Working from home has become commonplace. But just because you have a home office space doesn’t mean you can deduct expenses associated with it. And for 2018, even fewer taxpayers will be eligible for a home office deduction.
Meals, entertainment and transportation may cost businesses more under the TCJA
Along with tax rate reductions and a new deduction for pass-through qualified business income, the new tax law brings the reduction or elimination of tax deductions for certain business expenses. Two expense areas where the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) changes the rules — and not to businesses’ benefit — are meals/entertainment and transportation….
Personal exemptions and standard deductions and tax credits, oh my!
Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), individual income tax rates generally go down for 2018 through 2025. But that doesn’t necessarily mean your income tax liability will go down. The TCJA also makes a lot of changes to tax breaks for individuals, reducing or eliminating some while expanding others. The total impact of…
Employers and Coverage Providers have more Time to Furnish Health Coverage Forms to Individuals
The IRS extended the 2018 due date for certain employers and health coverage providers to furnish 2017 health coverage information forms to individuals. The following organizations now have until March 2, 2018, to provide Forms 1095-B or 1095-C to individuals: Insurers. Self-insuring employers. Other coverage providers. Applicable large employers.
