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Everyone wants to save money on their taxes, and older Americans are no exception. If you’re age 50 or older, here are six tax tips that could help you do just that. 1. Standard Deduction for Seniors. If you and/or your spouse are 65 years old or older and you...

As the New Year rolls around, it’s always a sure bet that there will be changes to current tax law and 2019 is no different, now that the tax provisions under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) are in full effect. From standard deductions to health...

During January All employers – Give your employees their copies of Form W-2 for 2018 by January 31, 2019. If an employee agreed to receive Form W-2 electronically, post it on a website accessible to the employee and notify the employee of the posting by January 31. January 10 Employees –...

Last month, we explained that the process of paying bills in QuickBooks requires two separate sets of actions. We went over what’s required to enter bills and to set up reminders, so they don’t get overlooked. This month’s column will walk you through the second step: paying the bills....

Tax reform legislation passed in December 2017 included numerous changes that affect businesses this year. One of them allows businesses to write off most depreciable business assets in the year they place them in service. Here are five facts to help businesses better understand this deduction: 1. The 100-percent...

Taxpayers born before July 1, 1948, generally must receive payments from their individual retirement arrangements (IRAs) and workplace retirement plans by December 31. Known as required minimum distributions (RMDs), typically these distributions must be made by the end of the tax year, in this case, 2018. The required distribution...

Farmers and ranchers should be aware of changes in how they depreciate their farming business property. These changes took effect in 2018 as a result of tax reform legislation passed in December 2017. Depreciation is an annual income tax deduction that allows a taxpayer to recover the cost or...

The Rehabilitation Tax Credit offers an incentive for owners to renovate and restore old or historic buildings. Tax reform legislation passed in December 2017 changed when the credit is claimed and provides a transition rule, which is summarized below: 1. The credit is 20 percent of the taxpayer’s qualifying...

Dollar limitations for pension plans and other retirement-related items for 2019 are as follows: In general, income ranges for determining eligibility to make deductible contributions to traditional Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs), to contribute to Roth IRAs, and to claim the saver’s credit all increased for 2019. The contribution limit...

Taxpayers should be aware of a new round of fraudulent emails that impersonate the IRS and use tax transcripts as bait to entice users to open documents containing malware. The scam is especially problematic for businesses whose employees might open the emails infected with malware as it can spread...

If you have children, you may be able to reduce your tax bill using these tax credits and deductions. Child Tax Credit: You may be able to take this credit on your tax return for each of your children under age 17. Qualifying dependents must have a valid Social...

When it comes to creating a budget, it’s essential to estimate your spending as realistically as possible. Here are five budget-related errors commonly made by small businesses and some tips for avoiding them. Not Setting Goals. It’s almost impossible to set spending priorities without clear goals for the coming year....