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From tax credits and educational expenses to the AMT, many of the tax changes affecting individuals for 2015 were related to the signing of the American Taxpayer Relief Act (ATRA) in 2012–tax provisions that were modified, made permanent, or extended. With that in mind, here’s what individuals and families...

December 10 Employees who work for tips – If you received $20 or more in tips during November, report them to your employer. You can use Form 4070. December 15 Corporations – Deposit the fourth installment of estimated income tax for 2015. A worksheet, Form 1120-W, is available to...

Small businesses that sell products have to do a constant balancing act. Keep too much inventory on hand, and you’re sitting on potential profits. If you don’t order enough and you run out, your customers may go to a competitor. QuickBooks provides tools and reports that can help you...

Farmers and ranchers who previously were forced to sell livestock due to drought, like the drought currently affecting much of the nation, have an extended period of time in which to replace the livestock and defer tax on any gains from the forced sales. The one-year extension of the...

Income tax is often withheld from wages and other types of income such as pensions, bonuses, commissions and gambling winnings. Ideally, taxpayers should try to match their withholding with their actual tax liability. If not enough tax is withheld, they will owe tax at the end of the year...

The Affordable Care Act includes the individual shared responsibility provision that requires you, your spouse, and your dependents to have qualifying health insurance for the entire year, report a health coverage exemption, or make a payment when you file. Who is subject to this provision? All U.S. citizens living...

The healthcare law contains tax provisions that affect employers. The size and structure of a workforce–small or large–helps determine which parts of the law apply to which employers. Calculating the number of employees is especially important for employers that have close to 50 employees or whose workforce fluctuates during...

While the fate of several business-related tax extenders such as Research & Development tax credits, bonus depreciation, and Section 179 expensing that expired at the end of 2014 is uncertain, there are still a number of end of year tax planning strategies businesses can use to reduce their tax...

Tax planning for the year ahead presents similar challenges to last year due to the unknown fate of the numerous tax extenders that expired at the end of 2014. These tax extenders, which include the mortgage insurance premium deduction and the sales tax deduction that allows taxpayers to deduct...

Anytime Employers – Income Tax Withholding. Ask employees whose withholding allowances will be different in 2016 to fill out a new Form W-4. The 2016 revision of Form W-4 will be available on the IRS website by mid-December. November 2 Employers – Social Security, Medicare, and withheld income tax....

You probably don’t get as many paper forms in the U.S. Mail as you used to. But when you do, do you draw conclusions about the business that sent them based on what their forms look like? Whether or not you think you do, most people make judgements on...

When you start a business, a key to your success is to know your tax obligations. You may not only need to know about income tax rules but also about payroll tax rules. Here are five tax tips that can help you get your business off to a good...