Alex Franch
Housing is a big expense for everyone. The choice generally involves either renting or purchasing – and financing that purchase with a home loan. This article looks at the tax benefits and drawbacks of buying, financing, and owning a home.
In spite of (or in some cases, because of) the COVID-19 pandemic, and with near-record-low home mortgage interest rates, the housing market has been booming. September 2020 existing home sales were up 9.4% from August 2020 and 20.9% from 2019, according to the National Association of Realtors. If you sold your home this year or are thinking about selling it, there are many tax-related issues that could apply to that sale. To help you prepare for reporting the sale you may have already made or make you aware of what issues you may face if you are in the “thinking about” stage, this article covers the tax basics and some special situations related to home sales and the home-sale gain exclusion.
Every business must file annual wage reports. But whether to use a W-2 or 1099-NEC depends on which earners are employees & which are independent contractors.
This is our annual reminder that if you use workers other than employees to perform services for your business and pay them $600 or more for the year, you are required to issue each one a Form 1099-NEC after the end of the year to avoid facing the loss of the deduction for their labor and expenses. The 1099s for 2020 must be provided to workers no later than February 1, 2021. The forms are normally due January 31, but since it falls on a Sunday in 2021, the due date is extended until February 1.
One frequently overlooked tax benefit is the spousal IRA. Generally, IRA contributions are only allowed for taxpayers who have compensation (the term “compensation” includes wages, tips, bonuses, professional fees, commissions, taxable alimony received, and net income from self-employment). Spousal IRAs are the exception to that rule and allow a non-working or low-earning spouse to contribute to his or her own IRA, otherwise known as a spousal IRA, as long as the spouse has adequate compensation.
New year, new challenges, and the potential for new successes. Here are five ways Quickbooks can help you can improve your financial management in 2021.
You have probably heard others discussing living trusts but may not understand the reasons for them or whether you should have one. Living trusts are an estate-planning tool, and there is not a one-type-fits-all living trust. … Read More
Individual Planning Opportunities Did You Collect Unemployment Income This Year? If you did, you should be aware that it is taxable for federal purposes and that most states also tax unemployment benefits. Even if you had … Read More
Unemployment Benefits With the passage of the CARES Act stimulus package earlier this year, the federal government added $600 to the normal state weekly unemployment benefits and increased the number of benefit weeks to a total … Read More
Know About Losing Your Job If you have lost your job, there are a number of tax issues you may encounter. How you deal with these issues related to job loss can profoundly impact your taxes … Read More