Filing Confusion Faced By U.S. Citizens Living Abroad, June Deadline

Expats wondering about filing and health care requirements, have the opportunity of taking advantage of the expert advice and assistance offered to them by H&R Block, who estimate 1 in 3 expats haven’t filed a 2013 return. They are facing a filing deadline of June 16th this year.

To be of the greatest help to these taxpayers, H&R Block last season launched a remote filing service, and for this tax season, expanding it even more.

Roland Sabates, who is the director of the expat filing services offered by H&R Block has said “U.S. expats may miss many things, but the tax deadline should not be one of them”.

To understand their U.S. tax obligations, there are three questions that expats should be answering:

Are they required to file?
Which foreign assets must they report and how does money in foreign accounts get reported?
What is their responsibility to maintain … Read the rest

Tax Tips: I Do Declare

Did you know that there are hundreds of little things that you should be declaring on your tax returns? Here are some of the most important items that must be declared on your federal and state tax return.

All Sources of Income
The tax code of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires that all income earned or received must be reported on your income tax returns. The categories of income recognized by the IRS include the following:

•    Wages, salaries and tips
•    Interest on bank accounts, certificates of deposit, bonds and other investments
•    Capital gains
•    Business income
•    Alimony
•    Income from bartering
•    Dividends
•    Annuities, pensions and lump-sum distributions
•    Rental revenues
•    Gambling income
•    Earnings from agriculture and fishing
•    401(k)
•    Unemployment benefits

Each of these types of income must be declared on your income tax return. In some cases, … Read the rest

Tax Accountant Vs Tax Software

Tax Software
You are one of 50,000,000 Americans who must fill out an income tax return by March 15th … file yours early. (Photo credit: Keijo Knutas)

Why choose a tax accountant over tax software?

Preparing and filing taxes are rarely activities most people look forward to. Whether you need to prepare an individual or business tax return, you may be looking for an easier way to simplify this process. While one option available is for you to prepare your tax return on your own, the fact is that many people will find the process easier to complete when they use either tax software or the services of an accountant. While both options are preferred by many over completing a tax return on your own, there are clear benefits associated with using the services of a tax accountant.

Finding All Deductions
For most individuals and businesses, it is not enough to … Read the rest

Experts Say Charitable Tax Deduction is Safe from Congress

According to experts from the nonprofit sector, charitable tax deduction laws will likely remain unscathed from Congress in the near future. However lawmakers are still dealing with several charitable tax break issues that expired in 2013 and there is uncertainty on whether such tax breaks for charities will continue to exist.

President Barack Obama has consistently tried to limit the amount of tax savings the rich get for itemized deductions and will likely mention this issue is his upcoming proposed budget. However individual adjustments in tax policy typically don’t stand a chance in getting passed unless they’re grouped together

Charitable Tax Deduction
Ron Wyden and Nancy Bass Wyden by David Shankbone (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

with other tax items. Experts say creating such a large tax bill likely won’t happen before midterm election in November.

Adding to the difficulty of altering charitable tax deduction policy is the probable change in Congress. Democrat of Montana … Read the rest

Tax Made Easy – 7 Usefull Tips For Business

For many businesses, especially small businesses, taxes can be quite a handful. Moreover, it’s not just paying taxes, it’s knowing what can be taxed and/or deducted. So, we made a list of things every business should know about taxes, along with various tips for your business tax. This will help make our tax life a lot easier.

Make sure you keep Track of Everything

While we realize this may seem like one of the most obvious tips for your business tax, many businesses forget to keep track of everything. Every expense, purchase, deduction, refund and even car mileage –  keep track of them all. This helps you file accurate taxes. Remember, an inaccurate tax filing can lead to legal problems.

Separate your Expenses

One of the most important tips for your business tax is to always set apart your business expenses from your personal ones. Your personal expenses are not … Read the rest