Blog Archives | Page 60 of 66 | Wheeler Accountants, LLP

Reporting Virtual Currency Transactions

With the price of Bitcoin hitting record highs in 2017, many Bitcoin holders cashed out not realizing the impact it could have on their tax bill. Many people, for example, did not understand that it was a reportable transaction and found themselves with a hefty tax bill–money they may have been hard-pressed to come up with at tax time. Others may have been unaware that they needed to report their transactions at all or failed to do so because it seemed too complicated.

The good news is that if you failed to report income from virtual currency transactions on your income tax return, it’s not too late. Even though the due date for filing your income tax return has passed, taxpayers can still report income by filing Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return.Continue reading

Correct Filing Status and Reporting Name Changes

If you haven’t filed your taxes yet, it’s time to stop procrastinating. If you’re not sure what to do first, the fastest way to get started is to figure out which filing status applies to you. In addition, if your name or that of a dependent changed during the tax year for which you are filing, then you will also need to report the name changes to the Social Security Administration.

Choosing the Correct Filing Status

Choosing the correct filing status is important because it can affect the amount of tax you owe for the year. It may even determine if you must file a tax return. Here are the five filing statuses you can choose from:

1. Single. This status normally applies if you aren’t married. It applies if you are divorced or legally separated under state law.

2. Married Filing Jointly. If you’re married, you and your spouse can file a joint tax return. If your spouse died in 2017, you can often file a joint return for that year.Continue reading

Late Filing and Late Payment Penalties

April 17 is the deadline for most people to file their federal income tax return and pay any taxes they owe. The bad news is that if you miss the deadline (for whatever reason) you may be assessed penalties for both failing to file a tax return and for failing to pay taxes they owe by the deadline. The good news is that there is no penalty if you file a late tax return but are due a refund.

Here are ten important facts every taxpayer should know about penalties for filing or paying late:

1. A failure-to-file penalty may apply. If you owe tax, and you failed to file and pay on time, you will most likely owe interest and penalties on the tax you pay late.

2. Penalty for filing late. The penalty for filing a late return is normally 5 percent of the unpaid taxes for each month or part of a month that a tax return is late and starts accruing the day after the tax filing due date. Late filing penalties will not exceed 25 percent of your unpaid taxes.Continue reading

Refundable vs. Non-Refundable Tax Credits

Tax credits can reduce your tax bill or give you a bigger refund but not all tax credits are created equal. While most tax credits are refundable, some credits are nonrefundable but before we take a look at the difference between refundable and nonrefundable tax credits, it’s important to understand the difference between a tax credit and a tax deduction.

Understanding the Difference between a Tax Credit and a Tax Deduction

Tax credits reduce your tax liability dollar for dollar and are more valuable than tax deductions that reduce your taxable income and tied to your marginal tax bracket. Let’s look at the difference between a tax credit of $1,000 and a tax deduction of $1,000 for a taxpayer whose income places them in the 22% tax bracket:

A tax credit worth $1,000 reduces the amount of tax owed by $1,000–the same dollar amount.
A tax deduction worth the same amount ($1,000) only saves you $330, however (0.22 x $1,000 = $220). As you can see, tax credits save you more money than tax deductions.

IRS Dirty Dozen Tax Scams for 2018

Compiled annually by the IRS, the “Dirty Dozen” is a list of common scams taxpayers may encounter. While many of these scams peak during the tax filing season, they may be encountered at any time during the year. Here is this year’s list:

1. Phishing

Scam artists continue to victimize taxpayers during filing season using a steady onslaught of new and evolving phishing schemes. Email phishing schemes target payroll professionals, human resources personnel, schools as well as individual taxpayers and even tax professionals, deploying various types of phishing emails in an attempt to access client data. Thieves may use this data to impersonate taxpayers and file fraudulent tax returns for refunds.

In the most recent scam, thousands of taxpayers have been victimized by an unusual scheme that involves their own bank accounts. After stealing client data from tax professionals and filing fraudulent tax returns, the criminals use taxpayers’ real bank accounts to direct deposit refunds. Thieves are then using various tactics to reclaim the refund from the taxpayers, including falsely claiming to be from a collection agency or representing the IRS.

Fake emails and websites also can infect a taxpayer’s computer with malware without the user knowing it. The malware gives the criminal access to the device, enabling them to access all sensitive files or even track keyboard strokes, exposing login information.Continue reading

Understanding Estimated Tax Payments

Estimated tax is the method used to pay tax on income that is not subject to withholding. This includes income from self-employment, interest, dividends, and rent, as well as gains from the sale of assets, prizes and awards. You also may have to pay estimated tax if the amount of income tax being withheld from your salary, pension, or other income is not enough.

Filing and Paying Estimated Taxes

Both individuals and business owners may need to file and pay estimated taxes, which are paid quarterly. In 2018, the first estimated tax payment is due on April 17, the same day tax returns are due. If you do not pay enough by the due date of each payment period you may be charged a penalty even if you are due a refund when you file your tax return.

If you are filing as a sole proprietor, partner, S corporation shareholder, and/or a self-employed individual, you generally have to make estimated tax payments if you expect to owe tax of $1,000 or more when you file your return.Continue reading

Five Tax Provisions Retroactively Extended for 2017

The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (BBA) retroactively extended a number of tax provisions through 2017 for individual taxpayers. Let’s take a look at five of them.

1. Mortgage Insurance Premiums
Homeowners with less than 20 percent equity in their homes are required to pay mortgage insurance premiums (PMI). For taxpayers whose income is below certain threshold amounts, these premiums were deductible in tax years 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and now, once again in 2017. Mortgage insurance premiums are reported on Schedule A (1040), Itemized Deductions, under “Interest You Paid.”

2. Exclusion of Discharge of Principal Residence Indebtedness
Typically, forgiven debt is considered taxable income in the eyes of the IRS; however, this tax provision was retroactively extended through 2017. Homeowners whose homes have been foreclosed on or subjected to short sale are able to exclude from gross income up to $2 million of canceled mortgage debt.Continue reading

Tax Season Olympics

The Wheeler Accountants team took a short break from preparing tax returns to participate in our first annual Tax Season Olympics. Team members participated in four challenging events. The first event was a 10-key race, where participants had to add a list of numbers and were scored on time and accuracy. The second event required participants to bind multiple tax returns in the shortest amount of time. The third event was a ribbon and blue folder dancing team event. This dancing event let our staff members creativity shine. The scoring was based on creativity, talent, and the ability to make others laugh. The fourth event was Nerf Gun Relay, where teams competed for accuracy and fastest time. The medals were awarded to the following:

10-Key Race (Individual)
- Gold – Kim
- Silver – Will
- Bronze – Jenna
Tax Return Binding (Team)
- Tax that Asset Baby
  - Ahn
  - Maryam
  - Jennifer
  - Joe
Ribbon and Blue Folder Dancing (Team)
- Wheeler Dealers
  - Anthony
  - Lyric
  - Payal
  - Linda L.
Nerf Gun Relay (Team)
- Taxmanian Devils
  - Kim
  - Will
  - Jenna
  - Nick
Overall Team Winner
- Taxmanian Devils
- - Kim
  - Will
  - Jenna
  - Nick

See the pictures of Tax Season Olympics below:

There’s Still Time to Make a 2017 IRA Contribution

If you haven’t contributed funds to an Individual Retirement Arrangement (IRA) for tax year 2017, or if you’ve put in less than the maximum allowed, you still have time to do so. You can contribute to either a traditional or Roth IRA until the April 17 due date, not including extensions.

Be sure to tell the IRA trustee that the contribution is for 2017. Otherwise, the trustee may report the contribution as being for 2018 when they get your funds.

Generally, you can contribute up to $5,500 of your earnings for tax year 2017 (up to $6,500 if you are age 50 or older in 2017). You can fund a traditional IRA, a Roth IRA (if you qualify), or both, but your total contributions cannot be more than these amounts.

Traditional IRA: You may be able to take a tax deduction for the contributions to a traditional IRA, depending on your income and whether you or your spouse, if filing jointly, are covered by an employer’s pension plan.

Roth IRA: You cannot deduct Roth IRA contributions, but the earnings on a Roth IRA may be tax-free if you meet the conditions for a qualified distribution.

Saving for retirement should be part of everyone’s financial plan and it’s important to review your retirement goals every year in order to maximize savings. If you need help figuring out which retirement strategies are best for your situation, give the office a call at 408-252-1800.

Revised Form W-4: Check your Withholding

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act made changes to the tax law, including increasing the standard deduction, removing personal exemptions, increasing the child tax credit, limiting or discontinuing certain deductions and changing the tax rates and brackets. As such, a new version of Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate, was released on February 28.

Taxpayers with less complex tax situations–single, married couples with only one job, or those who have no dependents, and who have not claimed itemized deductions, adjustments to income or tax credits–might not need to make any changes to their withholding or revise their Forms W-4.

Taxpayers with more complicated financial situations, however, might need to revise their W-4. Among the groups who should check their withholding are:

Two-income families.
People with two or more jobs at the same time or who only work for part of the year.
People with children who claim credits such as the Child Tax Credit.
People who itemized deductions in 2017.
People with high incomes and more complex tax returns.

To determine whether changes to withholding should be made for 2018, taxpayers should first check the updated IRS Withholding Calculator to make sure they have the right amount of tax taken out of their paychecks. If a taxpayer needs to fill out a new Form W-4, they should do so and then submit the new Form W-4 to their employer.

The withholding changes do not affect 2017 tax returns due this April. However, having a completed 2017 tax return can help taxpayers work with the Withholding Calculator to determine their proper withholding for 2018 and avoid issues when they file next year.

If you have any questions about the amount you should be withholding on Form W-4, please call our office at 408-252-1800.