From the category archives:

ask the taxgirl

Ask the taxgirl: Self-employment Tax

10 December 2011

Taxpayer asks: Since the self-employment tax rate is 12.4 percent, why do I have to pay 15.3%? taxgirl says: Self-employment tax, sometimes called SE tax, is a tax consisting of Social [entity display="Security" type="section" active="true" key="/security"]Security[/entity] and Medicare taxes for those who work for themselves. It’s the equivalent of the total of Social [entity display="Security" [...]

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Ask the taxgirl: Making Work Pay Credit for 2011

8 November 2011

Taxpayer asks: I read that the Making Work Pay Credit was back for 2011 (I saw this post) but I can’t find anything about it even on the IRS web site. Can you help? taxgirl says: Easy answer first: the Making Work Pay Credit was not extended into 2011. The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization [...]

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Ask the taxgirl: Voluntary Child Support

25 July 2011

Taxpayer asks: If my husband has been making voluntary payments to his ex-girlfriend for child support, how is that treated for tax purposes? The purpose of the payments are for child support, and he has paid taxes on them. I read on one of the various lawyer websites that if there is no court order [...]

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Sunday Mailbag: The Edition Where I Pretend to Know About Tech Stuff

17 July 2011

I opened up my calendar this morning and had to switch from the month view to the week view because all of my appointments were overlapping into some kind of freaky Ven diagram. My summer (which I thought would be slow) has been a whirlwind of activity, from client meetings to chauffeuring to and from [...]

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Ask the taxgirl: Voluntary Spousal Support

7 July 2011

Taxpayer asks: My husband and I went through a mediator instead of a divorce lawyer.  Our MSA specifies a certain spousal support amount each month.  If he wants to give me extra and we both agree on it, can we claim this as spousal support on federal taxes or does he have to call it [...]

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Sunday Mailbag: The Not So Wordy Edition

15 May 2011

It’s finally springtime here in Philadelphia. The birds are singing, the flowers are blooming and (cough, cough) the pollen levels are crazy. And with springtime, my schedule picks up. In fact, there’s a lot happening here these days. You’ve probably noticed that the blog is a little sparse. I’ve gotten your notes about what’s happening, [...]

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Ask the taxgirl: Deductions for Cheftestants

27 April 2011

Taxpayer asks: I was watching Top Chef Masters and I ahd a question. I know you have to report your winnings on a game show. On the Masters version, the chefs don’t get the money because it goes to charity. My question is can they take a tax deduction? taxgirl says: I haven’t seen Top [...]

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Ask the taxgirl: Filing Late

20 April 2011

Taxpayer asks: I didn’t file my taxes yet. I have my reasons. What I need to know is can I wait until next year now to do both? It doesn’t matter since it’s already late. taxgirl says: Noooo! I get variations on this question a lot. And the answer is still noooooo. You should make [...]

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Sunday Mailbag: The Tax Refund Edition

17 April 2011

I’m peering out of my window on this early Sunday morning and there’s little evidence of the storms that moved through yesterday except for a lot of wet ground. I know that many of my friends and readers are not so lucky this morning, especially those in my home state of North Carolina. My thoughts [...]

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Ask the taxgirl: Double Dipping on Dependents

16 April 2011

Taxpayer asks: Hi TaxGirl, Great website. You have put together a stunning resource. I really have enjoyed looking around! I have a brief question. I am 23, have a job, and live on my own. I went ahead and filed a federal return in February claiming myself as a dependent. I received a tax refund [...]

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