Real tax questions from real readers, answered. Got a question of your own? This is where Taxgirl answers them.
With just a few days to go before the IRS starts to accept e-filed returns, my inbox is chock full of Ask The Taxgirl® emails. Here are some things to remember: I get a lot of emails and I read every single one. I’m not ignoring you but you’re also not the only email I’ll…
Taxpayer asks: I was wrongfully fired off of assumptions. It’s a small family owned business. They used to pay me under the table. What are the steps/where do I turn to, to have them caught red handed for paying under the table? taxgirl says: This is one of those questions that is difficult to answer…
Taxpayer asks: Hello, I have a question please: If a person owes the IRS back taxes and wants to marry, is the other person affected when it comes to filing taxes jointly? Thank You. taxgirl says: The short answer is no. Your personal federal income tax liability generally remains your own personal federal income tax…
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 Security and Medicare taxes for those who work for themselves. It’s the equivalent of the total of Social Security and Medicare taxes, sometimes called…
Taxpayer asks: We bought a new house in June. The old owner was a chain smoker so we had to hire a professional cleaner to clean from top to bottom and it was quite expensive. Can we get a tax deduction for this? My wife has allergies so we had to do it. Thanks. We…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…