With only a few days left before April 15, it’s time to wrap up those returns! Come hang out with me (and my esteemed editor, Janet Novack) at our Forbes Google+ Hangout on Friday, April 12, 2013 at 12:00 p.m. EST. I’ll be talking about common filing errors and offering last-minute tax tips. You’ll have…
Taxpayer asks: I’m confused. Both my wife and I have home offices, each using about 5% of the total home square footage. Last year, we replaced the both the hot water heater and the washer/drier. For the hot water heater, I think it’s very clear, that improvement directly impacts our home office use, so I…
Taxpayer asks: Hi Taxgirl, My health insurance doesn’t cover the cost of my birth control. I am trying to decide between pills and an IUD. Would either or both of them be tax deductible? taxgirl says: You can only deduct qualifying medical expenses for federal income tax purposes. Qualifying medical expenses include the costs of…
Taxpayer asks: I called the IRS they couldn’t help me and told me to call our local office since they do not know our state laws. I did. They couldn’t give me live help on the phone unless I was a business and to have my SS number ready.TurboTax gave me a “I think so”…
Now that we’re into tax season, my inbox is chock full of Ask the Taxgirl® emails. I’m working on answering your top questions but I thought it would be a great time to offer a few reminders: I get a lot of emails and I read every single one. I’m not ignoring you but you’re…
Taxpayer asks: I live in California. I had the wedding in 2012, but I applied marriage license in January 2013. Can I file a joint return for 2012? Thanks.Thanks. taxgirl says: For federal income tax status, marital status is determined by state law. If you are married for state purposes, you are married for federal…
Taxpayer asks: My husband is a non resident alien. We have been filing together as married. I am a US Citizen and together we have 2 children. Because he has an ITIN we have been missing out of the EIC credit. Can we file as single, since he is not considered married to me for…
Taxpayer asks: Am I legally required to have tax ID#’s on file for individuals who perform services for my organization if I know the payments will not total more than $600 in any calendar year? Taxgirl says: I was asked a similar question from a client years and years ago. The client ran a sort…
Taxpayer asks: Hi Taxgirl, My parents are willing to pay for me to have gastric bypass and whatever that entails (Dr appointments, nutritionist and so forth). They then want to write the payments off to their taxes. Is that legal? I am no longer a dependent of theirs. Also I have an FSA account if…
Taxpayer asks: I have a child that moved in with me from Canada in July and I do not have a Social Security number for him how do I go about claiming him on my taxes? Taxgirl says: You generally need a Social Security Number (SSN) to claim a dependent on your federal income tax…