I was finishing up with a colleague at the office when I saw my cell phone light up. It wasn’t a number that I recognized so I let it go. The office phone rang a few minutes later and my assistant advised that it was the school. Of course, it was. It was a dental…
If your household is anything like mine, you’re in full summer camp mode right now… With school out, summer becomes a whirlwind of vacations and summer camp – especially for working parents who depend on summer camp as child care. Fortunately, expenses associated with summer camp may result in a tax break in the form…
I’m not rich. I don’t own a mansion. I don’t have a maid (that would be me). I don’t have a chauffeur (that’s me), a gardener (still me), or a chef (also me). But I’ve had household employees. Chances are, you have, too. You see, household employees are something that we associate with the rich…
It’s the return of Fix the Tax Code Friday! Since there’s been some discussion on the blog lately about whether or not parents should receive tax “benefits” in the form of exemptions and credits, I thought I would make it the Fix the Tax Code Friday question: Should parents be entitled to exemptions and credits…
I spent the better part of the day working on my personal taxes (I know, I know). We’re on an extension – we’re always on extension. The thing about doing my own taxes is that it reminds me of all of the stupid tax rules out there – you know, the ones that were either…
Taxpayer asks: My childcare provider says that she doesn’t know her TIN? but she has her state G.E. tax license number. She doesn’t want to give me her social security number, which is understandable, but I do want credit for this expense. What can I, or should I, do? When I plugged in the number…
In recent weeks, I’ve received a flurry of emails from parents asking about whether band uniforms, soccer cleats and other expenses related to children are deductible. I thought it might be useful to have a checklist of some child-related deductions that you may be overlooking. 1, Child tax credit. If your modified AGI (adjusted gross…
Taxpayer asks: My daughter attends an independent private elementary school. We pay around $10,000 a year in tuition. Is it deductible? Taxgirl says: Thanks for writing. This is actually one of my pet peeves in tax policy. You don’t get a break for paying for private school tuition: if you pay for private or parochial…