“Can I deduct the cost of taking care of my cat? She’s like a member of the family.” Over the course of the year, I’ve received a bunch of questions – like the one above – about deductions. My answer is often, “It depends.” That’s because facts and circumstances matter: deductibility may hinge on such…
Where in the world is Santa? And what kind of income and expenses is he racking up?
We are a Mac household. And a Mac family. Before you judge, rest assured that it wasn’t that cute Justin Long that influenced our decision. We were all-Mac before it was cool. My husband was a Drexel grad back in the 1980s when Drexel standardized the Apple and has been addicted obsessed hooked a fan…
Taxpayer asks: Hi taxgirl, I have a strange question. I write a food blog. I create and cook all of my own recipes and post them online. Two years ago, I found out that someone was stealing my recipes and some of my photos and using them on another site. I ended up hiring a…
Taxpayer asks: Thanks for taking my question! I wanted to say that I appreciate your blog, I find it easy to read and understand. I also like how you talk about your children as though they’re a real part of your life instead of accessories. That’s very refreshing to see online. That brings me to…
Taxpayer asks: Thanks for taking the time to consider my question. I travel extensively for my job. When I travel, I have an expense account for meals and hotels. My company recently moved to a “no alcohol” policy on expense accounts. We cannot put any alcohol on our expense accounts and we cannot apply for…
Welcome to my fifth in a series on state taxes! For information about what I’m trying to do, read my introductory bit. Next on the agenda, the state that we’ve all heard a lot about this year when it comes to taxes: California! CALIFORNIA Population: 36,756,666 (1st) Capital: Sacramento Largest City: Los Angeles Gross Domestic…
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…
Taxpayer asks: I do side work occasionally during the year. It is in the construction industry. I pay people to help me do this work and it is usually under $600.00. I am the one who gets 1099’d and would like to know if I can deduct what I pay these people. I have cancelled…
Monday marks the official “back to school” date of many schools here in the US. My oldest daughter started last Tuesday and my youngest daughter starts on Monday. It is a busy time. Around this time, there are a lot of questions that come up about tax deductions for tuition, 529 plans, teacher expenses, education…