There are just a few days left until Tax Day… Have you filed your taxes yet? If not, the Free File Alliance, a nonprofit coalition of industry-leading tax software companies partnered with the IRS, is reminding taxpayers that you can file your taxes for free at www.IRS.gov/FreeFile. Free File offers two options to taxpayers depending…
It’s my annual “Taxes from A to Z” series! Next up: V is for Veterans’ Benefits Under the Tax Code, income is reportable and taxable unless otherwise excluded. Fortunately, when it comes to veterans’ benefits, those paid under any law, regulation, or administrative practice administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are completely excludable….
With just over two weeks until Tax Day, many taxpayers are in a panic, egged on by headlines screaming about “last minute” filers and procrastinators. You can tell the folks who write headlines don’t generally work with actual taxpayers: if they did, they’d understand that there’s loads of time left before it’s “last minute.” For…
Every year, I offer tips on how to find a good tax professional (and sometimes, how to avoid a bad one). This year, after a conversation with a tax professional who was trying to figure out how to nicely say goodbye to a difficult client (it happens), I started thinking about how personal the tax…
It’s my annual “Taxes from A to Z” series! Next up: P Is For Personal Property Taxes Most taxpayers are used to the idea that they can deduct taxes paid on real property. Real property generally includes land and improvements. Most commonly, those improvements are buildings. You most likely identify the “improvement” on your land…
Here’s what you should know about the form 1098, Mortgage Interest Statement.
You can find all of my archives in a neat package here on taxgirl.com. But if you’re looking for the freshest, coolest tax news, check me out on Forbes at http://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/.
“Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night, stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” Apparently, however, fire will stop the U.S. Postal Service in their tracks. Last Wednesday, a U.S. Postal Service truck burned completely, destroying nearly all of the mail and packages inside, including a wedding ring…
Last month, the Obama administration announced that between three and six million households – about 2 to 4 % of taxpayers – would be faced with a penalty (or is it a tax?) at tax time for failing to secure “minimum essential coverage” to comply with the Affordable Care Act (ACA), sometimes referred to as…
New England Patriots’ cornerback Malcolm Butler might have snagged that Russell Wilson interception that lead to the Patriots’ win at Super Bowl XLIX but quarterback Tom Brady might have made the biggest catch of all: a tax break. Brady was named MVP of Super Bowl XLIX by a media panel and fan vote on nfl.com/MVP, earning…
