Tax

If you own your own company and travel for business, you may wonder whether you can deduct the costs of having your spouse accompany you on a business trip. The rules for deducting a spouse’s travel costs are very restrictive. First of all, to qualify, your spouse must be your employee. This means you can’t […]

Do you want to withdraw cash from your closely held corporation at a minimum tax cost? The simplest way is to distribute cash as dividends. However, dividends distribution isn’t tax-efficient since it’s taxable to you to the extent of your corporation’s “earnings and profits.” It’s also not deductible by the corporation. Five alternatives Fortunately, there […]

If you’re getting ready to file your 2021 tax return, and your tax bill is more than you’d like, there might still be a way to lower it. If you’re eligible, you can make deductible contributions to a traditional IRA right up until the April 18, 2022, filing date and benefit from the tax savings […]

If you made large gifts to your children, grandchildren or other heirs last year, it’s important to determine whether you’re required to file a 2021 gift tax return. And in some cases, even if it’s not required to file one, it may be beneficial to do so anyway. Who must file? The annual gift tax […]

Married couples, you may wonder whether you should file joint or separate tax returns. The answer depends on your individual tax situation. In general, it depends on which filing status results in the lowest tax. But keep in mind that, if you and your spouse file a joint return, each of you is “jointly and […]

If you’re in business for yourself as a sole proprietor, or you’re planning to start a business, you need to know about the tax aspects of your venture. Here are eight important issues to consider: 1. You report income and expenses on Schedule C of Form 1040. The net income is taxable to you regardless of […]

If you donated to charity last year, letters from the charities may have appeared in your mailbox recently acknowledging the charitable donation. But what happens if you haven’t received such a letter — can you still claim a deduction for the gift on your 2021 income tax return? It depends. The requirements To prove a […]

If you operate a business, or you’re starting a new one, you know you need to keep records of your income and expenses. Specifically, you should carefully record your expenses in order to claim all of the tax deductions to which you’re entitled. And you want to make sure you can defend the amounts reported […]

Traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs have been around for decades and the rules surrounding them have changed many times. What hasn’t changed is that they can help you save for retirement on a tax-favored basis. Here’s an overview. Traditional IRAs You can make an annual deductible contribution to a traditional IRA if: You (and your spouse) aren’t […]

While some businesses have closed since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, many new ventures have launched. Entrepreneurs have cited a number of reasons why they decided to start a business in the midst of a pandemic. For example, they had more time, wanted to take advantage of new opportunities or they needed money due […]