Tax services providers in Houston, Texas? State tax you paid last spring: Did you owe taxes when you filed your 2018 state tax return in 2019? Then remember to include that amount with your state tax itemized deduction on your 2019 return, along with state income taxes withheld from your paychecks or paid via quarterly estimated payments. Beginning in 2018, the deduction for state and local taxes is limited to $10,000 per year. When you buy a house, you often get to deduct points paid to obtain your mortgage all at one time. When you refinance a mortgage, however, you have to deduct the points over the life of the loan. That means you can deduct 1/30th of the points a year if it’s a 30-year mortgage—that’s $33 a year for each $1,000 of points you paid. Doesn’t seem like much, but why throw it away? Also, in the year you pay off the loan—because you sell the house or refinance again—you get to deduct all the points not yet deducted, unless you refinance with the same lender.
Make 401(k) and HSA Contributions: People can make tax deductible contributions to traditional IRAs up to April 15 of next year. However, the door closes on Dec. 31 for 401(k) and health savings account contributions. “It’s a hard stop,” says Wendy Barlin, a Los Angeles-based CPA and author of “That’s Deductible!: Simple Tips and Tricks to Find More Business Tax Deductions.” “Whatever opportunities you have at work (for retirement savings), make sure you maximize them before the end of the year,” she says. Taxpayers with a qualified high-deductible family health insurance plan can deduct up to $7,000 in contributions to a health savings account. Individuals with self-only coverage can deduct $3,500. Those age 55 or older are eligible for an additional $1,000 catch-up contribution. Tax deductible contributions to a traditional 401(k) are capped at $19,000 for 2019. Workers age 50 and older can make an additional $6,000 in catch-up contributions.
The maximum amount of wages garnished varies depending on the garnishment, but they range from 15 percent of disposable earnings for student loans to as much as 65 percent of disposable earnings for child support (if the employee is at least 12 weeks in arrears). In states that have enacted laws differing from federal wage garnishment requirements, employers must comply with state laws demanding a lesser garnishment. And because state laws differ (North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Texas generally prohibit wage garnishment for consumer debts altogether), employers should ascertain what’s required of them by state law before proceeding with garnishment. No matter how high the debt, employees will always be allowed to keep a certain percentage of their paycheck for general living expenses. Find extra information at Bookkeeping Service Houston.
Do (a Little) Research: Since tax laws and interpretations are continually changing, you should attempt to be as informed as possible. Even if you use a tax advisor, it’s wise to understand the tax issues and treatments that affect you as thoroughly as possible so you can make the best decisions. It’s not difficult to spend an hour or two online researching specific taxable situations or relative conditions. For example, entering the words “freelance income tax” in a search engine reveals numerous sources about the tax treatment and filing of freelance income. A search of the words “home rental income tax” delivers a similar number of sources about the treatment of home rental income. You can never know too much about income taxes. After all, it’s your money that you keep by minimizing your tax liability.
Decide how much tax you want withheld: If you received a big refund on your tax return last year, it may mean your employer is withholding too much tax from your paychecks. Decreasing those withholdings might “[give] you access to more of your money throughout the year to invest or pay down debt,” says Fraim, “assuming you have the discipline to actually save the funds.” If you’d rather have a bigger paycheck to work toward your financial goals, instead of that potentially big refund next year, meet with your payroll manager to review your withholding allowances on your W-4 form. Just be careful not to reduce your withholding by too much. Overly reducing your withholding may result in having too little tax withheld throughout the year, and could mean a big tax bill in April and potentially a penalty for failing to properly estimate your taxes as well.
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