Tax Tips 2022 Deducting Medical and Dental expenses

Deducting Medical and Dental Expenses

If you, your spouse, or your dependents had significant medical or dental costs in 2022, you may be able to deduct those expenses when you file your tax return this year. Here’s what you should know about medical and dental expenses and other benefits:

Read more

Defer Capital Gains With Section 1031 Exchanges

If you’re a savvy investor, you probably know that you must generally report any mutual fund distributions as income, whether you reinvest them or exchange shares in one fund for shares in another. In other words, you must report and pay any capital gains tax owed.

But if real estate’s your game, did you know that it’s possible to defer capital gains by taking advantage of a tax break that allows you to swap investment property on a tax-deferred basis?

Read more

RUSSO CPA Tax Tips, how filing status affects your tax return 2022

POA Authorization Approval Requests Available Online

Estate Planning and the Power of Attorney

An important part of estate planning is designating a power of attorney; however, the IRS will not discuss your taxes or identity with anyone without your authorization. Recently, the IRS has made it easier for taxpayers to quickly review, approve and sign power of attorney and tax information authorization requests through their IRS Online Account.

Read more

Reporting Foreign Income on Your Federal Tax Return

Reporting Foreign Income on Your Federal Tax Return

By law, U.S. citizens and resident aliens living abroad must file a U.S. income tax return and report any worldwide income. Some key tax benefits, such as the foreign earned income exclusion, are only available to those who file U.S. returns. As such, if you are living or working outside the United States and Puerto Rico, you generally must file and pay your tax the same way as people living in the U.S. This includes people with dual citizenship. Here’s what taxpayers need to know about reporting foreign income:

Read more

Hand adding money to ceramic piggy bank.

Special Tax Rules for Children With Investment Income

Special tax rules may apply to some children who received investment income in 2022 or expect to receive it in 2023. Investment income generally includes interest, dividends, and capital gains. It also includes other unearned income, such as taxable scholarships or from a trust. These rules may affect the amount of tax and how to report the income.

Read more

Russo CPA Social Security Benefits, are they taxable in 2022?

Are Social Security Benefits Taxable?

Social Security benefits include monthly retirement, survivor, and disability benefits; they do not include Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments, which are not taxable. Generally, you pay federal income taxes on your Social Security benefits only if you have other substantial income in addition to your benefits. Your income and filing status affect whether you must pay taxes on your Social Security. About 40 percent of people who get Social Security must pay income taxes on their benefits.

Read more

Tax Tips Image: Neatly stacked pennies in an ascending line. Russo CPA Tax Tips 2023

Employee Business Expense Deductions: Who Qualifies?

Before tax reform, an employee could deduct unreimbursed job expenses and other miscellaneous expenses that were more than two percent of adjusted gross income (AGI) as long as they itemized instead of taking the standard deduction. Starting in 2018, however, most taxpayers can no longer claim unreimbursed employee expenses as miscellaneous itemized deductions unless they are a qualified employee or eligible educator.

Read more

Russo CPA Refundable vs. Non-refundable Tax credits

Refundable vs. Non-refundable Tax Credits

Tax credits can reduce your tax bill or give you a bigger refund, but not all tax credits are created equal. While most tax credits are refundable, some credits are nonrefundable. Still, before we look at the difference between refundable and nonrefundable tax credits, it’s important to understand the difference between a tax credit and a tax deduction.

Read more