Taxes

Tax Treatment of State and Local Tax Refunds

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), enacted in December 2017, limited the itemized deduction for state and local taxes to $5,000 for a married person filing a separate return and $10,000 for all other tax filers. The limit applies to tax years 2018 to 2025.

As in prior years, if a taxpayer chose the standard deduction then state and local tax refunds are not subject to tax. However, if a taxpayer itemizes deductions for that year on Schedule A, Itemized Deductions, part or all of the refund may be subject to tax – but only to the extent that the taxpayer received a tax benefit from the deduction.

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Form 8962: Reconciling the Premium Tax Credit

Form 8962, Premium Tax Credit, reconciles 2019 advance payments of the premium tax credit and may also affect a taxpayer’s ability to get advance payments of the premium tax credit or cost-sharing reductions. Taxpayers who don’t file and reconcile their 2019 advance credit payments may not be eligible for advance payments of the premium tax credit in the future. Furthermore, filing Form 8962, with a return avoids possible delays in processing tax returns and subsequent delays in receiving tax refunds.

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It’s Not Too Late to Make an IRA Contribution

If you haven’t contributed funds to an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) for tax year 2019, or if you’ve put in less than the maximum allowed, you still have time to do so. You can contribute to either a traditional or Roth IRA until the April 15th due date, not including extensions.

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New Tax Law Affects Tax-Exempt Organizations

The Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act, passed on December 20, 2019, includes several provisions that may apply to tax-exempt organizations’ current and previous tax years. As such, tax-exempt organizations should understand how these recent tax law changes might affect them. With this in mind, let’s take a look at three key pieces of legislation that affect nonprofit organizations:

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New Rules for Depreciation and Expensing of Qualified Property

As part of final guidance issued that pertains to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, new rules and limitations are in effect for taxpayers who deduct depreciation for qualified property acquired and placed in service after September 27, 2017, and, as a business owner, they could affect your tax situation. Let’s take a closer look:

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Are Tips Taxable? | Reporting Tip Income: The Basics

The short answer is yes, tips are taxable. If you work at a hair salon, barbershop, casino, golf course, hotel, or restaurant, or drive a taxicab, then the tip income you receive as an employee from those services is taxable income. Here are a few other tips about tips:

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Student Loans: Cancellation of Debt Relief

Taxpayers who took out federal or private student loans to finance their attendance at a nonprofit or for-profit school now qualify for safe harbor with regard to cancellation of debt income for discharged student loans. Relief is also extended to any creditor that would otherwise be required to file information returns and furnish payee statements for the discharge of any indebtedness within the scope of this revenue procedure.

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Updated Rules: Deductible Business & Other Expenses

Taxpayers using optional standard mileage rates in computing the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving expense purposes should be aware of an updated set of rules. The updated rules reflect changes to certain deductible expenses resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).

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Got Crypto? New IRS Ruling Requires You to Do 3 Things

In mid-October 2019, the IRS released new rulings regarding how virtual currency is viewed in light of tax law.

The main takeaway is this: If you’ve got crypto, the IRS is keeping a close eye on you. There’s no need to panic! Here at Robert Russo CPA, we’ve put together 4 things you need to understand about taxes on cryptocurrency – and how the new October ruling impacts you.

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