In most cases, gains from sales are taxable. But did you know that if you sell your home, you may not have to pay taxes? Here are ten facts to remember if you sell your home this year.
Defer Capital Gains Using Like-Kind Exchanges
If you’re a savvy investor, you probably know that you must generally report as income any mutual fund distributions, whether you reinvest them or exchange shares in one fund for shares of another. In other words, you must report and pay any capital gains tax owed.
IRS Defines Real Property for Section 1031 Like-Kind Exchanges
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) tossed an unwanted rule into Section 1031 by forbidding exchanges of personal property.
But before we move on, let’s clarify one thing: Section 1031 is not an “exchange,” which is defined by Merriam-Webster as a trade. In a tax code 1031 exchange, you generally would
- engage an intermediary to handle the money and the tax paperwork;
- sell your real property; and
- buy the replacement property.
How Renovating a Historic Building Can Put Money in Your Pocket
The federal Rehabilitation Tax Credit, or rehab credit, offers significant financial incentives for owners or leaseholders of historic buildings to renovate those structures.1
What’s the big deal? Why are tax credits so exciting?
Tax credits, unlike deductions, reduce your tax bill dollar-for-dollar. If you spend $100,000 and get a 20 percent tax credit, you reduce your tax bill by $20,000. That’s Uncle Sam putting $20,000 in your pocket. And there’s more.
Renting Out a Second Home
In general, income from renting a vacation home for 15 days or longer must be reported on your tax return on Schedule E, Supplemental Income, and Loss. You should also keep in mind that the definition of a “vacation home” is not limited to a house. Apartments, condominiums, mobile homes, and boats are also considered vacation homes in the eyes of the IRS. Tax rules on rental income from second homes can be confusing, especially if you rent the home out for several months of the year and use the home yourself.
Tax Law for Real Estate Brokers: How You Can Benefit
The New TCJA Taxes for Real Estate Brokers: What You Need to Know
When the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) became law in December 2017, real estate professionals immediately began contacting us with questions. Are there new breaks on taxes for real estate brokers? Will the TCJA increase taxes for real estate brokers?
However, the most common question we’re getting here at Robert P. Russo CPA is this: How can I get that new 20% qualified business income (QBI) deduction? That’s what we’ll focus on now…
Tax Tips for Workers in the Gig Economy
The gig economy, also called sharing or access economy, is defined by activities where taxpayers earn income providing on-demand work, services, or goods. This type of work is often carried out via digital platforms such as an app or website. There are many types of sharing economy businesses including two of the most popular ones: ride-sharing, Uber and Lyft, for example, home rentals such as Airbnb, and TaskRabbit.
Opportunity Zone Guidance Finalized
Final regulations were recently issued regarding details about investment in qualified opportunity zones (QOZ) that modified and finalized proposed regulations for QOFs and QOZ businesses that were previously issued on October 28, 2018, and May 1, 2019.
The final regulations provide additional guidance for taxpayers who are eligible to make an election to temporarily defer the inclusion in gross income of certain eligible gain. The final regulations also address the ability of such taxpayers’ eligibility to increase the basis in their qualifying investment equal to the fair market value of the investment on the date that it is sold, after holding the equity interest for at least 10 years.
Avoid IRS Audits: Fix the 1099 Prepaid-Rent Mismatch
Two questions:
- Are you prepaying your 2020 rent so that you have a big 2019 tax deduction?
- How do you identify in your accounting records the monies you put on your IRS Form 1099-MISC for the business rent payments to your landlord?
Tax Tips for Owners of Historic Buildings
If you own a historic building you should know about a tax credit called the rehabilitation tax credit, which offers an incentive to renovate and restore old or historic buildings.