Tax Breaks for Hiring New Employees

If you’re thinking about hiring new employees this year, you won’t want to miss out on these tax breaks. 1. Work Opportunity Credit The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) is a federal tax credit for employers that hire employees from the following targeted groups of individuals: A member of a family that is a Qualified…

Minimizing Tax on Mutual Fund Activities

Tax law generally treats mutual fund shareholders as if they directly owned a proportionate share of the fund’s portfolio of securities and you must report as income any mutual fund distributions, whether or not they are reinvested. Thus, all dividends and interest from securities in the portfolio, as well as any capital gains from the…

Filing an Amended Return

What should you do if you already filed your federal tax return and then discover a mistake? First of all, don’t worry. In most cases, all you have to do is file an amended tax return. But before you do that, here is what you should be aware of when filing an amended tax return.…

Renting Out a Vacation Home

Tax rules on rental income from second homes can be complicated, particularly if you rent the home out for several months of the year, but also use the home yourself. There is, however, one provision that is not complicated. Homeowners who rent out their property for 14 or fewer days a year can pocket the…

Retirement Plan Options for Small Businesses

Employer-sponsored retirement plans have become a key component for retirement savings. They are also an increasingly important tool for attracting and retaining the high-quality employees you need to compete in today’s competitive environment. Besides helping employees save for the future, however, instituting a retirement plan can provide you, as the employer, with benefits that enable…

Last Minute Filing Tips for 2016 Tax Returns

Are you one of the millions of Americans who hasn’t filed (or even started) your taxes yet? With the April 18 tax filing deadline quickly approaching, here is some last minute tax advice for you. Stop Procrastinating. Resist the temptation to put off your taxes until the very last minute. It takes time to prepare…

Should you File an Extension on your Tax Return?

If you’ve been procrastinating when it comes to preparing and filing your tax return this year you might be considering filing an extension. While obtaining a 6-month extension to file is relatively easy–and there are legitimate reasons for doing so–there are also some downsides. If you need more time to file your tax return this…

ACA Tax Facts for Individuals and Families

The Affordable Care Act contains two provisions that may affect your tax return this year: the individual shared responsibility provision and the premium tax credit. Here’s what you should know: Information Forms: 1095-A, 1095-B, and 1095-C This year marks the first time that certain taxpayers will receive new health-care related information forms that they can…