Should capital gains taxation affect me?

Should capital gains taxation affect me?

by | Jan 24, 2020 | capital gains, income tax, Investment & Income, tax deductions, Tax Refund, Taxation, taxes

Should capital gains taxation affect me?

Capital gains taxation a lot of things that we own for either personal use or for investment purpose usually qualifies as a capital asset. Some common examples of capital assets include house, property, bonds, and stocks held as an investment, home furnishings, etc.

When you sell any of these capital assets and make some profit on them, the capital gains taxation come into the picture. The basis of capital gains taxes is that when you sell or exchange your capital assets, you do so at a higher price than you had bought them. Similarly, if you sell a capital asset at a lower price than you paid to buy the same, it would be tagged as a capital loss.

Classification

Capital gains are either classified as long term capital gains or short term capital gains. Here are some details about each category.

  • Long Term Capital Gains

If you hold on to a capital asset for a minimum of 1 year and then decide to sell or exchange it, any gains that you make would be long term capital gains. And the applicable taxes also vary depending on the type of capital gain. For long term capital gains, most individuals would end up paying no more than 15% as taxes.

There is a possibility that some or all your capital gains might be even taxed at 0% if your income is less than $78,750. The standard rate of 15% is applicable if your income ranges between $78,750 and $434,500 for single taxpayers and between $78,750 and $488,850for taxpayers who are married and filing jointly.

Citizens with annual income exceeding the above, the capital gains tax works out to be 20%. Certain capital assets such as collectibles, selling stocks of small businessses, etc. are taxed at a maximum of 28%.

  • Short Term Capital Gains

Any assets that you sell or exchange within a year of buying or acquiring it qualifies as sort term capital gain. In the case of any short term gains, the gain is added to your annual income and taxed accordingly.

One of the major benefits of categorizing these gains is that you are entitled to lower taxes. If the same amount were to be taxed like your income, you would end up paying higher taxes. However, with short term and long term capital gains, you can reduce the tax liability by a considerable margin.

As a rule of thumb, short term capital gain taxes tend to be on the higher side. Since it is dependent on the annual income, the maximum taxes can go up to 37%. On the other hand, long term capital gains can be up to a maximum of 20%.

On the other hand, if you sold a capital asset at a lower price than what you acquired it for, you would incur a capital loss. And it is important to know that you can use those losses to offset any of your capital gains. They can offset gains up to $3,000 with the help of capital losses.

If you stay in the house that you are putting up for sale for a minimum of two years, capital gains up to $250,000 for individuals and $500,000 for married couples is tax free. Thus being aware of the taxes can save the day for you.

If you own any of the capital assets mentioned above, you are entitled to pay capital gains taxes on the selling of these assets. The presence of capital gains taxes impacts you in more ways than you realize. For starters, unless it is short term capital gains, you will end up paying fewer taxes.

Reference:

https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/briefing-book/how-are-capital-gains-taxed

https://taxfoundation.org/capital-gains-taxes/

https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc409

Does it make sense to file your taxes early?

Does it make sense to file your taxes early?

by | Jan 20, 2020 | income tax, tax filing, Tax Planning, Tax Preparation, Tax Refund, taxes

Does it make sense to file your taxes early?

Filing taxes can be a bit boring and overwhelming. Apart from your life and work, you need to devote some time and energy to file your taxes early. A lot of taxpayers barely are able to file their taxes on time, let alone before time.

What if there are some strong reasons and benefits for filing your taxes early? Would that pull you into the idea of filing your taxes early? If yes, here are some of the most prominent reasons why you must seriously consider filing your taxes early.

1.To Avoid Missing Out On Tax Benefits

Usually filing your taxes at the end means, that you are running against the clock. In such cases, the chances of missing out on some information are quite possible. A common mistake made by taxpayers filing their taxes in the end if using a wrong SSN or forgetting to mention their SSN, or their dependent children’s SSN or spouse’s SSN. Missing out on SSN is a sure way of missing out on certain tax deductions and tax credits.

2.A quicker Tax Refund

When you consider data from the previous years, you will find out that about 72% of taxpayers receive tax refunds up to $3,000. That is a decent chunk of money that you can use as rainy-day savings or paying off some debt. Filing your taxes earlier allows for a quicker tax refund.

3.Possibly Bigger Refunds

When you file your taxes early, you can benefit from certain life changing milestones. Milestones such as marriage, or the birth of your child, starting your own business, etc. can translate into better tax refunds or deductions. Which ultimately will help you save money. Thus, filing your taxes early can be beneficial.

4.Debt Management

In the event that you are struggling with some of the debts, opting for an early tax filing can save the day for you. The IRS expects to issue tax refunds within 21 days of your filing tax returns. The earlier you file your taxes, you boost the chances of an early refund and thus, it can help you manage some of your debts as well.

5.Leverage Your Time and Money

When you file your taxes early, you are firstly not under any pressure of filing them before the deadline. It enables a smoother filing. Secondly, the chances of mistakes are also minimal, thereby allowing you to spend less time on tax filing. And more importantly, you can expect an earlier refund as well. You can then use these funds either for a quick trip while your friends and colleagues are busy filing their taxes or use them for other purposes.

6.File Taxes Online

Once you have made up your mind to file your taxes early, you can visit online portals to help you file your taxes. There are a lot of trusted portals, which can help you file your taxes within a few minutes. All you need to do is provide some basic information and answer simple questions. The portals can help you extract the most out of your refunds as well. And the best part is, you can do this from the comfort of your home or office or even while you are vacationing. If you need additional help in the form of an Enrolled Agent or a CPA, the portals would be able to help you with that as well.

Apart from the most obvious benefit of peace of mind and no stress during the tax filing season, the above are some of the other benefits of filing your taxes early. If you have never filed your taxes early, now might be the best time to give it a shot and reap its benefits.

Reference

https://blog.turbotax.intuit.com/tax-refunds/6-reasons-it-pays-to-file-your-taxes-early-19100/

What to do if you haven’t filed your taxes in the US?

What to do if you haven’t filed your taxes in the US?

by | Jan 11, 2020 | global income tax, Tax Exception, tax filing, Tax Liabilities, Tax Payers, Tax Planning, Tax Refund, tax return, tax savings, taxes

What to do if you haven’t filed your taxes in the US?

There can be an array of reasons for taxpayers not to file their taxes in the US. For starters, an individual might not have filed their taxes because they cannot pay their taxes. Or the more common reason is that individuals get consumed with life and work and cannot get things aligned to be able to file their taxes on time.

Irrespective of what your reason maybe, it is essential that you file your taxes at the earliest. Simply because non-filing of taxes is a serious issue for the IRS. There are three straightforward outcomes when it comes to filing your taxes. Firstly, you do not owe any taxes to the government. Secondly, the government owes you tax refunds and thirdly, you owe taxes to the government.

While the first and second scenarios are still easy to live by, the third one can take a hefty toll on you. In the event that you owe taxes to the government, you are liable to pay fines and penalties on the top of the taxes that you are liable to pay. And things can get ugly, quite fast.

File your Tax Returns

For individuals who have not yet filed their taxes, they must start immediately. The first question that will come to your mind is, for how many years should I file my taxes. As per the IRS guidelines, you must file your taxes for at least 6 years to establish a good understanding with the IRS.

If there are any changes to the same, the IRS management will have to approve of the same. Depending on the situation, the IRS management can ask you for tax returns exceeding 6 years as well. Here are some of the common reasons for the same.

  • If there are relatively larger tax bills on your past filings. The absence of any withholdings for large wages, property taxes or Form 1099-Misc is red flags for the same.
  • The IRS would most probably do additional scrutiny if any businesses are involved since the possibility of non-compliance is higher.

Tips For Filing your Taxes

Citizens who have not filed their taxes and wish to do so, here are some tips that will help you get through.

  • It is essential to get a confirmation whether the IRS needs 6 years of taxes or beyond. You can either call the IRS to find out the same or reach out to a tax consultant for the same.
  • One more reason to file your taxes at the earliest is that the IRS will not pay older tax refunds. As per the IRS guidelines, it will pay refunds up to a maximum of 3 years from the date of filing. Thus, you might lose any refunds even if they are valid.
  • There is a good possibility that you might have to pay hefty fines on your taxes. The failure to pay and failure to file penalties can accrue up to 47.5% of your liable taxes.
  • The IRS usually starts a process called the substitute for return, if the due date exceeds three years. When you file your taxes, the IRS will compare your returns with the SFR (substitute for return). And this can be time consuming, sometimes these cases might take up to four months.
  • In the event you cannot pay your liable taxes, it is recommended that you reach out to the IRS and ask for an agreement. Depending on your needs, there are several typesof agreements that you can opt for.

Irrespective of your reasons, if you haven’t filed your returns, you must initiate the same at the earliest to minimize its impacts.

Reference:

https://www.hrblock.com/tax-center/irs/audits-and-tax-notices/get-back-track-irs-havent-filed-one-returns/

https://twocents.lifehacker.com/what-to-do-if-you-havent-filed-your-taxes-in-years-1803756859

https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc153

New W-4: Adjusting Your Tax Withholding Just Changed

New W-4: Adjusting Your Tax Withholding Just Changed

by | Dec 11, 2019 | income tax, tax form, Tax Refund, tax return, tax savings, taxes, W4 Form

New W-4: Adjusting Your Tax Withholding Just Changed

The IRS has recently introduced a new Form W-4. Due to this new Form, adjusting your withheld taxes from your paycheck would take a bit longer than usual. The only group that will not be affected by this form is taxpayers who are married and filing jointly.

Form W-4‘s format is long and essentially gets rids of a few allowances that the IRS earlier allowed for you and your family members. The form now asks for even more accurate information, which might even force you to take a look at the previous year’s tax return. It is in line with the Tax Laws that President Trump brought into effect in 2018.

As a taxpayer, it is essential that you get your withheld taxes correct. If you withhold a bit too much, you will impact liquidity or the salary that you take home. And if it is a bit too less, you will owe taxes to the IRS by the end of the year.

Who Needs The W-4?

The new form does not apply to workers unless there is a change in their tax status form the previous year. If your tax status remains the samefrom the last year, you don’t have to file the new W-4 Form. However, new employees and the ones who have had experienced a major life event such as getting married or giving birth to a child must file Form W-4.

The form is also applicable for taxpayers who aren’t too happy about their 2019 taxes. Whether you owe taxes of Uncle Sam or got smaller than expected refund, you must file W-4. Though it might seem a bit complicated, it actually simplifies the process that existed earlier.

 Benefits For Married Couples

Married couples are one of the demographics, that benefit the most from the newly introduced form. As long as both the individuals follow some instructions, the new Form is relatively easier for married couples.Married couples now merely must check a box in the returns. This box indicates that both of them are working and the amount of withheld taxes will be calculated based on that. This process is way simpler than the earlier one, where one had to follow a lengthy worksheet with nine steps to determine how much taxes should a couple withhold from their paychecks.

Though this process is simpler, there is a catch in Steps 3 and 4. Should a couple select the working box, the higher earning spouse must fill out Steps 3 and 4. These ask the taxpayers details about dependents, deductions, any additional withholdings and an additional source of income.The previous step is essential in more than a few ways. Since it plays a crucial role in deciding the taxes that are withheld. If both individually fill additional income Step 4, the amount of taxes withheld from the paychecks will be considerably higher. Similarly, a couple decides to fill in details for dependents or deductions individually, the taxes withheld will be lower. Though it might sound attractive at first, you might end up with a hefty tax bill at the end of the tax season.

Ensure No Surprises

Since it is a new Form, filing it up diligently will ensure that you don’t have to encounter any surprises. One of the easiest ways is to keep the details of the previous year handy. Details such as other sources of income, deductions that you had claimed and tax credits that you received for dependents.

Spending a few minutes to understand and fill the form will ensure that you are neither overdoing or underdoing your withheld taxes.

5 reasons to opt for a professional to file your taxes

5 reasons to opt for a professional to file your taxes

by | Dec 2, 2019 | income tax credit, tax filing, Tax Planning, Tax Refund, tax savings, taxes

5 reasons to opt for a professional to file your taxes

Doing taxes on your own can be overwhelming, to say the least. You must consider the W-2, deductions, write-offs, maybe a collection of 1099s to take care of, etc. This can even more overwhelming considering the fact that you still have a job at hand and several other life decisions. Is there an easy way out? Well, you must file your taxes, there are no shortcuts in that. However, to make your life a bit easier, you can opt for a professional to file your taxes instead.

Here are some of the prominent reasons why you should opt for a professional to file your taxes.

  • Freelancing or side business

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act introduced recently brings about a lot of changes to the tax regime. If you hold a regular job and have a side hustle along with it, getting professional help for your taxes might be your best bet. People who run businesses are more likely to be put into the 20 percent deduction bracket. Freelancers and people owning businesses might find it a bit difficult to do their taxes on their own.

  • Property Flip

On paper the only two documents that you would need to file for taxes if you have flipped a house are 1098 and 1099-S. However, it is not as straightforward as it might sound. Between the buying and selling of a house, there are a number of transactions that can take place. Opting for professional help in such cases is a smarter choice.

  • Life Changing Events

The occurrence of a life changing event can bring in a myriad of emotions to the table. Life changing events can include graduation, marriage, the birth of a child, divorce, moving on, losing a job or starting with a new one, etc. Such occurrences can complicate your taxes. For starters, it chances your status of filing along with many other things. You must look at different tax benefits, tax credits, etc. to minimize your tax liabilities and to maximize your returns. If you do not want to be bogged down by these complexities, you can take the help of professionals to do your taxes.

  • Student Loans

The equation changes a bit if either you or your spouse has a student loan to take care of. One of the biggest benefits of filing your taxes with the married filing jointly status is that you can expect the lowest tax liabilities. The taxes that you would have to pay individuals would easily overshadow the ones that you would pay with married filing jointly status. And the repayment schedule of student loans depends on the monthly income of the borrower. In certain cases, repaying your student loan on your own can be more beneficial than doing it together. Getting in touch with a professional will help you get over some of these conundrums.

  • Adopting a Child

As noble as the thought of adopting a child is, there are several tax benefits also associated with it. There are quite a few tax incentives for adoption along with tax credits. A sit down with your tax professional will help you make the most of the tax credits available. The downside being, there are higher chances of your taxes being audited. This makes it even more essential to work your taxes out with a professional, to ensure there are no gaps that the IRS can find.

The above are some common scenarios where the need for a tax professional is accentuated. If you have even the slightest of the doubts, do not hesitate to contact one.