Category: Taxes
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A quick peek at 2018 income tax results
Here is an interesting observation of an early filer, a married client with about $170,000 total income: This chart shows marginal and effective overall tax rates for 2016, 2017 and 2018. Note the steady decline in tax rates, first in 2017 due to tax planning and then in 2018 due to the change in tax…
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What is your chance of being audited by the IRS?
Audit rate based on 2017 IRS data: Form 1040 taxpayer types, in descending likelihood of audit Returns audited International taxpayers 1 in 19 Taxpayers with gross income before deductions of over $1 million 1 in 23 Sole proprietors with gross income before deductions between $100,000 and $200,000 1 in 48 Sole proprietors with gross income…
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LAST CALL for Form 1099 filings for small businesses and nonprofits.
LAST CALL for Form 1099 filings for small businesses and nonprofits. The cost of filing these is small compared to the penalty for not filing a single one of these forms. The deadline is January 31 and we typically request at least 24 hours notice to complete and file the forms correctly. Instructions from IRS are…
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When do I get my tax refund?
The IRS begins accepting tax returns and processing refunds next Tuesday January 29. I can prepare and submit your tax return for e-file acceptance before then but it essentially sits in an electronic waiting list until the 29th. See tonynovak.com/taxes for information on getting started with an early tax return filing. The first tax returns…
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How to refer me for income tax services
At this time of year I often receive questions like: “Do you handle individual taxes?“ “How much would it cost?“ “How do I get more information to get started?“ “Do I have to come to your office?“ YES, we welcome new individual tax clients and we make…
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Pass through income exclusion for rental properties
If you own investment real estate, maybe your taxes will be lower, or maybe not. One of the most uncertain issues of 2018 tax reporting was clarified today by IRS Notice 2019-7. This notice provides a safe harbor for determination of when a rental property is a business that qualifies for the 20% exclusion from…
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Tax fraud case with the highest implications
A high profile multi-million dollar international tax fraud case (Unites States vs. Natalia Veselnitskaya 18 CRIM 904) took a dark turn last week then a sealed indictment by federal prosecutors was revealed to the public. To be clear, this tax fraud case does not involve anyone in U.S. government. Yet this case brought special attention because…
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Tax services fees in 2019 (for 2018 tax returns)
In 2020 ( for 2019 tax returns) I adopted a new business model that includes income tax return preparation as one of a bundle of services designed to streamline your compliance requirements and improve overall financial performance. Pricing is based on a monthly fee rather than a transactional fee, starting at $100 for individuals and…
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2019 Tax Planning and Support Tools Available
Through our 2019 license agreement with CFS Software, we offer a large number of support forms and estimated tax calculators. If you would benefit from a demonstration of the powers of any of these functions or planning calculations, please let us know. General Utilities and Retirement Calculations: 5 Year Federal/State Tax Planner After-Tax Loan Refinance…
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Simplify the business of life
This blog title is a slogan used by the world’s most popular personal and small business software maker. For my purposes as an adviser, I’m using it here to refer to the accounting for essential financial transactions between an employer and employee: payroll, taxes and employee benefits. Small businesses have wide latitude in some areas of…