deductions - Linkenheimer LLP CPAs & Advisors

Tax Implications Of Working From Home And Collecting Unemployment

COVID-19 has changed our lives in many ways, and some of the changes have tax implications. Here is basic information about two common situations.

1. Working from home.

Many employees have been told not to come into their workplaces due to the pandemic. If you’re an employee who “telecommutes” — that is, you work at home, and communicate with your employer mainly by telephone, videoconferencing, email, etc. — you should know about the strict rules that govern whether you can deduct your home office expenses.

Unfortunately, employee home office expenses aren’t currently deductible, even if your employer requires you to work from home. Employee business expense deductions (including the expenses an employee incurs to maintain a home office) are miscellaneous itemized deductions and are disallowed from 2018 through 2025 under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

However, if you’re self-employed and work out of an office in your home, you can be eligible to claim home […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-15T21:42:10+00:00September 15th, 2020|cares act, deduction, deductions, New Tax Laws|0 Comments

8/31 is Deadline to Repay Any Required Minimum Distributions Taken in 2020

The Internal Revenue Service announced that anyone who already took a required minimum distribution (RMD) in 2020 from certain retirement accounts now has the opportunity to roll those funds back into a retirement account following the CARES Act RMD waiver for 2020.

The 60-day rollover period for any RMDs already taken this year has been extended to August 31, 2020, to give taxpayers time to take advantage of this opportunity.

The CARES Act enabled any taxpayer with an RMD due in 2020 from a defined-contribution retirement plan, including a 401(k) or 403(b) plan, or an IRA, to skip those RMDs this year. This includes anyone who turned age 70 1/2 in 2019 and would have had to take the first RMD by April 1, 2020. This waiver does not apply to defined-benefit plans.

In addition to the rollover opportunity, an IRA owner or beneficiary who has already received a distribution from an IRA of an amount that would have been an RMD in 2020 can repay the distribution to the IRA by August 31, 2020. The notice provides […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:02:05+00:00August 13th, 2020|deduction, deductions, ira, New Tax Laws|0 Comments

Here’s What Taxpayers Need To Know About The Home Office Deduction

The home office deduction allows qualifying taxpayers to deduct certain home expenses on their tax return. With more people working from home than ever before, some taxpayers may be wondering if they can claim a home office deduction when they file their 2020 tax return next year.

Here are some things to help taxpayers understand the home office deduction and whether they can claim it:

Employees are not eligible to claim the home office deduction.
The home office deduction Form 8829 is available to both homeowners and renters.
There are certain expenses taxpayers can deduct. They include mortgage interest, insurance, utilities, repairs, maintenance, depreciation and rent.
Taxpayers must meet specific requirements to claim home expenses as a deduction. Even then, the deductible amount of these types of expenses may be limited.
The term “home” for purposes of this deduction:
- Includes a house, apartment, condominium, mobile home, boat or similar property.
- Also includes structures on the property. These are places like an unattached garage, studio, barn or greenhouse.
- Doesn’t include any part of the taxpayer’s property used exclusively […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:02:08+00:00August 6th, 2020|business, deduction, deductions, Uncategorized|0 Comments

Conduct A “Paycheck Checkup” To Make Sure Your Withholding Is Adequate

Did you recently file your federal tax return and were surprised to find you owed money? You might want to change your withholding so that this doesn’t happen next year. You might even want to do that if you got a big refund. Receiving a tax refund essentially means you’re giving the government an interest-free loan.

Withholding changes

In 2018, the IRS updated the withholding tables that indicate how much employers should hold back from their employees’ paychecks. In general, the amount withheld was reduced. This was done to reflect changes under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act — including an increase in the standard deduction, suspension of personal exemptions and changes in tax rates.

The tables may have provided the correct amount of tax withholding for some individuals, but they might have caused other taxpayers to not have enough money withheld to pay their ultimate tax liabilities.

Review and possibly adjust

The IRS is advising taxpayers to review their tax situations for this year and adjust withholding, if appropriate.

The tax agency has a withholding calculator to assist you in conducting a paycheck checkup. The calculator reflects tax law changes in areas such as available itemized […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:02:15+00:00July 15th, 2020|child, deduction, deductions, individuals, irs, tax planning|0 Comments

Haven’t Filed Your 2019 Business Tax Return Yet? There May Be Ways To Chip Away At Your Bill

The extended federal income tax deadline is coming up fast. As you know, the IRS postponed until July 15 the payment and filing deadlines that otherwise would have fallen on or after April 1, 2020, and before July 15.

Retroactive COVID-19 business relief

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which passed earlier in 2020, includes some retroactive tax relief for business taxpayers. The following four provisions may affect a still-unfiled tax return — or you may be able to take advantage of them on an amended return if you already filed.

Liberalized net operating losses (NOLs). The CARES Act allows a five-year carryback for a business NOL that arises in a tax year beginning in 2018 through 2020. Claiming 100% first-year bonus depreciation on an affected year’s return can potentially create or increase an NOL for that year. If so, the NOL can be carried back, and you can recover some […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:02:23+00:00June 30th, 2020|business, deduction, deductions, New Tax Laws, qualified small business|0 Comments