Tax help top firms in Houston

Income tax advices plus companies? Which receipts you’ll need to provide depends on whether you itemize your deductions or claim the standard deduction. You’ll want to choose whichever produces the greater write-off, but the only way to know for sure is to add up your itemized deductions and compare that with your standard deduction. For the 2019 tax year, the standard deduction for single taxpayers is $12,200 and for married couples filing jointly it is $24,400. For 2020, these amounts rise to $12,400 for single taxpayers and $24,800 for married couples filing jointly.

The SECURE Act, which became law at the end of 2019, includes several provisions that apply to high income earners. They include: The age for Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) from retirement plan accounts was raised to 72. However, if you turned 70 1/2 in 2019, you will be required to take a disbursement in 2020. Eliminating the age limit for contributions to Traditional IRA accounts. Increasing annual contribution limits for 401(k) and 103(b) accounts to $19,500, and to $13,400 for SIMPLE IRAs. The contribution maximum for Traditional and Roth IRAs remains at $6,000 per year. Increasing the Social Security wage base to $137,700. Increasing the income ceiling for Roth IRAs. Contributions now phase out at $124,000 and $139,000 of modified adjusted gross income. ($196,000 to $206,000 if you’re married filing jointly.) Increasing limits for long-term care premium deductions to $5,430 per person for people age 71 or over, and to $4,3500 for people between the ages of 61 and 70. Self-employed earners may write off 100% of their premiums using Schedule 1 of the 1040 form. These changes are significant because they make it possible for high income earners to make additional contributions to a retirement plan during the tax year.

Hold Off on Mutual Fund Purchases: People should be wary of buying mutual funds at this time of year if they will be held in a taxable account. You could get hit with a tax bill for year-end dividends even if you just purchased shares. “That’s how mutual funds work, but people don’t realize it,” says Joanna Powell, managing director in the Boston office of accounting firm CBIZ MHM. To avoid paying additional taxes, consult with a broker before making a purchase to find out when distributions are made.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) created the Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction when the law went into effect in 2018. You might be able to deduct 20% from your qualifying business income if your business is a pass-through entity—a sole proprietorship, an S corporation, or a partnership, passing its income and deductions down to its shareholders, partners, or owners to report on their personal returns. This deduction is in addition to claiming your ordinary business expense deductions. You should qualify if your taxable income is below $157,500, or $315,000 if you’re married and filing a joint return. Special rules apply if you earn more than these amounts, so you might still qualify depending on the nature of your business. See additional information at https://greentree.tax/best-bookkeeping-service-in-houston-texas/.

Keep Communicating. Even if the debtor can’t pay right away, it is always important to keep communications going. He may be able to pay in the future, and by talking to the debtor and really listening to what he has to say, you may be able to help him figure out a way to start paying sooner. While the older a debt becomes, the harder it is to collect, sometimes circumstances change and payment may become possible.

Sec. 1031 Exchange Rules. The only way you can avoid current tax when you sell investment property is through a “1031 exchange”, where you involve a third party, called an accommodator, to hold the money and buy a new property for you. But there are some rules you have to comply with: You can’t touch the money. You have to identify the new like-kind real property within 45 days after property being given up is transferred and close within 180 days. The new property has to cost at least as much as the old one. You can’t be relieved of debt (so you can’t use the proceeds from the sale to buy a new property for all cash if the old property had debt tied to it). You will pay hefty fees to the accommodator to handle all this for you.