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Tips to Protect Yourself From Tax Scams
Too many people downplay the threat of identity theft because it hasn't been witnessed or experienced firsthand. This false sense of security can leave you exposed, especially during tax season. Here are some tips to keep your identity safe from scammers:
Are You an S Corporation Stockholder? Are You Taking Reasonable Compensation in the Form of Wages?
S corporation compensation requirements are often misunderstood and abused by owner-shareholders. An S corporation is a type of business structure in which the business does not pay income tax at the corporate level and instead distributes (passes through) the income, gains, losses, and deductions to the shareholders for inclusion on their income tax returns. If there are gains, these distributions are considered return on investment and therefore are not subject to self-employment taxes.
If You Are a Recreational Gambler, Here Are Some Tax Issues You Need to Know
Gambling takes many forms: casino games, horse racing, sports book betting, lotto tickets, scratchers, bingo, etc. For virtually everyone, gambling is a recreational activity and, as such, is done for fun. For most gamblers, their losses for the year will exceed their winnings, and since losses in excess of winnings are not deductible, most gamblers don’t bother to report either, which isn’t in line with the tax law’s filing requirements.
Read more: If You Are a Recreational Gambler, Here Are Some Tax Issues You Need to Know
Will Gifts Now Using the Temporarily Increased Gift-Estate Exclusion Harm Estates after 2025?
Individuals with large estates generally want to gift portions of their estate to beneficiaries while they are still living, to avoid or lessen the estate tax when they pass away. That can be done through annual gifts (up to the inflation-adjusted annual limit for each gift recipient each year – $15,000 for 2019) and/or by utilizing the unified gift-estate exclusion for gifts in excess of the annual exclusion amount. The tax reform virtually doubled the unified gift-estate exclusion for years 2018 through 2025, after which – unless further extended by Congress – it will return to its inflation-adjusted former amount. This has caused concerns related to what the tax consequences will be for post-2025 estates if the decedent, while alive, had made gifts during the 2018-through-2025 period utilizing the higher unified gift-estate exclusion. Would that cause a claw back due to the reduced exclusion?
Do I Qualify for an IRS Offer in Compromise?
If you're facing outstanding tax debt that you cannot pay, you may want to consider looking into an Offer in Compromise from the IRS. Specifically, an Offer in Compromise is an option offered from the IRS to qualifying individuals that allows them to settle tax debt for less than what they actually owe.