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Whether you’re self-employed or an employee, if you use a car for business, you get the benefit of tax deductions. There are two choices for claiming deductions: Deduct the actual business-related costs of gas, oil, lubrication, repairs, tires, supplies, parking, tolls, drivers’ salaries, and depreciation. Use the standard mileage deduction... Read more

Now is a great time to clean out that growing mountain of financial papers and tax documents that clutter your home and office. Here’s what you need to keep and what you can throw out. Let’s start with your “safety zone,” the IRS statute of limitations. This limits the number... Read more

The Internal Revenue Service is letting tax professionals and taxpayers know about a new scam involving fake CP2000 notices that are being sent to unsuspecting taxpayers, billing them for unpaid taxes related to the Affordable Care Act. The IRS is issuing the alert in conjunction with its partners in the... Read more

The key, as with hiring any professional, is to ask lots of questions. And not just about how much it’s going to cost. Lots questions also apply when hiring a tax preparer. Here’s a list of 10 questions you should ask before hiring a tax preparer: Do you have a... Read more

Scammers are preying on unsuspecting taxpayers. Most of these tax scams are obvious . None the less, taxpayers continue to fall victim to scammers every day. Here’s a few simple facts that will protect you from the vast majority of scams: 1) Phone calls, text messages, & emails claiming to be from... Read more

If you are having trouble paying your bills, it is important to take action sooner rather than later to improve your financial health. Doing nothing leads to problems in the future, whether it’s a bad credit record or bankruptcy resulting in the loss of assets and even your home. If... Read more

Taxes have been levied on people since the beginning of civilization. Since Tax Day is almost upon us, we thought it would be fun to share some of the most interesting tax facts from the long and fascinating history of taxes: The number of words in Atlas Shrugged is 645,000. The Bible... Read more

Most people who are expecting a tax refund this year or who already have gotten one plan to use the money to improve their personal finances. About a third (34%) say they’ll use it to pay down their debt, and another third (33%) say they’ll save or invest the money,... Read more

The April 18th tax filing deadline is finally in the rearview mirror. Now you might be sitting back, waiting for that refund check to hit your account – or trying not to think about that big one you had to write. Then, all of sudden, you realize you made a... Read more

Got your year-end tax planning underway for December 31, 2015? WE UNDERSTAND that year-end can be a drudge because it means making sure your business accounts are up to date and in order. But don’t leave it until the last minute. No decision, or rushed decisions, can lead to the... Read more

Income tax is often withheld from wages and other types of income such as pensions, bonuses, commissions and gambling winnings. Ideally, taxpayers should try to match their withholding with their actual tax liability. If not enough tax is withheld, they will owe tax at the end of the year and... Read more

Choosing a return preparer before the next tax season allows you more time to consider the appropriate options. Doing it early also gives you the chance to find and talk with prospective tax preparers rather than during tax season when they’re most busy. Furthermore, it enables taxpayers to do some... Read more

With the end of the year approaching, it’s time for strategic moves to lower your 2015 tax bill. Strategy: Prepay deductible expenditures If you itemize deductions, accelerating some deductible expenditures into this year to produce higher 2015 write-offs makes sense — if you expect to be in the same or... Read more

From tax credits and educational expenses to the AMT, many of the tax provisions affecting individuals for 2015 were related to the signing of the American Taxpayer Relief Act (ATRA) in 2012… …tax provisions that were modified, made permanent, or extended. With that in mind, here’s what individuals and families... Read more

The Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 is a long-awaited legislation which offers a slate of personal and business tax breaks that had expired at the end of 2014. Here’s a quick summary of how the resurrected breaks can affect your 2015 federal income tax return (Form 1040).... Read more

Welcome, 2016! As the New Year rolls around, it’s always a sure bet that there will be changes to current tax law and 2016 is no different. From health savings accounts to retirement contributions and standard deductions, here’s a checklist of tax changes to help you plan the year ahead.... Read more

Tax planning for the year ahead presents similar challenges to last year due to the unknown fate of the numerous tax extenders that expired at the end of 2014. These tax extenders, which include the mortgage insurance premium deduction and the sales tax deduction that allows taxpayers to deduct state... Read more

Generally, debt that is forgiven by a lender is considered taxable income by the IRS and must be included as income on your tax return. Examples include a debt for which you are personally liable such as mortgage debt, credit card debt, and sometimes, student loan debt. When that debt... Read more

Tax season is over. Is hindsight really that helpful? Now you can take a sigh of relief and push any thoughts of taxes far from your mind, right? Then repeat and rinse by doing the stress-filled mad dash all over again in just under 12 months (just like you swore... Read more

Just as the before and after images on the website show the amazing transformations of their clients… So too has local business Jesse James Fit in Flower Mound experienced its own metamorphosis. Office Manager Maddie and Administrative Assistant Sally provided some valuable insight on the weight loss center and elite... Read more

Many surprises could arise from now until next April 15, including life changes and new tax laws. Right now is the best time to create a system that better organizes your taxes and gets you a head start on next year’s filing. IRS offers some handy advice on how to... Read more

Pay IRS now if you still owe taxes If you still owe taxes and missed the April 15 deadline for filing and payment, you could be incurring interest and late penalties as you read this. File and pay the IRS pronto! If you file your federal tax return late and... Read more

For most of us, tax season means taking that annual trip to ‘the abyss’ That place where filing cabinets, storage containers and even shoeboxes overflow with dusty receipts, insurance records and old tax returns. Considering the sheer volume of record-keeping required by individuals and business owners, here are four tips... Read more

With a few weeks left before the April 15 tax filing deadline, it’s that dreaded time of year for those who’d rather give the task of preparing their taxes onto someone else. If you’re one of the 60% of tax filers who plan to hand over your tax affairs to... Read more