If you own a home, you’re dealing with property taxes. Property taxes are an essential part of homeownership, but you may not really understand or realize how they are actually calculated. In fact – sometimes understanding how they are calculated can feel like attempting to unravel a complex puzzle. Once you unlock the secrets of […]
In 2021, the tax-free gift amount was $15,000. In 2022, that has risen by one thousand dollars, making the limit for tax-free gifts in 2022 a total of $16,000. Tax free means that no tax is due to the donor or the donee. There are provisions that would allow gifts higher than this amount providing […]
Many times, it’s been said that more and more money has been lost due to indecisions than was ever lost due to making the wrong decision. In many cases, the larger the decision, more than likely procrastination is going to come into play and allow the act of doing nothing to simply cost something. When […]
“How long do I have to keep this stuff?” is the usual question you ask yourself when you feel you are running out of room for storing all the paper “files” that you might not need. When you purchase lunch, that little receipt you get can go immediately in the trash. Some may keep it […]
In the U.S. tax code, a little-known provision allows homeowners to rent out their principal residence or second home for up to 14 days a year without having to use that money as income. But the taxpayer cannot deduct any rental expenses associated with this income. You can earn as much as you want with […]
A decade ago, some homeowners lost their homes to foreclosure or set up a short sale to get out from under the debt during the mortgage meltdown that caused the Great Recession. Lenders forgave all or part of the debt owed them in most cases. Again, in the early ’90s we had the Savings & […]
In 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act increased the standard deduction for married couples to $24,000. In some instances, homeowners may be better off using the standard deduction than itemizing on their return. Previously, homeowners could get a better benefit with itemizing but there is now a $10,000 limit of state and local taxes […]
Creating a good outcome requires a little knowledge about what you are about to do. To be aware that there are tax laws about homes that you might not know about and may come up in your tax return. But if you are informed, you can point these out to your tax preparer or seek […]
During the housing market bust that happened around 2007, some existing homeowners opted to rent out their main residence instead of selling it for less money. Interestingly, the IRS tax code will allow the temporary rental of a principal residence without the homeowner losing the exclusion of their capital gain with some time limit restrictions. […]
The other day someone called a radio talk show and had a situation that troubled the caller and is also disturbing to listeners because of the potential tax liability and steps that can be taken to avoid it. The elderly father of the caller had switched his deed on his home to his daughter a […]
