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Category: Individual Tax

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September 10, 2018
Watch out for New Alimony Rules

Under the Tax Cut and Jobs Act certain future alimony payments will no longer be deductible by the payer. Also, alimony will no longer be considered income to the recipient. Therefore, for divorces and legal separations that are executed (that come into legal existence due t...

September 10, 2018
Considering House Hacking?

People have been sharing their homes for ages, but it has become much more popular with the rise of the sharing economy and the recent coining of the phrase “House Hacking,” which describes renting out extra rooms in your home, or renting part of a multi-family home whil...

There are two higher education tax credits; one is partially refundable, the other is nonrefundable. Be sure to use the right one.
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August 23, 2018
Meals and Entertainment Expense Changes for 2018

Are meals and entertainment expenses still deductible under the 2018 tax bill?  The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) brings with it many changes in the taxation of businesses and individuals, including a change in the tax deductibility of meals and entertainment (M&E) expenses....

August 17, 2018
Keep an Eye Out for Extenders Legislation

The pieces of tax legislation garnering the most attention these days are the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) signed into law last December and the possible “Tax Reform 2.0” that Congress might pass this fall. But for certain individual taxpayers, what happens with “exten...

July 2, 2018
Claiming the Child Tax Credit is Gonna Get Easier

I love my dog, Shea. I think of her as my child, but she has never given me any tax benefits. If you have an actual child, you always love them, but even a little more when it’s time to file taxes. This is because you’re able to claim them as a dependent, which meant a r...

June 26, 2018
Streamlined Disclosure Program Ending

My favorite IRS program - the Streamlined Disclosure Program - is going away September 28th so I had to write about it one more time. The past 10 years have seen a dramatic increase in the awareness and enforcement for the rules relating to foreign bank accounts. US citizens...

There are two different ways to exclude your foreign earned income from your U.S. tax return - the physical presence test or the bona fide resident test.
- Chris Wittich, CPA
June 5, 2018
Federal Tax Reform Highlights for Individuals

Highlights of the federal tax reform affecting individuals includes lower individual rates, and changes to the standard deduction, exemptions, medical expenses, charitable contributions, child tax credits, home mortgage interest and other items, described in this blog post....

May 22, 2018
Why the State Tax Bill Matters to Minnesotans

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) — One of the biggest items facing a veto in the Minnesota Legislature is the state tax bill.The bill lines up our taxes with the new Federal law so that at least 800,000 Minnesotans don’t end up paying more. WCCO asked CPA Chris Wittich to give us ...

May 8, 2018
Distribution Rules for Inherited Retirement Plan Assets

As our clients address many of the issues associated with estate planning, one of the questions that usually comes up is the beneficiary designations associated with retirement account assets. An important factor to consider in naming a beneficiary of your retirement account...

The FBAR deadline has changed - it's now due with the tax return instead of June 30th.
- Chris Wittich, CPA