Tax Planning 10 End of Year Tax Tips to Increase Your Tax Refund Read the Article Play Video Open Share Drawer Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window) Written by TurboTaxLisa Published Nov 13, 2023 - [Updated Feb 28, 2024] 5 min read Life 10 End of Year Tax Tips to Increase Your Tax Refund Read the Article Play Video Open Share Drawer Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window) Written by TurboTaxLisa Published Dec 20, 2023 5 min read It’s hard to believe that we’re in the last quarter of the year! With the year coming to an end, now is a great time to make some easy and smart tax moves to help lower your tax bill and increase your tax refund when you file. Start compiling all of your receipts for any tax-deductible expenses and sources of income because these 10 quick and easy tax tips will help you get your finances organized and save money at tax time before the year ends! 1. Defer bonuses: If your hard work paid off and you are expecting a year-end bonus, this extra money in your pocket may bump you up to another tax bracket and increase the taxes you owe. If your bonus bumps you up to another tax bracket, you may want to consider delaying the extra income until the beginning of next year. If your boss is able to pay you your bonus in January, you will still receive it close to year-end, but you won’t have to pay taxes on it when filing your taxes. 2. Accelerate deductions & defer income: There are a handful of tax deductions that are recognized the year you pay them. For example, if you own a home, you can deduct your mortgage interest paid, and if you make an extra mortgage payment on December 31, you may be able to claim the additional interest paid as a tax deduction in the tax year paid. This lets you take the tax deduction immediately rather than wait an additional 12 months when you do your taxes for next year. Before using this strategy, be aware that under tax reform, if you purchased a new home after December 15, 2017, you can deduct the mortgage interest you paid based on a home loan up to $750,000 instead of $1,000,000 for homeowners who purchased before that date. 3. Donate to charity: The holiday season is coming, which is a great time to clean out your closet and household goods for those in need. You can help someone in need and reap the benefits of a tax deduction for non-cash and monetary donations given to a qualified charitable organization if you can itemize your tax deductions. If you volunteer at a qualified charitable organization, don’t forget that you can also deduct your mileage (14 cents of every mile) driven for charitable service. Make these donations count on your taxes by donating by December 31st. Even if you make a donation via credit card by December 31, you do not have to pay it off until the new year to receive the tax deduction. 4. Take a class: Taking a course to advance your career or improve skills is also a great way to lower your taxes and boost your tax refund. Paying for next quarter’s tuition by December 31 may give you a valuable tax credit up to $2,000 per tax return with the Lifetime Learning Credit. 5. Maximize your retirement: Another great way to reduce your taxable income while building your nest egg is to make a contribution to your retirement savings account. Whether you contribute to a 401(k) or a Traditional IRA, you can reduce your taxable income and also save for the future. If you are self-employed and contribute to a SEP IRA, you can contribute up to the lesser of 25% of your net self-employment income or $66,000 for 2023 ($73,500 if you are 50 and older). You can make a 2023 SEP IRA contribution up until the extended tax deadline for 2023 and possibly take a deduction for your contribution. 6. Spend your FSA: If you have a Flexible Spending Account and have money left, get caught up on your doctor visits. While the old “use it or lose it” rule may not still apply, you may only be able to carry over $610 worth of unused money left in your 2023 FSA account at the end of the year. Your plan may also limit the amount of time you’re able to use your funds to 2 1/2 months after the end of the plan year. 7. Buy Low, Sell Low: If you have a few investments in your portfolio that have gone down in value, did you know you can recognize your losses and use them to offset investment winners? To do this, you need to sell the losing investments and offset your losses against your gains recognized. If your losses exceed your gains, you can apply $3,000 of that loss against your regular income. Any extra will then be passed to the next tax year. 8. Make W-4 Withholding Allowance Adjustments: If you did not have the tax outcome you were expecting when you filed the previous year’s taxes or experienced life changes like having a baby, getting a pay increase or decrease, unemployment, or a new job, now is a good time to adjust the amount of taxes withheld from your paycheck by adjusting your withholding on your W-4 and refiling the form with your employer. TurboTax W-4 withholding calculator can help you easily adjust your withholding, whether you want a bigger tax refund or more money in your paycheck. 9. Be Aware of the Other Dependent Credit (ODC): Do you support your parents or grandparents? How about another loved one? If that happens to be you and they qualify as a non-child dependent, then make sure to take advantage of the new “Other Dependent Credit” worth up to $500, which can reduce the taxes you owe dollar-for-dollar by $500. 10. Go Green and Save Money on Your Taxes: Have you been looking into how to save money on your home energy bill or on gas? Go green and take advantage of the energy-efficient credits or the electric vehicle credit before the end of the year and save money on your taxes. Remember, credits are a dollar-for-dollar reduction of your taxes. Don’t worry about knowing these tax rules. Meet with a TurboTax Full Service expert who can prepare, sign and file your taxes, so you can be 100% confident your taxes are done right. Start TurboTax Live Full Service today, in English or Spanish, and get your taxes done and off your mind. Get started now It’s hard to believe that we’re in the last quarter of the year! With the year coming to an end, now is a great time to make some easy and smart tax moves to help lower your tax bill and increase your tax refund when you file. Get started now Start compiling all of your receipts for any tax-deductible expenses and sources of income because these 10 quick and easy tax tips will help you get your finances organized and save money at tax time before the year ends! 1. Defer bonuses: If your hard work paid off and you are expecting a year-end bonus, this extra money in your pocket may bump you up to another tax bracket and increase the taxes you owe. If your bonus bumps you up to another tax bracket, you may want to consider delaying the extra income until the beginning of next year. If your boss is able to pay you your bonus in January, you will still receive it close to year-end, but you won’t have to pay taxes on it when filing your taxes. 2. Accelerate deductions & defer income: There are a handful of tax deductions that are recognized the year you pay them. For example, if you own a home, you can deduct your mortgage interest paid, and if you make an extra mortgage payment on December 31, you may be able to claim the additional interest paid as a tax deduction in the tax year paid. This lets you take the tax deduction immediately rather than wait an additional 12 months when you do your taxes for next year. Before using this strategy, be aware that under tax reform, if you purchased a new home after December 15, 2017, you can deduct the mortgage interest you paid based on a home loan up to $750,000 instead of $1,000,000 for homeowners who purchased before that date. 3. Donate to charity: The holiday season is coming, which is a great time to clean out your closet and household goods for those in need. You can help someone in need and reap the benefits of a tax deduction for non-cash and monetary donations given to a qualified charitable organization if you can itemize your tax deductions. If you volunteer at a qualified charitable organization, don’t forget that you can also deduct your mileage (14 cents of every mile) driven for charitable service. Make these donations count on your taxes by donating by December 31st. Even if you make a donation via credit card by December 31, you do not have to pay it off until the new year to receive the tax deduction. 4. Take a class: Taking a course to advance your career or improve skills is also a great way to lower your taxes and boost your tax refund. Paying for next quarter’s tuition by December 31 may give you a valuable tax credit up to $2,000 per tax return with the Lifetime Learning Credit. 5. Maximize your retirement: Another great way to reduce your taxable income while building your nest egg is to make a contribution to your retirement savings account. Whether you contribute to a 401(k) or a Traditional IRA, you can reduce your taxable income and also save for the future. If you are self-employed and contribute to a SEP IRA, you can contribute up to the lesser of 25% of your net self-employment income or $66,000 for 2023 ($73,500 if you are 50 and older). You can make a 2023 SEP IRA contribution up until the extended tax deadline for 2023 and possibly take a deduction for your contribution. 6. Spend your FSA: If you have a Flexible Spending Account and have money left, get caught up on your doctor visits. While the old “use it or lose it” rule may not still apply, you may only be able to carry over $610 worth of unused money left in your 2023 FSA account at the end of the year. Your plan may also limit the amount of time you’re able to use your funds to 2 1/2 months after the end of the plan year. 7. Buy Low, Sell Low: If you have a few investments in your portfolio that have gone down in value, did you know you can recognize your losses and use them to offset investment winners? To do this, you need to sell the losing investments and offset your losses against your gains recognized. If your losses exceed your gains, you can apply $3,000 of that loss against your regular income. Any extra will then be passed to the next tax year. 8. Make W-4 Withholding Allowance Adjustments: If you did not have the tax outcome you were expecting when you filed the previous year’s taxes or experienced life changes like having a baby, getting a pay increase or decrease, unemployment, or a new job, now is a good time to adjust the amount of taxes withheld from your paycheck by adjusting your withholding on your W-4 and refiling the form with your employer. TurboTax W-4 withholding calculator can help you easily adjust your withholding, whether you want a bigger tax refund or more money in your paycheck. 9. Be Aware of the Other Dependent Credit (ODC): Do you support your parents or grandparents? How about another loved one? If that happens to be you and they qualify as a non-child dependent, then make sure to take advantage of the new “Other Dependent Credit” worth up to $500, which can reduce the taxes you owe dollar-for-dollar by $500. 10. Go Green and Save Money on Your Taxes: Have you been looking into how to save money on your home energy bill or on gas? Go green and take advantage of the energy-efficient credits or the electric vehicle credit before the end of the year and save money on your taxes. Remember, credits are a dollar-for-dollar reduction of your taxes. Don’t worry about knowing these tax rules. Meet with a TurboTax Full Service expert who can prepare, sign and file your taxes, so you can be 100% confident your taxes are done right. Start TurboTax Live Full Service today, in English or Spanish, and get your taxes done and off your mind. Get started now It’s hard to believe that we’re in the last quarter of the year! With the year coming to an end, now is a great time to make some easy and smart tax moves to help lower your tax bill and increase your tax refund when you file. Start compiling all of your receipts for any tax-deductible expenses and sources of income because these 10 quick and easy tax tips will help you get your finances organized and save money at tax time before the year ends! 1. Defer bonuses: If your hard work paid off and you are expecting a year-end bonus, this extra money in your pocket may bump you up to another tax bracket and increase the taxes you owe. If your bonus bumps you up to another tax bracket, you may want to consider delaying the extra income until the beginning of next year. If your boss is able to pay you your bonus in January, you will still receive it close to year-end, but you won’t have to pay taxes on it when filing your taxes. 2. Accelerate deductions & defer income: There are a handful of tax deductions that are recognized the year you pay them. For example, if you own a home, you can deduct your mortgage interest paid, and if you make an extra mortgage payment on December 31, you may be able to claim the additional interest paid as a tax deduction in the tax year paid. This lets you take the tax deduction immediately rather than wait an additional 12 months when you do your taxes for next year. Before using this strategy, be aware that under tax reform, if you purchased a new home after December 15, 2017, you can deduct the mortgage interest you paid based on a home loan up to $750,000 instead of $1,000,000 for homeowners who purchased before that date. 3. Donate to charity: The holiday season is coming, which is a great time to clean out your closet and household goods for those in need. You can help someone in need and reap the benefits of a tax deduction for non-cash and monetary donations given to a qualified charitable organization if you can itemize your tax deductions. If you volunteer at a qualified charitable organization, don’t forget that you can also deduct your mileage (14 cents of every mile) driven for charitable service. Make these donations count on your taxes by donating by December 31st. Even if you make a donation via credit card by December 31, you do not have to pay it off until the new year to receive the tax deduction. 4. Take a class: Taking a course to advance your career or improve skills is also a great way to lower your taxes and boost your tax refund. Paying for next quarter’s tuition by December 31 may give you a valuable tax credit up to $2,000 per tax return with the Lifetime Learning Credit. 5. Maximize your retirement: Another great way to reduce your taxable income while building your nest egg is to make a contribution to your retirement savings account. Whether you contribute to a 401(k) or a Traditional IRA, you can reduce your taxable income and also save for the future. If you are self-employed and contribute to a SEP IRA, you can contribute up to the lesser of 25% of your net self-employment income or $66,000 for 2023 ($73,500 if you are 50 and older). You can make a 2023 SEP IRA contribution up until the extended tax deadline for 2023 and possibly take a deduction for your contribution. 6. Spend your FSA: If you have a Flexible Spending Account and have money left, get caught up on your doctor visits. While the old “use it or lose it” rule may not still apply, you may only be able to carry over $610 worth of unused money left in your 2023 FSA account at the end of the year. Your plan may also limit the amount of time you’re able to use your funds to 2 1/2 months after the end of the plan year. 7. Buy Low, Sell Low: If you have a few investments in your portfolio that have gone down in value, did you know you can recognize your losses and use them to offset investment winners? To do this, you need to sell the losing investments and offset your losses against your gains recognized. If your losses exceed your gains, you can apply $3,000 of that loss against your regular income. Any extra will then be passed to the next tax year. 8. Make W-4 Withholding Allowance Adjustments: If you did not have the tax outcome you were expecting when you filed the previous year’s taxes or experienced life changes like having a baby, getting a pay increase or decrease, unemployment, or a new job, now is a good time to adjust the amount of taxes withheld from your paycheck by adjusting your withholding on your W-4 and refiling the form with your employer. TurboTax W-4 withholding calculator can help you easily adjust your withholding, whether you want a bigger tax refund or more money in your paycheck. 9. Be Aware of the Other Dependent Credit (ODC): Do you support your parents or grandparents? How about another loved one? If that happens to be you and they qualify as a non-child dependent, then make sure to take advantage of the new “Other Dependent Credit” worth up to $500, which can reduce the taxes you owe dollar-for-dollar by $500. 10. Go Green and Save Money on Your Taxes: Have you been looking into how to save money on your home energy bill or on gas? Go green and take advantage of the energy-efficient credits or the electric vehicle credit before the end of the year and save money on your taxes. Remember, credits are a dollar-for-dollar reduction of your taxes. Don’t worry about knowing these tax rules. Meet with a TurboTax Full Service expert who can prepare, sign and file your taxes, so you can be 100% confident your taxes are done right. Start TurboTax Live Full Service today, in English or Spanish, and get your taxes done and off your mind. Get started now It’s hard to believe that we’re in the last quarter of the year! With the year coming to an end, now is a great time to make some easy and smart tax moves to help lower your tax bill and increase your tax refund when you file. Start compiling all of your receipts for any tax-deductible expenses and sources of income because these 10 quick and easy tax tips will help you get your finances organized and save money at tax time before the year ends! 1. Defer bonuses: If your hard work paid off and you are expecting a year-end bonus, this extra money in your pocket may bump you up to another tax bracket and increase the taxes you owe. If your bonus bumps you up to another tax bracket, you may want to consider delaying the extra income until the beginning of next year. If your boss is able to pay you your bonus in January, you will still receive it close to year-end, but you won’t have to pay taxes on it when filing your taxes. 2. Accelerate deductions & defer income: There are a handful of tax deductions that are recognized the year you pay them. For example, if you own a home, you can deduct your mortgage interest paid, and if you make an extra mortgage payment on December 31, you may be able to claim the additional interest paid as a tax deduction in the tax year paid. This lets you take the tax deduction immediately rather than wait an additional 12 months when you do your taxes for next year. Before using this strategy, be aware that under tax reform, if you purchased a new home after December 15, 2017, you can deduct the mortgage interest you paid based on a home loan up to $750,000 instead of $1,000,000 for homeowners who purchased before that date. 3. Donate to charity: The holiday season is coming, which is a great time to clean out your closet and household goods for those in need. You can help someone in need and reap the benefits of a tax deduction for non-cash and monetary donations given to a qualified charitable organization if you can itemize your tax deductions. If you volunteer at a qualified charitable organization, don’t forget that you can also deduct your mileage (14 cents of every mile) driven for charitable service. Make these donations count on your taxes by donating by December 31st. Even if you make a donation via credit card by December 31, you do not have to pay it off until the new year to receive the tax deduction. 4. Take a class: Taking a course to advance your career or improve skills is also a great way to lower your taxes and boost your tax refund. Paying for next quarter’s tuition by December 31 may give you a valuable tax credit up to $2,000 per tax return with the Lifetime Learning Credit. 5. Maximize your retirement: Another great way to reduce your taxable income while building your nest egg is to make a contribution to your retirement savings account. Whether you contribute to a 401(k) or a Traditional IRA, you can reduce your taxable income and also save for the future. If you are self-employed and contribute to a SEP IRA, you can contribute up to the lesser of 25% of your net self-employment income or $66,000 for 2023 ($73,500 if you are 50 and older). You can make a 2023 SEP IRA contribution up until the extended tax deadline for 2023 and possibly take a deduction for your contribution. 6. Spend your FSA: If you have a Flexible Spending Account and have money left, get caught up on your doctor visits. While the old “use it or lose it” rule may not still apply, you may only be able to carry over $610 worth of unused money left in your 2023 FSA account at the end of the year. Your plan may also limit the amount of time you’re able to use your funds to 2 1/2 months after the end of the plan year. 7. Buy Low, Sell Low: If you have a few investments in your portfolio that have gone down in value, did you know you can recognize your losses and use them to offset investment winners? To do this, you need to sell the losing investments and offset your losses against your gains recognized. If your losses exceed your gains, you can apply $3,000 of that loss against your regular income. Any extra will then be passed to the next tax year. 8. Make W-4 Withholding Allowance Adjustments: If you did not have the tax outcome you were expecting when you filed the previous year’s taxes or experienced life changes like having a baby, getting a pay increase or decrease, unemployment, or a new job, now is a good time to adjust the amount of taxes withheld from your paycheck by adjusting your withholding on your W-4 and refiling the form with your employer. TurboTax W-4 withholding calculator can help you easily adjust your withholding, whether you want a bigger tax refund or more money in your paycheck. 9. Be Aware of the Other Dependent Credit (ODC): Do you support your parents or grandparents? How about another loved one? If that happens to be you and they qualify as a non-child dependent, then make sure to take advantage of the new “Other Dependent Credit” worth up to $500, which can reduce the taxes you owe dollar-for-dollar by $500. 10. Go Green and Save Money on Your Taxes: Have you been looking into how to save money on your home energy bill or on gas? Go green and take advantage of the energy-efficient credits or the electric vehicle credit before the end of the year and save money on your taxes. Remember, credits are a dollar-for-dollar reduction of your taxes. Don’t worry about knowing these tax rules. Meet with a TurboTax Full Service expert who can prepare, sign and file your taxes, so you can be 100% confident your taxes are done right. Start TurboTax Live Full Service today, in English or Spanish, and get your taxes done and off your mind. Get started now Previous Post Observe Veterans Day with 7 Savings and Tax Deductions Available… Next Post Top Job Seeker Tax Deductions Written by Lisa Greene-Lewis Lisa has over 20 years of experience in tax preparation. Her success is attributed to being able to interpret tax laws and help clients better understand them. She has held positions as a public auditor, controller, and operations manager. Lisa has appeared on the Steve Harvey Show, the Ellen Show, and major news broadcast to break down tax laws and help taxpayers understand what tax laws mean to them. For Lisa, getting timely and accurate information out to taxpayers to help them keep more of their money is paramount. More from Lisa Greene-Lewis Follow Lisa Greene-Lewis on Twitter. 56 responses to “10 End of Year Tax Tips to Increase Your Tax Refund” My company has completely transitioned my department to working remotely and I’m fine with that. I’m sure there must be several deductions available since I’m using my home as an office. Where can I find this information? Reply Hi Veronica, If you’re an employee working remotely rather than an employer or business owner, you unfortunately don’t qualify for the home office tax deduction. However, it is possible that the state you live in may offer a state tax deduction. Before the Tax Cuts and Job Acts (TCJA) tax reform passed in 2017, employees could deduct unreimbursed employee business expenses, which included the home office deduction. However, for tax years 2018 through 2025, the itemized deduction for business expenses as an employee has been eliminated. Here are top tax questions about working remotely answered! Hope this helps! Best, Katharina Reekmans Reply I did lots of needed improvement to my house like replacing all my old and broken windows replace all my gutters around the house painting and fences replaced and other improvements like my bathrooms and showers. are they all tax deductible ? Thanks Reply Hi Masoud, Making updates to your home is a great way keep your home in good condition. But it’s important to note the difference better repairs and improvements as it relates to your taxes. Repairs include things like replacing broken windows, replacing gutters, and painting. Typically you can not deduct the cost of repairs to your primary residence. However, improvements to your home such as installing a new roof or new HVAC system to your home does have tax benefits because the cost of these capital improvements can be added to the tax basis of your home. While the cost of the repairs on the other hand can not be added to your tax basis. I hope this helps. Sincerely, Katharina Reekmans Reply Hi Lisa, I recently got married in 2017 and I don’t want to file taxes jointly. When I file my taxes on turbo tax should I continue to file single or married filing single? My husband owes the IRS and I don’t want to be penalized for it. Also can I continue to file single moving forward? Reply What is a k-1 Reply My wife has been unemployed in 2018, after many years as an active nurse where we had contributed to her RRA or IRA. I have been employed in 2018, making wages that would allow for me to contribute to my IRA. Would it be possible for us to contribute to her IRA’s for 2018, using wages earned by me? We file taxes as a married couple. Reply I didn’t file tax last year,if I file taxes this year will I be penalize. Reply I have a personal loan threw a friend the interest on it can I claim on my taxes? Reply This is some really good information about taxes. I am getting prepared for my taxes. Thanks for the tips on tax services. Reply My wife passed away in 2014. We had a vacation home which was bought in 1996 and which I just sold in 2018 at a gain of $100,000.00. The home was owned “as tenants by the entireties”. I intend to list this gain as a long term capital gain on my 2018 Federal and Maryland State income tax returns. Can I use a “step up value” for the half of the gain that would be considered as my wife’s portion. Thus I would only have to pay the taxes on my portion of the long term capital gain Reply I prefer to download Turbo Tax from the disk each year….Because of this method I do not qualify for savings I am offered thru on line download….Does not seem fair….. Reply I’m helping my granddaughter with college/housing expenses. Is any of this deductible? Also paid for obituary and memorial expenses for deceased exhusband. Reply I am retiring on 12-31-18 and will be going on medicare and will be receiving benefits from my employer. I need to fill out the Federal and State tax deductions forms and am trying to determine how much/what percentage will keep me from owing tax next year. What is the best way to do this? Reply Are education loan payments for single & married filing separatedly tax deductible? Reply I own a rental home, can I deduct the cost of a new roof in the current year or do I have to depreciate it? Reply There is nothing about someone living of IRA/401k distribution. There is nothing about what if someone paid full amount of Helath Insurance Premium through governement healthcare site but had no earned income (living of IRA/401k/ROTH or other retirement account) and that subsidy would apply or not and that IRS would give credit for such full payment of premium. There is nothing about how ACA apply to someone who is not US citizen? Reply I did my 2017 taxes for the first time with turbo tax I was supposed to get $500 and I never received it. I was having problems trying to reach someone from this company to explain the reason. Is there any way for someone to check it and how do you go about this problem. Reply I used TurboTax for ten plus years my last NYC1127 return included CT income earned by my spouseCT working we don’t live in NY I work for NYC. It is bad enough I have to pay 1127 commuter tax why did TurboTax combine our incomes. Reply My husband had 3 surguries, 5 months out of work. Had to pull money out of 401 k to survive. Is any of expense of pulling out early tax deductible? Reply Weve had the same foster children all year.will we be able to claim them and if so are there any changes as far as claiming our own kids. Reply If you have an FSA card, can that count as part of your medical expenses? Reply My husband has been deemed disabled and is now collecting ss disability, he is under 65. He had to take his work pension early. Are both of these totally taxable or is there a percentage? Reply Hi, I would like to know what form can i use to do the income tax with my spouse that owes back child support, so my money won’t go to the child support back pay. He has been paying it but still owes money and since we are doing our income taxes together i do not want my money to go to back child support since i have my own kids that i am claiming in the same income tax, Reply I filed a return in 2018 for the 2017 tax year the found more information and filed an amended return. Then I found more data that would give me more deductions. Can I file a second amended return? When must I file? Reply Spent money out of pocket for prescriptions Reply . If your losses exceed your gains, you can apply $3,000 of that against your regular income, but what if you can’t use all of the entire $3000 to offset income. Can you not take the entire $3000 as a deduction? Or is it mandatory to take $3000 as a deduction? Reply You can take up to $3000 whatever the capital loss is. Reply In 2018, I won a medical negligence law suit. How is that money counted? Reply I can’t get a straight answer regarding Disability income and reporting/filing taxes. Having Disability tax answers would be very helpful for those like me. Also, do State taxes have to be filed if Federal income tax doesn’t have to be filed? What constitutes additional income requiring need to file? If annual gambling wins are less than maximum additional income per month, are you still exempt from filing? Terri L. Reply How do I know if I have Mortgage insurance/interest? Reply Using my car for business. If I get reimbursed $.22/mile monthly from employer, is there anything else I need to do? Reply If my son,daughter in law and grand daughter have been living with for over a year,they haven’t worked,can I claim all 3 of them this year as dependents? Reply My losses exceeded my gains this year. Does anyone know if I can count cryptocurrency loss as part of the $3,000 of against my regular income? And will that even matter if I plan on taking the standard deduction, not itemizing? Thanks! Reply Hello, I am a small business owner. I heard that it could benefit me to trade in my truck towards a new truck and write it off in this years taxes.. Would that be correct. Reply Where are the injured spouse forms? If you need to file an injured spouse form do you recommend filing with a professional? Reply I have a 37 yr old son who moved back w/me and is unable to work due to a car accident injury. Reply I lost money to a scam in2015. Is it tax deducfable? Reply I’m a bartender, can i write off shoes, clothes since i need them often cuz they wear out & get ruined from work? Reply Only clothing that can be deducted is ‘non-street’ clothing, such as police uniforms. This is a common myth, even with tax pros, who just want your business. Even if you work at Applebees and they require purple Nike high tops and jeans, those are considered street clothing and cannot be deducted. If you are a security cop and purchase the required uniform for your job (who wouldn’t pay you back), that is deductible. Your question is always asked by salespeople (who need god shoes all the time because they walk, or business people who ‘have’ to have suits – it doesn’t work that way. It’s only for clothing like uniforms, that you would never or could never wear out. Reply Yes, but only if you do an itemized deduction. Unless you have over thousands of dollars to write off, you’ll likely be better off with a standard deduction. Reply What version do I need to purchase this year that includes investments. Last year I had to take back the premium version for the deluxe Reply Start with any version and as you do your taxes, the software will say what version you need and make the change. Reply Please use a darker print and a way to enlarge it. For us who have vision problems it is almost impossible to read it. Reply Agree! Reply You probably cannot enlarge forms that need to be sent to the IRS or your States because they have to be read by their scanners. But if e-forms are being sent, enlarging might be possible but would probably not be a good idea if you ever had to re-file by mail. Reply there is no info for seniors on this site. Reply Hi Richard, We do have info about social security and retirement, but we will take this into account. Thank you, Lisa Greene-Lewis Reply Richard, more and more we seniors are regarded as significant less and less! Reply I did my 2015 taxes through turbo tax. I did not complete my state tax part. What should I do since its going to be another year. Reply Hi Roshunda, Do you mean your 2014 taxes and you didn’t complete your state? 2015 taxes are due in April 2016 so you still have time. If you are referring to 2014 taxes you can still finish. You will have to use the downloadable CD version and print and mail them in. You can get the CD here https://turbotax.intuit.com/personal-taxes/past-years-products.jsp I hope that helps you. Thank you, Lisa Greene-Lewis Reply I need to file a 1041 return for my deceased wife’s trust return as well as my 1040. What TT package will handle the interface? Reply Hi Joe, If your deceased wife is being issued a K-1 from her trust you will be able to use TurboTax Premier to file the K-1 and your personal taxes https://turbotax.intuit.com/personal-taxes/online/premier.jsp If you need to actually issue the 1041 first you will have to create it in TurboTax Business https://turbotax.intuit.com/small-business-taxes/ Thank you, Lisa Greene-Lewis Reply The link to this page stated that this page was about health care. Financial health yes, medical health no. Reply when will turbo tax 2015 be available Reply Hi, TurboTax online will be back up in December https://turbotax.intuit.com/ and desk top is available now. 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My company has completely transitioned my department to working remotely and I’m fine with that. I’m sure there must be several deductions available since I’m using my home as an office. Where can I find this information? Reply
Hi Veronica, If you’re an employee working remotely rather than an employer or business owner, you unfortunately don’t qualify for the home office tax deduction. However, it is possible that the state you live in may offer a state tax deduction. Before the Tax Cuts and Job Acts (TCJA) tax reform passed in 2017, employees could deduct unreimbursed employee business expenses, which included the home office deduction. However, for tax years 2018 through 2025, the itemized deduction for business expenses as an employee has been eliminated. Here are top tax questions about working remotely answered! Hope this helps! Best, Katharina Reekmans Reply
I did lots of needed improvement to my house like replacing all my old and broken windows replace all my gutters around the house painting and fences replaced and other improvements like my bathrooms and showers. are they all tax deductible ? Thanks Reply
Hi Masoud, Making updates to your home is a great way keep your home in good condition. But it’s important to note the difference better repairs and improvements as it relates to your taxes. Repairs include things like replacing broken windows, replacing gutters, and painting. Typically you can not deduct the cost of repairs to your primary residence. However, improvements to your home such as installing a new roof or new HVAC system to your home does have tax benefits because the cost of these capital improvements can be added to the tax basis of your home. While the cost of the repairs on the other hand can not be added to your tax basis. I hope this helps. Sincerely, Katharina Reekmans Reply
Hi Lisa, I recently got married in 2017 and I don’t want to file taxes jointly. When I file my taxes on turbo tax should I continue to file single or married filing single? My husband owes the IRS and I don’t want to be penalized for it. Also can I continue to file single moving forward? Reply
My wife has been unemployed in 2018, after many years as an active nurse where we had contributed to her RRA or IRA. I have been employed in 2018, making wages that would allow for me to contribute to my IRA. Would it be possible for us to contribute to her IRA’s for 2018, using wages earned by me? We file taxes as a married couple. Reply
This is some really good information about taxes. I am getting prepared for my taxes. Thanks for the tips on tax services. Reply
My wife passed away in 2014. We had a vacation home which was bought in 1996 and which I just sold in 2018 at a gain of $100,000.00. The home was owned “as tenants by the entireties”. I intend to list this gain as a long term capital gain on my 2018 Federal and Maryland State income tax returns. Can I use a “step up value” for the half of the gain that would be considered as my wife’s portion. Thus I would only have to pay the taxes on my portion of the long term capital gain Reply
I prefer to download Turbo Tax from the disk each year….Because of this method I do not qualify for savings I am offered thru on line download….Does not seem fair….. Reply
I’m helping my granddaughter with college/housing expenses. Is any of this deductible? Also paid for obituary and memorial expenses for deceased exhusband. Reply
I am retiring on 12-31-18 and will be going on medicare and will be receiving benefits from my employer. I need to fill out the Federal and State tax deductions forms and am trying to determine how much/what percentage will keep me from owing tax next year. What is the best way to do this? Reply
I own a rental home, can I deduct the cost of a new roof in the current year or do I have to depreciate it? Reply
There is nothing about someone living of IRA/401k distribution. There is nothing about what if someone paid full amount of Helath Insurance Premium through governement healthcare site but had no earned income (living of IRA/401k/ROTH or other retirement account) and that subsidy would apply or not and that IRS would give credit for such full payment of premium. There is nothing about how ACA apply to someone who is not US citizen? Reply
I did my 2017 taxes for the first time with turbo tax I was supposed to get $500 and I never received it. I was having problems trying to reach someone from this company to explain the reason. Is there any way for someone to check it and how do you go about this problem. Reply
I used TurboTax for ten plus years my last NYC1127 return included CT income earned by my spouseCT working we don’t live in NY I work for NYC. It is bad enough I have to pay 1127 commuter tax why did TurboTax combine our incomes. Reply
My husband had 3 surguries, 5 months out of work. Had to pull money out of 401 k to survive. Is any of expense of pulling out early tax deductible? Reply
Weve had the same foster children all year.will we be able to claim them and if so are there any changes as far as claiming our own kids. Reply
My husband has been deemed disabled and is now collecting ss disability, he is under 65. He had to take his work pension early. Are both of these totally taxable or is there a percentage? Reply
Hi, I would like to know what form can i use to do the income tax with my spouse that owes back child support, so my money won’t go to the child support back pay. He has been paying it but still owes money and since we are doing our income taxes together i do not want my money to go to back child support since i have my own kids that i am claiming in the same income tax, Reply
I filed a return in 2018 for the 2017 tax year the found more information and filed an amended return. Then I found more data that would give me more deductions. Can I file a second amended return? When must I file? Reply
. If your losses exceed your gains, you can apply $3,000 of that against your regular income, but what if you can’t use all of the entire $3000 to offset income. Can you not take the entire $3000 as a deduction? Or is it mandatory to take $3000 as a deduction? Reply
I can’t get a straight answer regarding Disability income and reporting/filing taxes. Having Disability tax answers would be very helpful for those like me. Also, do State taxes have to be filed if Federal income tax doesn’t have to be filed? What constitutes additional income requiring need to file? If annual gambling wins are less than maximum additional income per month, are you still exempt from filing? Terri L. Reply
Using my car for business. If I get reimbursed $.22/mile monthly from employer, is there anything else I need to do? Reply
If my son,daughter in law and grand daughter have been living with for over a year,they haven’t worked,can I claim all 3 of them this year as dependents? Reply
My losses exceeded my gains this year. Does anyone know if I can count cryptocurrency loss as part of the $3,000 of against my regular income? And will that even matter if I plan on taking the standard deduction, not itemizing? Thanks! Reply
Hello, I am a small business owner. I heard that it could benefit me to trade in my truck towards a new truck and write it off in this years taxes.. Would that be correct. Reply
Where are the injured spouse forms? If you need to file an injured spouse form do you recommend filing with a professional? Reply
I’m a bartender, can i write off shoes, clothes since i need them often cuz they wear out & get ruined from work? Reply
Only clothing that can be deducted is ‘non-street’ clothing, such as police uniforms. This is a common myth, even with tax pros, who just want your business. Even if you work at Applebees and they require purple Nike high tops and jeans, those are considered street clothing and cannot be deducted. If you are a security cop and purchase the required uniform for your job (who wouldn’t pay you back), that is deductible. Your question is always asked by salespeople (who need god shoes all the time because they walk, or business people who ‘have’ to have suits – it doesn’t work that way. It’s only for clothing like uniforms, that you would never or could never wear out. Reply
Yes, but only if you do an itemized deduction. Unless you have over thousands of dollars to write off, you’ll likely be better off with a standard deduction. Reply
What version do I need to purchase this year that includes investments. Last year I had to take back the premium version for the deluxe Reply
Start with any version and as you do your taxes, the software will say what version you need and make the change. Reply
Please use a darker print and a way to enlarge it. For us who have vision problems it is almost impossible to read it. Reply
You probably cannot enlarge forms that need to be sent to the IRS or your States because they have to be read by their scanners. But if e-forms are being sent, enlarging might be possible but would probably not be a good idea if you ever had to re-file by mail. Reply
Hi Richard, We do have info about social security and retirement, but we will take this into account. Thank you, Lisa Greene-Lewis Reply
I did my 2015 taxes through turbo tax. I did not complete my state tax part. What should I do since its going to be another year. Reply
Hi Roshunda, Do you mean your 2014 taxes and you didn’t complete your state? 2015 taxes are due in April 2016 so you still have time. If you are referring to 2014 taxes you can still finish. You will have to use the downloadable CD version and print and mail them in. You can get the CD here https://turbotax.intuit.com/personal-taxes/past-years-products.jsp I hope that helps you. Thank you, Lisa Greene-Lewis Reply
I need to file a 1041 return for my deceased wife’s trust return as well as my 1040. What TT package will handle the interface? Reply
Hi Joe, If your deceased wife is being issued a K-1 from her trust you will be able to use TurboTax Premier to file the K-1 and your personal taxes https://turbotax.intuit.com/personal-taxes/online/premier.jsp If you need to actually issue the 1041 first you will have to create it in TurboTax Business https://turbotax.intuit.com/small-business-taxes/ Thank you, Lisa Greene-Lewis Reply
The link to this page stated that this page was about health care. Financial health yes, medical health no. Reply
Hi, TurboTax online will be back up in December https://turbotax.intuit.com/ and desk top is available now. Thank you, Lisa Greene-Lewis Reply