Will your business operation create the 20 percent tax deduction for you? If not, and if that is due to too much income and a lack of (a) wages and/or (b) depreciable property, a switch to the S corporation as your choice of business entity may produce the tax savings you are looking for.
How the 20% Deduction Works for a Specified Service Provider
As discussed above, the 20 percent tax deduction under new 2018 tax code Section 199A is a very nice tax break for business owners, except for owners with high income who also fall into the out-of-favor group.
Phaseout for New 20% Deduction
If your pass-through business is an in-favor business and it qualifies for tax reform’s new 20 percent tax deduction on qualified business income, you benefit at all times, including being above, below, or in the expanded wage and property phase-in range.
Tax Reform Provides New 20% Deduction
The new 2018 Section 199A tax deduction that you can claim on your IRS Form 1040 is a big deal. There are many rules (all new, of course), but your odds as a business owner of benefiting from this new deduction are excellent.
Cashing Out Real Estate Profits without Section 1031
Paying taxes on the sale of your real estate is voluntary. You do not need to volunteer. Whenever you can, avoid the outright taxable cash sale of investment property. To avoid taxes while you build your portfolio of real estate investments, use the Section 1031 exchange. This strategy allows you to acquire bigger and better…
Rental Property as a Business Yields Big Benefits
If your rental property activity meets the definition of a trade or business activity, then your rentals produce the best possible tax benefits. In general, you report your rental properties on Schedule E of your tax return. When your activity rises to the level of a business, you continue to report the rentals on Schedule…
Home Office with More Than One Business
The office-in-the-home deduction produces good-to-excellent tax savings by turning personal house expenses into business deductions. Additionally, it enables you to deduct big vehicle expenses by eliminating nondeductible commuting mileage. But to qualify for the home-office deduction, you must use the office exclusively for the business or businesses for which you are claiming the deduction.
Lock Down Vehicle Deductions with a Home Office
The IRS gives you two possible strategies for turning otherwise personal mileage into business mileage: Going to a temporary work location Establishing an office in the home as a principal office The temporary work location strategy contains some real unknowns, such as what is technically considered a temporary work location and whether the work performed…
Using Children’s IRAs to Pay for College
If your child has earned income (maybe from working in your business), you may want to consider establishing an IRA for your child. The IRA funds can, in turn, be used to help pay your child’s college expenses. When your child withdraws money from an IRA, tax law imposes taxes on the withdrawals, but no…
Update on Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)
Health savings accounts (HSAs) are now more popular than ever. According to a recent survey, the number of HSAs has surpassed 21 million, and the accounts now hold about $42.7 billion in assets. Here’s a very tight summary of how the HSA works for you: Deduct the health insurance cost. To enable the HSA, your…
Claim a Tax Credit for Sending Your Child to Camp
You may be able to claim the child and dependent care credit if you pay expenses for the care of your under-age-13 child or another qualifying person to enable you (and your spouse, if filing a joint return) to work or look for work. The tax credit is a percentage of the work-related expenses you…