Plan for estimated taxes: As we mentioned before, seriously underpaying your taxes throughout the year can have very negative consequences. If you expect to owe at least $1,000 in taxes when you file, the IRS generally requires that you make estimated tax payments throughout the year. This is especially important for business owners or self-employed individuals who generally don't pay income taxes on their earnings. Note that you may need to work with a tax accountant to determine how much to set aside and pay each quarter. State tax you paid last spring: Did you owe taxes when you filed your 2018 state tax return in 2019? Then remember to include that amount with your state tax itemized deduction on your 2019 return, along with state income taxes withheld from your paychecks or paid via quarterly estimated payments. Beginning in 2018, the deduction for state and local taxes is limited to $10,000 per year. When you buy a house, you often get to deduct points paid to obtain your mortgage all at one time. When you refinance a mortgage, however, you have to deduct the points over the life of the loan. That means you can deduct 1/30th of the points a year if it's a 30-year mortgage-that's $33 a year for each $1,000 of points you paid. Doesn't seem like much, but why throw it away? Also, in the year you pay off the loan-because you sell the house or refinance again-you get to deduct all the points not yet deducted, unless you refinance with the same lender. Hold Off on Mutual Fund Purchases: People should be wary of buying mutual funds at this time of year if they will be held in a taxable account. You could get hit with a tax bill for year-end dividends even if you just purchased shares. "That's how mutual funds work, but people don't realize it," says Joanna Powell, managing director in the Boston office of accounting firm CBIZ MHM. To avoid paying additional taxes, consult with a broker before making a purchase to find out when distributions are made. Discover even more information at Tax Services In Houston. Personal Expenses (Deductions). You will receive Form 5498 for IRA and health savings accounts contributions from vendors and Form 1098 for home mortgage interest deductions. But you'll have to collect most of the information documenting allowable deductions, such as business expenses, from other financial documents, such as check registers, canceled checks, bank statements, and credit card statements. Download and print summaries of the prior year's transactions for each credit card, and review each transaction to determine whether it may be deductible. I use a marker to highlight the transactions that may affect my filing for easy identification later. You can use a similar culling process for canceled checks. What are my obligations as an employer? Upon being notified of a wage garnishment court order, an employer should immediately alert the employee to the situation in writing. Depending on the garnishment, there may be a form provided for this (i.e., Form 668 for a federal levy). An employer can also draft a letter detailing the specifics of the wage garnishment order, the amount to be taken from each payment, and the length of time the wages will be garnished. Concurrently, an employer should notify their HR and/or payroll departments so they can start the wage garnishment process and ensure that payments are sent to the appropriate agency or creditor (whether the employee wishes to comply or not). Taking these actions protects the business from any legal repercussions for failing to respond to the order.

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