CLE Presentation by Shamsey Oloko
Your Business Loses Money; Tax Benefits or Concerns?
I’m often asked by nervous new business owners if they can recover a tax refund for a business loss. Receiving a tax benefit from a business loss depends on the type of entity formed and whether the investment in the business is “at risk” in whole or in part. It also depends on the presence of other income.
Owners of a corporation are not taxed directly on business profits and losses because the corporation’s taxes are taxed separately. For other types of enterprises, business income and loss passes through to the owner’s personal tax return. These business types are:
Taxes And Medical Expenses
Taxpayers that itemize personal deductions instead of claiming the standard deduction may deduct qualifying medical expenses to the extent that such expenses exceed 10 percent of adjusted gross income (“AGI”). Taxpayers that are 65 years or older, or turned 65 during the tax year, may deduct unreimbursed medical care expenses that exceed 7.5% of AGI. This threshold amount remains at 7.5% of adjusted gross income for these taxpayers until Dec. 31, 2016. I.R.C. §213(f).
Unsure if you should go with standard or itemize deductions?
Unsure of whether you should use the standard deduction amount, or take the time to itemize deductions? The answer is fairly straightforward; you should itemize deductions if your total deductions are more than the standard deduction amount. Also, you should itemize if you don’t qualify for the standard deduction. Taxpayers should initially calculate itemized deductions and then compare that amount to their standard deduction to determine which provides the greater benefit. A taxpayer may be subject to a limit on some itemized deductions if he or she exceeds the adjusted gross income limits.
What You Need to Know About Deducting State and Local Taxes
Taxpayers that itemize deductions on Schedule A, (and file Form 1040) can deduct the cost of state income taxes on their federal tax return. The ability to deduct the full cost of these taxes has its obvious advantages. Taxpayers may either claim such a deduction from state and local income taxes or state and local sales taxes, but not both. Basically, to be deductible, the tax must be imposed on a taxpayer and must have been paid during the particular tax year. Taxpayers that elect to deduct state and local general sales taxes, may use either their actual expenses or the optional sales tax tables.
HOW MUCH OF MY MORTGAGE CAN I REALLY DEDUCT?
What can taxpayers deduct from their mortgage payments? What portion of a payment consisting of principal, interest, taxes and insurance, if any, is deductible? To deduct the expenses of owning a home, at least those costs paid in your mortgage payment, taxpayers must first itemize deductions.
Simply put, interest paid on a mortgage is tax deductible. Points that are paid to lower the interest rate are also deductible. Taxpayers can deduct the interest paid on first and second mortgages up to $1,000,000 in mortgage debt (the limit is $500,000 if married and filing separately). Any interest paid on first or second mortgages over this amount is not tax deductible. If the loan is not a secured debt on your home, it is considered a personal loan, and the interest you pay generally isn’t deductible.