If you sell a home for a profit over what you paid for it, you will not have to pay taxes on this profit unless the gains exceed the threshold set by the IRS. For single filers, this is $125,000 and $250,000 for married taxpayers. Beyond this dollar amount, the remaining profit may be taxed as capital gains.
Short-term capital gains come from selling capital assets that have been owned for less than one year. The tax rate for this money is equal to your ordinary tax rate. Long-term capital gains are typically taxed lower than short-term. In 2020 this tax rate was either 0%, 15% or 20%, depending on your annual income. Selling stock, land or a business that has been in your possession for less than a year will significantly increase the amount of taxes you pay on these gains.
A 501(c)(3) organization is one that is recognized by the federal law as a non-profit. These organizations are recognized by the IRS as being tax-exempt with primary activities being of a charitable nature. To be able to deduct charitable contributions on your taxes, organizations much fall under section 501(c)(3). This is also a good way to affirm whether the organization is indeed a charity.
Itemized deductions are a range of expenses that are deductible on your taxes. These include mortgage interest, property taxes, medical and dental expenses that exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income, charitable donations and more. Itemized deductions reduce your taxable income significantly, resulting in less taxes paid and, in some cases, even a lower tax bracket.
Not filing your taxes on time could result in a failure-to-file penalty. This penalty is 5% of the unpaid taxes for each month that the tax return is late, up to five months. Continuing to ignore your taxes could result in the IRS taking action in the form of a federal tax lien on your property, seizing your property and even filing charges for tax evasion.
It isn’t uncommon today, in this gig economy, for people to have side work beyond their full-time employment. It is important to report, and pay taxes on, this additional income. If your freelancing clients are paying you in excess of $600 per year each, should be sending out a Form 1099-MISC at the end of the calendar year as a record of this money paid. When you file your taxes, all of this additional income made from freelancing should be reported to the IRS.
A rite of passage for any working teen is the filing of their first income tax. A status as a dependent does not exempt your child from filing income taxes. If the child’s earned income reaches $12,200 or unearned income, from investment interest, above $1,100. For those that are self-employed generating income, if the net earnings exceed $400 an income tax return must be filed.
When money is paid from a life insurance policy upon death, the money is not considered taxable income and the beneficiary does not have to pay taxes. If the money is not immediately paid out but is held by the insurance company for some reason, interest that is generated during that time may be subject to taxes. If the insurance is paid to the estate, as opposed to a beneficiary, you may have to pay an estate tax on the money.
Amending a tax return in your favor can give you money back that you had not been entitled to before these changes. Amendments such as claiming overlooked deductions, IRS rule changes, miscalculations and a corrected 1099 or W2 can all work in your favor, giving you a larger return. You will want to make changes to past tax returns if there are errors that may be flagged by the IRS, including unreported income.
The government’s recent stimulus package was distributed to millions of Americans. The stimulus money is not considered income by the IRS and will not be taxed. While the money itself is not taxed, this will count toward your household’s adjusted gross income for 2020. For some, this additional income may be enough to put you into a higher tax bracket.