Form 1040

While random chance plays its role in tax audits (sometimes there is just no way to avoid some sort of an audit — no matter what you do), there are some red flags that may prompt a closer review of your paperwork. Here are some tips for avoiding a tax audit.

As the year draws to close, it’s time to take stock of what you are doing to increase your overall tax efficiency. If you are looking to get a few more deductions, this is the time to do so, whether you are paying points for a mortgage or donating to charity. And another way you [...]

Understanding the many tax deductions can be nothing short of a minefield, and many taxpayers are unaware of the many deductions that can be used to legally reduce your tax bill. This article highlights just a few of the tax deductions that you can claim if your circumstances lend themselves.

Standard Deductions
A standard deduction varies depending [...]

We’ve briefly touched on the topic of paying income taxes on eBay sales in the past, but a lot of people are unsure as to whether additional income in general needs to be reported to the IRS. By additional income, I’m referring to anything that’s not part of your usual pay packet, which can include [...]

If you’re self employed, you’re responsible for keeping track of your own taxes, as well as making payments on time. This also involves being on top of your paperwork, filing your tax return on time and keeping hold of receipts and invoices in case you’re asked to prove certain aspects of your tax return. This [...]

It’s a great feeling to be your own boss and make money at it. At least, until you discover that you are now responsible for paying self-employment tax and may be required to make estimated tax payments. I have been paying self-employment tax over the last few years; however, I have not made an estimated [...]

Today the U.S. unemployment rate jumps to 8.1% with another 651,000 jobs disappeared in February. The unemployment rate is higher now than at any time since December 1983. This means that many Americans are collecting their unemployment insurance payments, and some are doing so for the first time ever.
As a result, some people are left [...]

I finally completed and filed my 2007 tax returns. Normally, I prepare my own taxes with TaxCut; however, this is the first year that I use the TaxCut Premium Online Federal + State + E-File version. I thought the online version was just as good as the desktop version, and I love the fact that [...]