Bookkeeping firm Coral Springs, FL: There’s no question that a bookkeeping service saves your business both time and money, but the processes and consistency introduced by one can increase the longevity and efficiency of your business, making you more profitable for decades to come. Hiring a bookkeeping service is about more than just finding someone who can use a calculator and understand QuickBooks. You want a full-fledged team that has the professional background, training and experience to really benefit your business. People whose expertise you can rely on. Ideally, you want to focus on those who have QuickBooks Pro Advisors certification, additional professional certifications in specific accounting software or and those that employ AIPB Certified bookkeepers.
Fund IRAs and SEPs to Allowable Limits: If you participate in an employer-sponsored individual 401(k) plan, 403(b) retirement plan, or other qualified retirement plan, the deadline for contributions is Dec. 31. However, you can still fund an IRA until April 15. If you’re younger than 50 and contributed less than $6,000 for the 2019 tax year, or you’re older than 50 and have contributed less than $7,000, you have until April 15, 2020, to invest money on a tax-sheltered basis for 2020. If some or all of your income comes from self-employment, you can set up a simplified employee pension (SEP) IRA up until the due date of your tax return, including extensions, and contribute up to 25% of your self-employment income. If you have the opportunity to choose between paying income taxes or funding your retirement, it should be an easy decision. While Roth IRA contributions are not deductible, IRA and SEP contributions are fully deductible depending upon your income, filing status, and participation in an employer plan. Income within a retirement plan – whether IRA, SEP, or 401(k) – is not taxed until you withdraw it.
Harvest Your Capital Losses: If you own stocks that have lost money, you can sell them and deduct up to $3,000 on your federal taxes. Just be careful not to violate the wash-sale rule, which would disallow the deduction. This rule states you cannot purchase the same or a substantially similar stock within 30 days before or after the sale. “Some people think it’s OK if I do it using two accounts,” Zollars says. They may think they can sell a stock from a taxable account and then immediately purchase similar securities in an IRA. However, this is not allowed. “That’s not the way the rule works,” he says.
Your filing status can affect how much you owe in taxes each year, and whether or not you have to file at all. Consider whether your filing status will change during the year. For example, if you’re single but planning to get married by Dec. 31 of the current tax year, you may choose to file a joint or separate return with your future spouse when you file your taxes next year. Alternatively, you may be filing as a single taxpayer if you expect to get divorced during the year, or as head of household if you’re single and having a child or taking on another dependent. Find additional details on South Florida Bookkeeping by Accountants.
The maximum amount of wages garnished varies depending on the garnishment, but they range from 15 percent of disposable earnings for student loans to as much as 65 percent of disposable earnings for child support (if the employee is at least 12 weeks in arrears). In states that have enacted laws differing from federal wage garnishment requirements, employers must comply with state laws demanding a lesser garnishment. And because state laws differ (North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Texas generally prohibit wage garnishment for consumer debts altogether), employers should ascertain what’s required of them by state law before proceeding with garnishment. No matter how high the debt, employees will always be allowed to keep a certain percentage of their paycheck for general living expenses.
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC): Millions of lower-income people take this credit every year. However, 25% of taxpayers who are eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit fail to claim it, according to the IRS. Some people miss out on the credit because the rules can be complicated. Others simply aren’t aware that they qualify. The EITC is a refundable tax credit—not a deduction—ranging from $529 to $6,557 for 2019. The credit is designed to supplement wages for low-to-moderate income workers. But the credit doesn’t just apply to lower income people. Tens of millions of individuals and families previously classified as “middle class”—including many white-collar workers—are now considered “low income” because they: lost a job, took a pay cut, or worked fewer hours during the year. The exact refund you receive depends on your income, marital status and family size. To get a refund from the EITC you must file a tax return, even if you don’t owe any taxes. Moreover, if you were eligible to claim the credit in the past but didn’t, you can file any time during the year to claim an EITC refund for up to three previous tax years.
We are located in Coral Springs, Florida. Our Accounting and Bookkeeping Company is comprised of accountants who provide bookkeeping, accounting, tax, and business management services to individuals, S corporations, and businesses of all sizes. We provide superior personal service and show you how specific tax laws and deductions will affect you and your company. Our goal is to help you understand the tax laws, provide you with tax and accounting resources, and maximize your tax savings by taking every legal tax deduction that you deserve. Read even more info on https://bookkeepinghelpcoralsprings.com/.