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The Holidays are Coming and so is the Gift Tax!

gift tax 2018

You may have to file a gift tax return for presents on the expensive side…

We all know that we can’t write off a designer bag or a watch that we’ve bought for ourselves. On the other hand, let’s say you want to surprise someone with a brand new first car for the holidays. If you didn’t know, the IRS establishes an limited amount until you have to file a tax return, just for the gift you’re planning on giving!

Here’s what you need to look out for when you’re going all out for the holidays.

First off, what is the federal gift tax?

The federal gift tax applies to the transfer of money or property to an individual while receiving less than the full value in return or nothing at all. There is a gift tax exclusion (subject to inflation per tax year) which sets a limit of how much in value they can gift per person before having file Form 709 to the IRS.

Here are the gift tax exclusion amounts from tax years 2002 to 2018. Continue reading “The Holidays are Coming and so is the Gift Tax!”

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8 Things You Need to Know For the 2018 Tax Deadline!

tax deadline 2018

October 15 is in less than 2 weeks…did you file your 2017 taxes?

Taxpayers tend to wait until the last minute to file their 2017 tax returns. However, if you’re one of these taxpayers who missed the April 17 tax deadline, here are some helpful tax information that you should know.

1. October 15, 2018 is the e-file and extension deadline.

After October 15, 2018, are required to paper-file your 2017 tax returns since e-file is no longer available.

2. If you have a refund waiting for you, you are not subject to penalties for filing late.

Just make sure you file your return within three years of the original due date based on the IRS statute of limitations.

3. You cannot file an extension and your tax return is considered late.

This means if you did not file an extension by April 17, you can no longer do so.

4. If you have a tax due to the IRS and did not file or pay your taxes by April 17, you will be subject to penalties.

Continue reading “8 Things You Need to Know For the 2018 Tax Deadline!”

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Am I Still Required to File A Past State Tax Return?

states with no income tax

Don’t worry about filing a past state tax return if you belong to one of these as your resident state.

The U.S. states that do not have income taxes are Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. However, just because you don’t need to pay income tax, doesn’t mean a state is any cheaper to live in. In order to maintain state revenue, states with no income tax rely on other uses of taxes such as estate, property, sales, excise, gift taxes and more.

For example, here are a few ways each state maintains their state revenue:

  • Alaska depends on estate, excise, gift and severance taxes
  • Florida depends on property, sales, and corporate income taxes
  • Nevada; being a tourist attraction, depends on fees, gambling taxes, and high sales taxes
  • South Dakota taxes property, alcoholic beverages and cigarettes
  • Texas depends on high use, sales and property taxes
  • Washington depends on business, occupation and sales taxes
  • Wyoming depends on taxing property and businesses

Unlike the seven states above, New Hampshire and Tennessee do not have personal income taxes but still taxes specific types of income. New Hampshire doesn’t have sales tax, or inheritance tax but it does tax interest and dividends. Tennessee does not have estate and inheritance tax but taxes dividends and interest due to its Hall Tax.

Have you forgotten to file a state return or two?

Continue reading “Am I Still Required to File A Past State Tax Return?”