These Situations Could Lead to a Higher Tax Bill This Year

shutterstock_398205748

 

Unless you’ve filed for an extension then the tax deadline is officially upon us. That means you need to get your taxes in pronto, if you still haven’t. While most people hate doing their taxes, they do enjoy the typical reward after the hard work is all done: a nice refund check.

However, there is no guarantee that you will get a refund. In fact, it’s entirely possible that you could end up owing the IRS some money, even if you weren’t expecting to. That’s because there are certain life events and decisions that can end up putting you in the red instead of the black.

For example, if you have started a side business there is a good chance you could end up owing more in taxes than you expected. If you don’t plan ahead and you don’t make any estimated tax payments on that additional income, you will owe some extra money when you report it come tax time.

Getting married or filing for divorce can also impact your tax status greatly. If you change your filing status to married filing jointly, you could end up owing more than you did when you filed as a single. Additionally, when you get divorced you might end up losing some of the deductions you once enjoyed when you were married.

There are several other events in life that could negatively affect your tax bill, including selling your home, withdrawing money from a retirement account, losing your job, winning prize money or receiving an inheritance from someone. The bottom line is, there are several things that can affect your tax bill, so make sure you track everything and be prepared for the worst. As always you can contact us at GROCO for more tax help.

http://www.denverpost.com/2017/04/09/surprise-tax-bill

Posted in

The Skinny on Tax-Deferred Retirement Accounts

Just about anyone could benefit from a tax-differed retirement account. These accounts, most commonly known as 401Ks or IRAs, are a great way to save for retirement and in many cases save on taxes. The real question is when do you plan on cashing out that retirement fund? While you will always see immediate savings…

Now Is the Time to Fix California’s Messed up Tax Code

The California tax code is about as healthy as the federal tax code. In other words, it needs a lot of work. Of course, there are many interested parties that are all hard at work trying to create plans that will help improve the state’s economy and tax revenue while helping those from the lower…

Ben Stein Tax the rich

Why Taxing the Rich to Help the Poor Doesn’t Work

How many of you remember the Comedy Central game show: “Win Ben Stein’s Money?” The host, Mr. Stein, would challenge his opponents in answering trivia questions and actually give away his own money to those who beat him. That show has long been off the air, but the game show host, turned conservative commentator is…

Toshiba Adds More Units to Accounting Probe After Overstated Profits

Toshiba added more units to accounting probe after overstating their profits. Accounting can be much like taxes and when it comes to businesses the two go hand-in-hand. Getting your accounting right is extremely important. That’s why we recommend using a qualified accounting firm to handle your books. That includes: preparing financial statements, certifying audits, compilations…