In October 2011 the IRS released guidance on reporting revenues from third-parties such as Visa, American Express and PayPal. These settlement companies were to issue Form 1099-K to businesses and the IRS, documenting all transactions and gross receipts processed throughout the year. This information was to be reported on tax returns beginning with 2012.

If you have any questions regarding this information, please contact our office at (239) 433-5554.  Our team of professionals welcomes the opportunity to discuss your specific situation further. You may also visit us on the web at www.markham-norton.com.

Start Planning Now for Next Year’s Tax Return

This information has been provided by the IRS.

The tax deadline may have just passed but planning for next year can start now. The IRS reminds taxpayers that being organized and planning ahead can save time, money and headaches in 2013. Here are eight things you can do now to make next April 15 easier.

1. Adjust your withholding Why wait another year for a big refund? Now is a good time to review your withholding and make adjustments for next year, especially if you’d prefer more money in each paycheck this year. If you owed at tax time, perhaps you’d like next year’s tax payment to be smaller. Use IRS’s Withholding Calculator at www.irs.gov or Publication 919, How Do I Adjust My Tax Withholding?

2. Store your return in a safe place Put your 2011 tax return and supporting documents somewhere secure so you’ll know exactly where to find them if you receive an IRS notice and need to refer to your return. If it is easy to find, you can also use it as a helpful guide for next year’s return.

3. Organize your recordkeeping Establish a central location where everyone in your household can put tax-related records all year long. Anything from a shoebox to a file cabinet works. Just be consistent to avoid a scramble for misplaced mileage logs or charity receipts come tax time.

4. Review your paycheck Make sure your employer is properly withholding and reporting retirement account contributions, health insurance payments, charitable payroll deductions and other items. These payroll adjustments can make a big difference on your bottom line. Fixing an error in your paycheck now gets you back on track before it becomes a huge hassle.

5. Shop for a tax professional early If you use a tax professional to help you strategize, plan and make financial decisions throughout the year, then search now. You’ll have more time when you’re not up against a deadline or anxious for your refund. Choose a tax professional wisely. You are ultimately responsible for the accuracy of your own return regardless of who prepares it. Find tips for choosing a preparer at www.irs.gov.

6. Prepare to itemize deductions If your expenses typically fall just below the amount to make itemizing advantageous, a bit of planning to bundle deductions into 2012 may pay off. An early or extra mortgage payment, pre-deadline property tax payments, planned donations or strategically paid medical bills could equal some tax savings. See the Schedule A instructions for expenses you can deduct if you’re itemizing and then prepare an approach that works best for you.

7. Strategize tuition payments The American Opportunity Tax Credit, which offsets higher education expenses, is set to expire after 2012. It may be beneficial to pay 2013 tuition in 2012 to take full advantage of this tax credit, up to $2,500, before it expires. For more information, see IRS Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Education.

8. Keep up with changes Find out about tax law changes, helpful tips and IRS announcements all year by subscribing to IRS Tax Tips through www.irs.gov or IRS2Go, the mobile app from the IRS. The IRS issues tips regularly during summer and tax season. Special Edition tips are sent periodically with other timely updates.

The IRS emphasizes that each household’s financial circumstances are different so it’s important to fully consider your specific situation and goals before making large financial decisions.
Links:

• IRS Withholding Calculator
• Publication 919, How Do I Adjust My Tax Withholding? (PDF)
• 2011 Form 1040 (Schedule A) (PDF)
• Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Education (PDF)

If you have any questions regarding this information, please contact our office at (239) 433-5554.  Our team of professionals welcomes the opportunity to discuss your specific situation further. You may also visit us on the web at www.markham-norton.com.

1. Most gifts are not subject to the gift tax. For example, there is usually no tax if you make a gift to your spouse or to a charity. If you make a gift to someone else, the gift tax usually does not apply until the value of the gifts you give that person exceeds the annual exclusion for the year. For 2011 and 2012, the annual exclusion is $13,000.

2. Gift tax returns do not need to be filed unless you give someone, other than your spouse, money or property worth more than the annual exclusion for that year.

3. Generally, the person who receives your gift will not have to pay any federal gift tax because of it. Also, that person will not have to pay income tax on the value of the gift received.

4. Making a gift does not ordinarily affect your federal income tax. You cannot deduct the value of gifts you make (other than deductible charitable contributions).

5. The general rule is that any gift is a taxable gift. However, there are many exceptions to this rule. The following gifts are not taxable gifts:

• Gifts that are do not exceed the annual exclusion for the calendar year,
• Tuition or medical expenses you pay directly to a medical or educational institution for someone,
• Gifts to your spouse,
• Gifts to a political organization for its use, and
• Gifts to charities.

6. You and your spouse can make a gift up to $26,000 to a third party without making a taxable gift. The gift can be considered as made one-half by you and one-half by your spouse. If you split a gift you made, you must file a gift tax return to show that you and your spouse agree to use gift splitting. You must file a Form 709, United States Gift (and Generation-Skipping Transfer) Tax Return, even if half of the split gift is less than the annual exclusion.

7. You must file a gift tax return on Form 709, if any of the following apply:

• You gave gifts to at least one person (other than your spouse) that are more than the annual exclusion for the year.
• You and your spouse are splitting a gift.
• You gave someone (other than your spouse) a gift of a future interest that he or she cannot actually possess, enjoy, or receive income from until some time in the future.
• You gave your spouse an interest in property that will terminate due to a future event.

8. You do not have to file a gift tax return to report gifts to political organizations and gifts made by paying someone’s tuition or medical expenses.

For more information see Publication 950, Introduction to Estate and Gift Taxes. Both Form 709 and Publication 950.

This information has been provided by the IRS. If you have any questions regarding this information, please contact our office at (239) 433-5554.  Our team of professionals welcomes the opportunity to discuss your specific situation further. You may also visit us on the web at www.markham-norton.com

Read it by clicking on the image below.

Florida Governor Rick Scott has signed a bill affecting the current unemployment tax rates and the taxable wage base. The bill changes the employer tax rate calculation and reduces the taxable wage base to $8,000. These changes will apply to the Employer’s Quarterly Report (Form UCT-6) due by April 30, 2012. A new Unemployment Compensation Tax Rate Notice (Form UCT-20) will be mailed very soon to employers. Employers who file quarterly report forms via paper will receive their UCT-6 form with the new tax rate in early April 2012.

A separate special interest assessment will be due in 2012 on funds borrowed from the federal government to pay unemployment compensation claims. In February, the Department mailed a notice (Form UCT-27Fi) to contributing employers, informing them of their proportionate share of the assessment.

If you have any questions regarding this information, please contact our office at (239) 433-5554.  Our team of professionals welcomes the opportunity to discuss your specific situation further. You may also visit us on the web at www.markham-norton.com.

1.　If your goal is a legitimate tax deduction, then you must be giving to a qualified organization. Also, you cannot deduct contributions made to specific individuals, political organizations or candidates.

2.　To deduct a charitable contribution, you must file Form 1040 and itemize deductions on Schedule A. If your total deduction for all noncash contributions for the year is more than $500, you must complete and attach IRS Form 8283, Noncash Charitable Contributions, to your return.

3.　If you receive a benefit because of your contribution such as merchandise, tickets to a ball game or other goods and services, then you can deduct only the amount that exceeds the fair market value of the benefit received.

4.　Donations of stock or other non-cash property are usually valued at the fair market value of the property. Clothing and household items must generally be in good used condition or better to be deductible. Special rules apply to vehicle donations.

5.　Fair market value is generally the price at which property would change hands between a willing buyer and a willing seller, neither having to buy or sell, and both having reasonable knowledge of all the relevant facts.

6.　Regardless of the amount, to deduct a contribution of cash, check, or other monetary gift, you must maintain a bank record, payroll deduction records or a written communication from the organization containing the name of the organization and the date and amount of the contribution. For text message donations, a telephone bill meets the record-keeping requirement if it shows the name of the receiving organization, the date of the contribution and the amount given.

7.　To claim a deduction for contributions of cash or property equaling $250 or more, you must have a bank record, payroll deduction records or a written acknowledgment from the qualified organization showing the amount of the cash, a description of any property contributed, and whether the organization provided any goods or services in exchange for the gift. One document may satisfy both the written communication requirement for monetary gifts and the written acknowledgement requirement for all contributions of $250 or more.

8.　Taxpayers donating an item or a group of similar items valued at more than $5,000 must also complete Section B of Form 8283, which generally requires an appraisal by a qualified appraiser.

This information has been provided by the IRS. If you have any questions regarding this information, please contact our office at (239) 433-5554.  Our team of professionals welcomes the opportunity to discuss your specific situation further. You may also visit us on the web at www.markham-norton.com.

Expenses that qualify for an itemized deduction generally include:

• Business travel away from home
• Business use of your car
• Business meals and entertainment 
• Travel
• Use of your home
• Education
• Supplies
• Tools
• Miscellaneous expenses

If your employer reimburses you under an accountable plan, you should not include the payments in your gross income, and you may not deduct any of the reimbursed amounts. An accountable plan must meet three requirements:

1. You must have paid or incurred expenses that are deductible while performing services as an employee.

2. You must adequately account to your employer for these expenses within a reasonable time period.

3. You must return any excess reimbursement or allowance within a reasonable time period.

If the plan under which you are reimbursed by your employer is non-accountable, the payments you receive should be included in the wages shown on your Form W-2. You must report the income and itemize your deductions to deduct these expenses.

This information has been provided by the IRS. If you have any questions regarding this information, please contact our office at (239) 433-5554.  Our team of professionals welcomes the opportunity to discuss your specific situation further. You may also visit us on the web at www.markham-norton.com.

1. Generally, in order to claim a business deduction for your home, you must use part of your home exclusively and regularly:

• as your principal place of business, or

• as a place to meet or deal with patients, clients or customers in the normal course of your business, or

• in any connection with your trade or business where the business portion of your home is a separate structure not attached to your home.

2. For certain storage use, rental use or daycare-facility use, you are required to use the property regularly but not exclusively.

3. Generally, the amount you can deduct depends on the percentage of your home used for business. Your deduction for certain expenses will be limited if your gross income from your business is less than your total business expenses.

4. There are special rules for qualified daycare providers and for persons storing business inventory or product samples.

5. If you are self-employed, use Form 8829, Expenses for Business Use of Your Home to figure your home office deduction and report those deductions on Form 1040 Schedule C, Profit or Loss From Business.

6. If you are an employee, additional rules apply for claiming the home office deduction. For example, the regular and exclusive business use must be for the convenience of your employer.

Links:

• Publication 587, Business Use of Your Home  
• Instructions: Form 8829, Expenses for Business Use of Your Home 

This information has been provided by the IRS. If you have any questions regarding this information, please contact our office at (239) 433-5554.  Our team of professionals welcomes the opportunity to discuss your specific situation further. You may also visit us on the web at www.markham-norton.com.