Tax Matters - The Top Tax Defenders Blog

The COVID-19 pandemic has pretty much turned the world upside down. In a surprising but welcome move, the IRS has moved Tax Day to July 15, 2020. But that isn’t the only difference COVID-19 makes to your 2020 taxes and tax activity.

Unusual times call for unusual measures. The federal government passed a $2 trillion (that’s trillion with a “T”) relief act to mitigate the impact of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. 

Sometime before the big, jeweled ball drops on January 1, 2020, you should take some time to maximize your tax savings, not only for 2019 but as a tribute to yourself for 2020. There are only a few weeks left. You need to fit it in between all the holiday prep and celebrations.

Once again, in 2017, the federal government pledged to simplify the income tax code. And they did…sort of. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 had a lot to unpack. Some things changed. A few stayed the same. It’s a lot to digest, even after filing in 2019. Now seems like a good time to put some of the changes in tax law in one place, plus highlight a few items that differ for filing in April 2020.

Daycare and summer camp are two of the main drivers of spending on children under the age of 13 in the United States. According to the American Camp Association, there are more than 14,000 day camps and overnight camps in the U.S., with over 14 million kids and adults attending at their last count in 2013. Over 5 million children under the age of five are in some form of childcare.

People who claim the standard deduction typically do not have to concern themselves with the newest tax codes. However, when you plan on itemizing your deductions this tax season, you should review the latest tax code changes so you know how they will affect your return. Before you file your taxes, you will need to know how the changes made with the Tax Cuts and Job Act will impact the deductions you plan to make on your upcoming taxes. 

For business owners everywhere, the end of the year means that it is time to get ready to file their businesses’ tax returns. Rather than wait until the last possible minute, you can get ready now for tax filing season with some common sense advance planning. These strategies could help you maximize your deductions, lower your taxable income, and possibly increase the amount of your tax refund. 

Tax codes are subject to change with each passing year. For the upcoming 2018 tax year, the changes can significantly impact the way you file your return. Before you file, you may want to learn more about the new IRS tax brackets and how the tax code changes could affect what deductions you plan to take when you file your taxes. 

Sending your children to day camp or summer camp can be an expensive endeavor. Even so, you may believe you have no other option for child care if you are working or going to school full-time or on the lookout for new employment.