The child tax credit
This can trim your taxes by up to $500 per child. You can take the credit for any dependent who was under the age of 17 as of December 31, 2000. To get the full credit, your income must be under $75,000 if single, under $55,000 if married but filing separately, and under $110,000 if you and your spouse file jointly.
The child-care credit
This tax break covers expenses you incur to care for a child under 13 years of age while you go to work or go to school full-time. Nursery school, day care and private kindergarten fees qualify, but not grade school.
Health care insurance
Did the college or vocational school bills you paid for your child include a fee for health insurance? If you take the child as a dependent, provide over half her support for the year and itemize your deductions, you can list this insurance premium as a medical expense on Schedule A, line 1.
Audit Red Flags
Not reporting all interest and dividends. The IRS gets copies of your 1099 form from every bank or company that paid you interest or dividends and matches them to what you report on your return. So be sure to report all income.
Not listing Social Security numbers. This especially applies if you forget your nanny’s number or the employer identification number of your day-care provider.
Failure to pay early withdrawal penalties on retirement accounts. The bank where you have your retirement account must send to you and the IRS a copy of Form 1099R showing withdrawals you made. If you’re under 591/2 and don’t reinvest the money in a similar account within 60 days, you’ll owe taxes, plus a 10 percent penalty. There are exceptions, so talk to your accountant.
Should I use a credit card to pay my taxes?
The tax instruction booklet you receive from the IRS includes the name, phone number and Internet address of two organizations that will arrange for the taxes you owe to be charged to your MasterCard, Discover or American Express account.
Here’s how it works: Either call or log on to one of the organizations. Follow voice or visual prompts until you get a confirmation number. Write it in the upper left-hand corner of your tax return and mail it to the IRS. Retain a copy of the number for your records. The amount you’ve charged will appear on your next statement as two line items: tax and fee.
What’s the catch? The credit card processor requires a “convenience fee” of 2 1/2 percent for the service. So if you charge, say, $2,000 in taxes, there’s a $50 fee. Moreover, if you don’t pay the full amount (this charge plus others) by the due date, you’ll have to pay interest at the rate your card is currently charging.
What’s the alternative? If you can’t pay in full, ask the IRS to set up an installment plan where you pay interest and fees at rates set quarterly by the IRS. These rates are running at 9 percent (compounded daily) as we go to press, which is probably less than your credit card charges. To apply for an installment agreement, call the IRS to ask them for a copy of Form 9465. The IRS routinely grants installment plans if you owe $25,000 or less in taxes and usually gives you up to 60 months to pay.
Sun, Apr 26, 2009
0 Comments