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Ten Tips on a Tax Credit for Child and Dependent Care Expenses

If you paid someone to care for your child, spouse, or dependent last year, you may qualify to claim the Child and Dependent Care Credit when you file your federal income tax return. Below are 10 things the IRS wants you to know about claiming the credit for child and dependent care expenses. 1. The […]

Tax Credits Available for Certain Energy-Efficient Home Improvements

The IRS would like you to get some credit for qualified home energy improvements this year. Perhaps you installed solar equipment or recently insulated your home? Here are two tax credits that may be available to you: 1. The Non-business Energy Property Credit  Homeowners who install energy-efficient improvements may qualify for this credit. The 2011 […]

What Employers Need to Know About Claiming the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit

If you are a small employer with fewer than 25 full-time equivalent employees that earn an average wage of less than $50,000 a year and you pay at least half of employee health insurance premiums…then there is a tax credit that may put money in your pocket. The Small Business Health Care Tax Credit is […]

Seven Tips to Help Taxpayers Avoid Phony Refund Schemes Abusing Popular College Tax Credit

The Internal Revenue Service offers the following seven tips to help taxpayers avoid an emerging scheme tempting senior citizens and other taxpayers to file tax returns claiming fraudulent refunds. These schemes promise refunds to people who have little or no income and normally don’t have a tax filing requirement. Promoters claim they can obtain for […]

Standard Deduction vs. Itemizing: Seven Facts to Help You Choose

Each year, millions of taxpayers choose whether to take the standard deduction or to itemize their deductions. The following seven facts from the IRS can help you choose the method that gives you the lowest tax. 1. Qualifying expenses – Whether to itemize deductions on your tax return depends on how much you spent on […]

Six Facts for Adoptive Parents

If you paid expenses to adopt an eligible child in 2011, you may be able to claim a tax credit of up to $13,360. Here are six things the IRS wants you to know about the expanded adoption credit. 1. The Affordable Care Act increased the amount of the credit and made it refundable, which […]

Four Tax Credits that Can Boost your Refund

A tax credit is a dollar-for-dollar reduction of taxes owed. Some tax credits are refundable meaning if you are eligible and claim one, you can get the rest of it in the form of a tax refund even after your tax liability has been reduced to zero. Here are four refundable tax credits you should […]

Free Tax Help for Military Personnel and Their Families

Free tax return preparation assistance is available for eligible military members and their spouses. The IRS and U.S. Armed Forces participate in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, which provides free tax advice, tax preparation, return filing and other tax assistance to military members and their families. Here are five things you need to know […]

Mortgage Debt Forgiveness: 10 Key Points

Canceled debt is normally taxable to you, but there are exceptions. One of those exceptions is available to homeowners whose mortgage debt is partly or entirely forgiven during tax years 2007 through 2012. The IRS would like you to know these 10 facts about Mortgage Debt Forgiveness: 1. Normally, debt forgiveness results in taxable income. […]

Education Tax Credits Help Pay Higher Education Costs

Two federal tax credits may help you offset the costs of higher education for yourself or your dependents.  These are the American Opportunity Credit and the Lifetime Learning Credit. To qualify for either credit, you must pay postsecondary tuition and fees for yourself, your spouse or your dependent. The credit may be claimed by either […]