Whether you do it yourself or hire a professional to do
it, the key to preparing a tax return is complete and accurate information.
This article is geared towards individuals who have a low to medium financial complexity. Let’s break down what you need in two simple
categories: income and expenses. Please note that there are exceptions to
everything and these are general, high-level guidelines. Consulting with a tax
professional is always the best course of action to avoid mistakes and
misstatements.
Income. Any
money coming in the door usually has to be reported. Exceptions include, but
aren’t limited to, child support received and life insurance proceeds. For the
most part, you will be provided a form reporting your income. If you work for a
company, you’ll receive a W-2. If you have investments and received a
distribution, interest, dividends, or capital gains, you’ll receive some type
of 1099. Unemployment income is reported on 1099-G. There are more income
scenarios, but the point is that the work is done for you. Simply retain all
tax documents you receive and report them in the proper section on your return.
If you receive alimony, you will not receive any type of
form. You still, however, have to report it. Ex-spouses who pay alimony get to
deduct the payments from their income. In turn, the recipient adds the same
amount to their income. And yes, the IRS does check to see if the amounts
match.
If you perform any part-time or full-time freelance work
or have a sole proprietorship, all income generated from your work must be
reported as income. In many cases, you’ll receive a 1099-MISC if a business
paid you more than $600 in a calendar year. Business income is beyond the scope
of this article, but I wanted to highlight the fact that all income is
reportable regardless if you received a year-end form or not.
Expenses. It’s mostly up to you to track your tax deductible expenses for the
year. You will, however, receive a 1098 for student loan interest paid and
mortgage interest/property taxes paid. If you pay your property taxes directly,
it will not be reported on the 1098.
Medical and dental expenses are one of the more common
deductions. Keep track of payments made for non-employer health and dental plan
premiums, doctor/dentist visits, lab work, radiology, and prescriptions. Retain
bills and receipts to support your deductions. Payments made on a credit card
DO count even if you don’t make a payment on the credit card until the next
year. You may also deduct mileage for travel to and from medical and dental
visits as long as you keep a log of your mileage. Items that aren’t deductible
include over-the-counter medications (except insulin), vitamins, and personal
care products.
The other common deduction is charitable donations.
Monetary donations are deductible as long as you have written acknowledgement
from the recipient of the donation. Canceled checks aren’t sufficient anymore.
If you donate items, ensure you assign a conservative fair market value for the
items. This is a hot button for the IRS so my recommendation would be to err on
the side of caution and don’t be too aggressive with your valuation.
Finally, you may deduct money you spend on job-related
expenses only if your employer did not reimburse you for those expenses. For
example, if you work in construction and your employer gives you a $50
allowance to purchase work boots and you spend $75, you can deduct $25 on your
return as a job-related expense. Mileage driven to and from work is not
deductible.
I hope this brief entry helps make this and future tax
seasons a little less stressful for you. As always, I recommend using a
personal money management software, like Quicken, to track expenses. Not only
is it a great tool to understand how you’re spending your money, but it
generates reports to quickly obtain the numbers you need to complete your tax
return.
