January 31st is the deadline to furnish Form 1099- Misc. to recipients.

The 1099-MISC form is used to report more than two dozen types of payments that must be claimed as income by the recipient. This category includes payments made by businesses as fees to attorneys, service providers and freelancers. Other types of payments covered by the 1099-MISC include reimbursement for auto expenses, awards and bonuses, commissions, prizes and vacation allowances for non-employees. more…

Here are 4 ways to Help Your CPA and Reduce Your Taxes:

1) Have a Year End Planning Meeting with Your CPA

This meeting can be in person or over the phone, it really doesn't matter.  The only thing that matters is that it happens.  Most individual income taxpayers are on the cash basis.  This means, with some limited exceptions, for a taxpayer to take advantage of a tax strategy, it needs to happen in that tax year. This is where most of the heavy lifting is done, with the tax planning.    more…

Homeowners still have time this year to make energy-saving and green-energy home improvements and qualify for either of two home energy credits.

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1) Harvest Capital Losses

Capital gains property includes stocks, bonds and mutual funds.  Currently, the stated rate on long term capital gains is 15%.  If you have a net loss after netting all of your gains and losses, the tax deduction is limited to $3,000. Any excess capital losses can be carried into the future. more…

Originally under the Small Business Jobs Act, those who received rental income from real estate were going to be considered, to be engaged in a business, and were going to be subject to the requirements to issue 1099 information returns.  This act was going to make owners of rental properties report payments totaling $600 or more during the course of the year for any expenses relating to these properties. The provision required even the smallest property owners — those who might just be renting out a second home or other rental property — to track any work done for them that totals $600 a year or more over the course of a year and to send any vendors whose work reaches that amount an IRS Form 1099, so they can report the income to the federal government.  Examples of possible 1099-MISC recipients would include: gardeners, landscapers, contractors, property managers and repair services. more…