Can a self-employed taxpayer still use the home office deduction?
- August 27th, 2020
- David Greene
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In a recent blog I discussed that unreimbursed employee expenses for a W-2 employee were no longer allowed as a miscellaneous deduction after 2017. However, that is not true for self-employed taxpayers who report their business on a Schedule C…
Is unemployment income taxable?
- August 24th, 2020
- David Greene
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Unfortunately, unemployment income is taxable on the federal, state and local level. However, it is estimated that 37% of Americans do not know this and assume unemployment income is not taxable. The recipient has to ask the Agency to withhold…
Can a W-2 employee deduct unreimbursed employee expenses?
- August 5th, 2020
- David Greene
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Prior to 2017, if a W-2 employee had business expenses related to his employment that his employer did not reimburse, he could take a deduction for those expenses. However, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 eliminated those deductions…
What are the criteria for forgiving a PPP loan?
- July 9th, 2020
- David Greene
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The process to have your PPP loan forgiven is very complicated and is still being fine tuned by SBA, but here are some of the rules. (1) All funds must be used for covered expenses within 24 weeks of receiving…
How can one prove a tax return was filed if the IRS says it was not?
- June 17th, 2020
- David Greene
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Was the return sent by certified mail, return receipt requested? If so the green card signed by someone at the IRS and a copy of thee signed and dated tax return is all the proof needed. If you did not…
How should one report non-cash contributions?
- May 19th, 2020
- David Greene
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Keeping proper records to support contributions claimed as a tax deduction can be tricky. If you claim cash contributions, you must have a receipt from the charitable group to whom you gave the contribution. Also, the gift must be to…
If a student loan is discharged, is the discharged amount taxable?
- April 28th, 2020
- David Greene
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Not in all cases. The general rule is that, if a debt you owe is discharged, the amount discharged now becomes income to you because you do not have to pay back the debt. I.e., you received money and used…
Is the taxing of individuals by the IRS illegal?
- April 14th, 2020
- David Greene
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I get this kind of inquiry every couple of years. Over the course of my practice, I have represented several individuals who tried to take this stand with the IRS. None of them were successful and the few who did…
How to deal with a missing W-2.
- February 18th, 2020
- David Greene
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You should have received your W-2 by January 31. If you did not, you should take these steps: (1) Contact your former employer and verify whether your address is correct and request a resubmission of the W-2. (2) If not…
Can I use my unreimbursed employee mileage expense as a deduction in 2020?
- February 4th, 2020
- David Greene
- Comments Off on Can I use my unreimbursed employee mileage expense as a deduction in 2020?
Unfortunately, you can no longer use mileage on the job as an unreimbursed business expense when you itemize deductions. In my practice I have found that, most of the time, those expenses were disallowed in an audit because the taxpayer…