How To Get Maximum Tax Deductions

Learn About Claiming Education Credits

An education credit helps you pay education expenses by reducing the amount you owe on your tax return. There are two types of education credits:

• The American Opportunity Tax Credit helps with expenses during the first four years of higher education. You can get a maximum annual credit of $2,500 per eligible student. If the credit lowers your tax to zero, you may get a refund.

• The Lifetime Learning Credit can be used toward tuition payments and related expenses. To use the credit, you must attend a qualifying educational institution. Use the LLC for undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree course expenses. Or, use the credit to help pay for classes that improve job skills. You can claim up to $2,000 per tax return, and there is no limit on the number of years you can claim the credit.

You must meet income limits to be eligible for these credits. And you cant claim both credits for the same student and the same expenses.

Deduction For Whistleblower Fees

This deduction is an incentive to help taxpayers detect and alert the IRS to tax law violations. The deduction can cover attorney fees and court costs you paid in connection with helping the IRS. To claim the deduction, you must have received an award from the IRS . Then you can deduct your fees on Schedule 1.

How To Maximize Your Itemized Tax Deductions

OVERVIEW

Since you can decide every year whether you want to take the standard deduction or itemize your deductions, careful tax planning can help you maximize your deductions in years you itemize.

Many of your everyday expenses can be itemized as deductions on your income tax return, saving you lots of money at tax time. However, unless you have a large amount of qualifying expenses, you might be better off taking the standard deduction, as most taxpayers do. Since you can decide every year whether you want to take the standard deduction or not, careful tax planning can help you maximize your deductions in years you itemize.

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Rrsp As Immediate Tax Relief

RRSP stands for Registered Retirement Savings Plan. Its a registered account in which you can hold cash, guaranteed investment certificates , stocks, bonds, exchange-traded funds , and more. Your earned income determines how much you can contribute to your RRSP is determined by your earned income. You can contribute 18% of your earned income from the previous year , and the contribution room carries forward indefinitely. With that in mind, any Canadian who has earned income should file a tax return and start building RRSP contribution room.

If you arent sure what your RRSP contribution limit is, you can check it via the Canada Revenue Agencys My Account function. Canadians put money into RRSPs to primarily save for retirement, but the contribution also provides immediate tax relief reducing taxable income by the amount of your contribution.

Youre allowed to contribute to your RRSP in the first 60 days of the calendar year and apply the deduction to your prior years tax return. That gives smart tax planners a window to maximize their tax deductions by making an RRSP contribution during this period. A good rule is to contribute to your RRSP when your income is high say more than $50,000 per year otherwise, it might make sense to prioritize the Tax-Free Savings Account .

Now is a great time to sign up because Wealthsimple is offering Young and Thrifty readers an exclusive deal: get a $100 cash bonus open and fund your first Wealthsimple Invest account .

Advance Child Tax Credit

Even if you dont pay any taxes, you may qualify for a refund of the CTC.

The CTC was expanded under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for tax year 2021 only. If you are eligible, you should have begun receiving advance Child Tax Credit payments on July 15. The payments will continue monthly through December 2021. Under ARPA, families are eligible to receive:

• Up to $3,000 per qualifying child between ages 6 and 17
• Up to $3,600 per qualifying child under age 6

The Internal Revenue Service began sending out letters in early June to more than 36 million families who may be eligible for the monthly payments. Most families do not need to do anything to get their payments, as long as theyve filed their 2020 or 2019 tax return. Learn more about the letter and how it can help you determine your eligibility.

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Income Tax Deductions Under Section 80

Taxpayers can claim several income tax deductions under subsections of Section 80 of the Income Tax Act. The following table will help you understand the tax deduction limits and your eligibility to claim them.

Work With A Professional

You cant be an expert on every tax deduction and credit available out there. There are countless deductions and credits between the federal and state tax legislation ranging from basic and obvious to complicated and obscure.

Working with a tax professional will help you better understand the deductions and credits youre already aware of. It will also undoubtedly help you discover many more deductions and credits to include that you didnt know about.

Filing and optimizing your tax return can be a complicated process that requires a lot of time, effort, and expertise. Dont be afraid to seek assistance and invest in a better result for your tax season.

This post is to be used for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, business, or tax advice. Each person should consult his or her own attorney, business advisor, or tax advisor with respect to matters referenced in this post. 1-800Accountant assumes no liability for actions taken in reliance upon the information contained herein.

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Are You A Good Candidate For An Ipp

An IPP is specifically designed for Pharmacy owners and locums who:

• Are age 40 and over
• Practice under their own corporation
• Earn $100,000+ in T4 income

Incorporated Pharmacists who pay themselves dividends are not immediately eligible because dividend income does not generate RRSP contribution room, which is what you need to contribute to an IPP.

If this is you, dont get upset because with proper tax planning, Pharmacists can optimize their earnings through a combination of salary and dividends so that in one year, you can start contributing to an IPP and skyrocket your retirement savings.

Get A Bigger Tax Refund: Dont Forget The Deductions

In terms of your tax refund, credits typically yield a bigger tax return than deductions. But that doesnt mean you should overlook key write-offs for which you qualify. Instead of reducing the amount of tax you owe, deductions reduce the amount of income that is subject to tax.

When you file your taxes, you have to decide whether to take the standard deduction or itemize. For many filers, the Trump tax plans doubling of the standard deduction has made this choice an easy one. However, itemizing becomes the smarter choice when you have a lot of deductible expenses. This includes business expenses like mileage and lodging, home office expenses if youre self-employed, donations to charitable organizations, mortgage interest, student loan interest and even gambling losses.

The amount of each expense you can deduct does vary. Its also important to make sure you have appropriate records to backup your claim, like receipts or bank statements.

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Deduction Of Medicare Premiums For The Self

Folks who continue to run their own businesses after qualifying for Medicare can deduct the premiums they pay for Medicare Part B and Part D, plus the cost of supplemental Medicare policies or the cost of a Medicare Advantage plan.

This deduction is available whether or not you itemize and is not subject to the 7.5% of AGI test that applies to itemized medical expenses. One caveat: You can’t claim this deduction for premiums paid for any month that you were eligible to be covered under an employer-subsidized health plan offered by either your employer or your spouse’s employer .

Personal Tax Credits Returns

You may have to ask your employees or your pensioners to complete a federal and a provincial personal tax credits return using a federal Form TD1 and a provincial Form TD1.

For more information, see Chapter 5, “Deducting income tax” in Guide T4001, Employers’ Guide Payroll Deductions and Remittances.

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What Are Income Tax Deductions

Income tax deductions help people bring down their tax liability in a financial year. In other words, investments done in a financial year that are offset against gross annual income while filing your ITR are known as IT deductions. The provision of tax deductions was done to inculcate a habit of saving in people and assist them in constructing a stable monetary future.

Some popular examples of income tax deductions are Public Provident Fund , National Pension Scheme , investments made under Section 80 of the IT Act, 1961, in ELSS funds, principal repayment of home loan, etc.

How Much Can You Deduct

The amount of money that you can deduct on your taxes may not be equal to the total amount of your donations.

• If you donate non-cash items, you can claim the fair market value of the items on your taxes.

• If you donated a vehicle, your deduction depends on if the organization keeps the car or sells it at an auction. A Donors Guide to Vehicle Donation explains how your deduction is determined.

• If you received a gift or ticket to an event, you can only deduct the amount that exceeds the value of the gift or ticket.

Note: Limits on cash and non-cash charitable donations have increased or been suspended. Learn more about charitable deductions in 2020.

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Deduct Child Care Expenses

Childcare has quickly become one of the largest household expenses for young families. Thankfully, the CRA allows you to claim these expenses as a tax deduction on your tax return.

In most cases, childcare expenses must be claimed by the parent with the lower net income.

Basic limit for childcare expenses

• Eligible children under the age of seven years at the end of 2021 = $8,000
• Number of eligible children between the ages of seven and 16 at the end of 2021 = $5,000

Pro tip: In addition to the usual fees from daycares or in-home providers, most overnight camps and summer day camps are also eligible for the childcare deduction.

How To Skyrocket Retirement Savings And Get Maximum Tax Deductions

Tax increases on passive investments inside your corporation are on their way.

So how will you, a pharmacy owner, save within your corporation without paying 70% tax?

An individual pension plan remains one way to do so.

And this strategy is not affected by these upcoming tax changes. But what exactly is an individual pension plan?

Most likely youve heard of group pension plans that staff and hospital pharmacists get from their employers.

See related: Pension Plans for Staff and Hospital Pharmacists

Think of a group pension plan as an off-the-rack suit.

Sure, it looks great and fits OK but doesnt quite have the snug feel that a bespoke suit has.

And that is exactly what an IPP is: a bespoke pension plan, customized to you, the pharmacy owner.

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The 2021 Standard Deduction

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 more than doubled the amount for standard deductions, meaning more taxpayers than ever have stopped itemizing and are claiming the standard deduction.

But its still good to keep track of your tax-deductible expenses in 2022 because if they happen to be higher than your standard deduction you could save some money on your taxes next year.

*Note that for 2021, there is still no personal exemption, due to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

Remember, even if you take the standard deduction, there are still certain deductions and credits you can claim without itemizing.

How Many Allowances To Claim

You are allowed one allowance for yourself, your spouse and one allowance for each of your dependents. If you file as head of household, you can claim another allowance, and even another if you plan to itemize or if youre claiming the child and dependent care credit or the child tax credit. Keep in mind that just because youre entitled to claim all allowances youre eligible for, you can also opt to claim zero allowances so that the maximum tax is taken out of each paycheck.

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Making The Most Of Business

Credit For Excess Social Security And Rrta Tax Withheld

For the most part, employers are supposed to withhold 6.2% of your income for Social Security tax, but that only applies to income up to $142,800, meaning the maximum Social Security tax you could pay in 2021 is $8,853.60. However, certain high-income individuals may have paid more if they had multiple employers withholding Social Security taxes. This credit may allow you to recoup any excess you paid. Use Schedule 3 of Form 1040 to claim this credit. If any one employer withheld too much Social Security tax, you wonât be able claim this credit because your employer should adjust the excess for you. If your employer doesn’t adjust the overcollection, you can use Form 843 to claim a refund.

Want to learn more? Check out our guide to understanding taxes here.

Image: Lambert

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How To Claim Tax Deductible Donations On Your Tax Return

• In general, itemize at tax time. When you file your tax return every year, you’ll need to itemize your deductions in order to claim tax deductible donations to charity. That means filling out Schedule A along with the rest of your tax return.

• Weigh the costs and benefits ahead of time. Itemizing can take more time than if you just take the standard deduction, and it may require more expensive tax software or create a higher bill from your tax preparer. Plus, if your standard deduction is more than the sum of your itemized deductions, it might be worth it to abandon itemizing and take the standard deduction instead. If you abandon itemizing, however, you abandon taking the deduction for what you donated.

Here are the standard deduction amounts by filing status. Again, if your standard deduction is more than the sum of your itemized deductions, it might be worth it to skip itemizing and take the standard deduction instead.

The Twelve Month Rule

Unlike most other expenses, medical expenses dont have to follow a calendar year. You are allowed to pick your 12 month period. As long as the end of the 12 months falls within the tax year you are reporting, you are free to choose the best time frame for your situation. Lets say you had a ton of medical expenses from November until March. Both kids got braces, your spouse spent a bundle on glasses, and you had to have some physiotherapy due to a fall. If you choose to follow the calendar year, you might be shorting yourself some cash. The 3% rule will be applied to the expenses in two different tax years. If you make your twelve month period from November 1 until October 31, youll be able to lump all of these expenses together on your return that October falls into. This maximizes the impact as the total will only be subjected to the three percent rule once. If you choose to alter your twelve month period, make sure you keep track of the dates for future years.

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