How To Get Maximum Tax Refund

Tax Day 202: How To Get A Bigger Tax Refund

Last-minute tax moves can mean a bigger tax refund.

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Doing your taxes this holiday weekend? As of April 8, the Internal Revenue Service had processed nearly 100 million individual tax returns for tax year 2021 and issued more than 70 million refunds. The average refund: $3,175.

Here are some last-minute tips on how to get a bigger tax refund, including some special tax breaks that are new or expanded and good for only 2021 tax year returns due this yearon Monday, April 18, 2022 for most taxpayers. Taxpayers in Maine and Massachusetts have until April 19 because of Patriots Day. Taxpayers in certain disaster areas have until May 16 or June 15. And anyone can file for an automatic extension that will give you until October 17just be sure to estimate your tax liability and pay any amount due by the April 18 filing deadline to avoid penalties and interest.

Further Reading:

Research All Your Potential Tax Deductions

Tax deductions are qualified expenditures that can reduce your taxable income. For example, some losses and expenditures, student loan interest, and up to $3,000 of capital losses are deducted from your gross income when determining your adjusted gross income . Other expenditures, such as state and local taxes and charitable contributions, can be claimed as itemized deductions from AGI in determining taxable income. Most taxpayers tend to focus on the most well-known deductions however, there are a number of lesser-known tax deductions that you may qualify to take.

Push Taxable Income Onto Next Year’s Return

The goal of anyone trying to maximize their refund is to have as little taxable income and as many deductions and credits as possible. Most people have only limited control over the timing of their income, but some can maneuver to shift income forward into the following year in order to cut taxes this year. If you can move income from December to January, then you get almost a whole extra year to pay the resulting tax bill.

Of course, that’s only true when tax rates are the same from year to year. Tax reform made moving taxable income from 2017 to 2018 even more lucrative than usual, because the rates on 2018 income are generally much lower. However, if future tax hikes come, then it might be smart during that year only to go ahead and take income and pay low tax rates on it while you can.

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Depending On Your Income You May Qualify For The Earned Income Tax Credit

The Earned Income Tax Credit is a federal tax credit for low- and moderate-income working taxpayers. The credit can reduce the amount of taxes you owe, and it may also give you a refund. To qualify, you must have earned income from wages, self-employment, or farming. You also must meet certain rules regarding filing status, age, and investment income.

The amount of the credit depends on your income and the number of children you have. The credit is subject to change each year, so it’s important to check the latest IRS guidelines to see if you qualify. If you do, the earned income tax credit can be a valuable way to reduce your tax burden.

Use The Right Tax Filing Status For You

Using the correct tax filing status can make a big difference in the size of your tax refund. If you’re married, it typically is beneficial to file your taxes jointly with your spousebut not all the time.

“There are certain income levels where filing separately may yield a better overall refund when combined,” Jervis says. “This may be more true this year, as the recent tax bill made certain credits available on a limited basis to Married Filing Separately filers that were not previously available, particularly the Earned Income Credit.”

This is especially important to consider if you or your spouse have had significant medical bills . Stephanie Ng, CPA and author of I Pass the CPA Exam, explains, “The IRS only allows you to deduct your medical costs that exceed 7.5% of your AGI . Therefore, if you and your spouse have a high AGI, your medical expenses have to be very high before you can deduct them. In this case, the spouse with the disproportionate medical bills may wish to file separately to deduct more of these expenses.” Still, she notes, “In many instances, Married Filing Jointly is the best option, even if it means forgoing the biggest possible medical deduction. Besides, joint files usually receive more overall deductions and credits. But thankfully, most tax software programs will determine what filing status is best for you and your spouse.”

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Real Tax Experts On Demand With Turbotax Live Basic

Get unlimited advice and an expert final review. Done right, guaranteed.

• Estimate your tax refund andwhere you stand

• Know how much to withhold from your paycheck to get

• Estimate your self-employment tax and eliminate

• Estimate capital gains, losses, and taxes for cryptocurrency sales

The above article is intended to provide generalized financial information designed to educate a broad segment of the public it does not give personalized tax, investment, legal, or other business and professional advice. Before taking any action, you should always seek the assistance of a professional who knows your particular situation for advice on taxes, your investments, the law, or any other business and professional matters that affect you and/or your business.

Keep Your Personal And Business Income Separate

If you work for yourself, it’s easy to conflate your personal and business spendingbut try not to do that! “Don’t mix up personal and business spending. It’s much easier to stay organized and keep track of your spending if you use separate checking, savings, and credit card accounts,” Zimmelman says. “Too many taxpayers miss out on deductions because their finances are not in order. Separating your expenses from the start makes filing your tax return so much easier. If you use something for both business and personal purposes , you can deduct a percentage of the expenses on your tax return based on the percentage of use, but youll need detailed documentation such as call logs, to back that up.”

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When To Check Withholding:

• If the tax law changes
• When life changes occur:
• Lifestyle Marriage, divorce, birth or adoption of a child, home purchase, retirement, filing chapter 11 bankruptcy
• Wage income The taxpayer or their spouse starts or stops working or starts or stops a second job
• Taxable income not subject to withholding Interest, dividends, capital gains, self-employment and gig economy income and IRA distributions
• Itemized deductions or tax credits – Medical expenses, taxes, interest expense, gifts to charity, dependent care expenses, education credit, Child Tax Credit, Earned Income Tax Credit

Consider Claiming Digital Devices

If you use your laptop, mobile phone or tablet for work, you might be able to claim part of the cost on tax. Youll need to divide your tax claim according to work use. For instance, if your tablet is used half the time for private matters, you can only claim half the cost on tax but its still a handy tax break.

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Eligibility Criteria For Income Tax Refund

You become eligible for the income tax refund if you meet any of the following criteria:

a) Your total advance tax payments are more than 100% of your actual tax liabilities for the financial yearb) Your TDS payments in the financial year exceed your final tax liability after regular assessmentc)If you have made last moment tax-saving investmentsd) You have paid tax on your income in a foreign country that has double taxation avoidance agreement with Indiae) You have paid excess tax under regular assessment due to an error in assessment

Although Savings Bonds May Generally Be Redeemed At Any Time Are There Any Redemption Restrictions Or Penalties For Early Redemption

Savings bonds are designed as longer-term investments, and generally cannot be redeemed during the first 12 months after you buy them, unless you live in an area affected by a disaster, such as a flood, fire, hurricane or tornado. Waivers for areas affected by disasters are announced on the TreasuryDirect.gov website. If you redeem a savings bond within the first five years, the three most recent months’ interest will be forfeited. After five years, no penalty will apply.

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Take Retirement Account Withdrawals With Caution

When it comes to withdrawing money from your retirement account, it is important to proceed with caution. These funds are usually intended for long-term use, and taking them out too early can have serious consequences for your financial security. Withdrawals can trigger costly penalties and taxes that could seriously impact your bottom line. In addition, drawing down the amount in your account can severely reduce its value over time, hindering your ability to meet your retirement goals.

To avoid these pitfalls, it is essential to plan ahead when considering a withdrawal from your retirement account. Start by doing your research and weighing all of your options before making any rash decisions. Consider whether you need the money right away or if you could wait until a later date when dealing with less restrictive withdrawal conditions. And above all else, remember that planning ahead is always smarter than panicking and taking action in the moment.

With these tips in mind, you can safely navigate the sometimes tricky world of retirement account withdrawals and ensure that you are able to enjoy the financial freedom you’ve worked so hard for in later life.

Itemizing Vs The Standard Deduction

Taxpayers have always had a choice to try to maximize their tax refunds. You can claim the standard deduction, which is a simple way to get a baseline reduction of your taxable income. You can instead itemize your deductions, with the goal of finding a greater amount of eligible deductions that you can use to cut your tax bill even further.

Your best bet is almost always to do whatever will result in the larger deduction amount. However, tax reform nearly doubled the size of the standard deduction, while also putting new limits on some itemized deductions. As a result, more people will find that the standard deduction is their best move for the 2018 tax year, unlike in previous years.

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Consider Whether To Itemize Or Take The Standard Deduction

One of the most important decisions you can make when filing your taxes is whether to itemize or take the standard deduction. There are a few factors to consider in making this choice.

To start, you will need to calculate your total deductions. This includes mortgage interest, state and local taxes, charitable donations, and other allowable expenses. If your total deductions exceed the standard deduction amount, then itemizing may be the better choice.

However, even if your total deductions are less than the standard deduction, you may still want to itemize if you have a large number of deductible expenses in one category, such as charitable donations. Ultimately, the decision of whether to itemize or take the standard deduction depends on your individual tax situation.

Revisit Your Filing Status

Choosing the filing status that best suits your needs can influence the possibility of a refund. Your filing status determines:

• Your standard deduction
• The credits you are eligible to receive
• The amount of tax you pay or the refund you receive

There are five statuses to choose from, but the most common are:

• married filing jointly or

TurboTax can help you determine which choice most benefits your situation.

TurboTax Tip: Unlike in other years, you can still get a refund with the Child and Dependent Care Credit even if you dont owe taxes.

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Understand How Education Savings Plans Work

Parents and students can save for school using education savings plans. These plans can help pay for elementary, secondary, and higher education expenses. The money you save or withdraw from your savings plan for qualified education expenses is tax-free. There are two types of savings plans:

• 529 plans are qualified tuition programs sponsored by states and colleges. Theyre authorized under Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code. With these plans, you can:
• Prepay or contribute funds to an account to help cover qualified higher education expenses
• Transfer or rollover funds from the 529 plan to an Achieving a Better Life Experience account. These funds can benefit the savings account holder or a family member. Learn how an ABLE account can help a person with a disability pay for education, housing, health, and other qualified expenses.
• Pay off up to $10,000 in student loan debts.
• Pay for fees, books, supplies, and equipment required under qualified apprenticeship programs.

Don’t Forget The Basics

The simplest of mistakes can hold up a tax return. To avoid a long wait, make sure you:

• get your details up to date with the ATO – if you lodge using a different address, for example, the ATO won’t be able to match it with your tax file number
• get your bank details in order so your funds reach your account
• get your spelling right because one wrong letter can hold up your return

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How To Get The Most Money Back On Your Tax Return

Michelle P. Scott is a New York attorney with extensive experience in tax, corporate, financial, and nonprofit law, and public policy. As General Counsel, private practitioner, and Congressional counsel, she has advised financial institutions, businesses, charities, individuals, and public officials, and written and lectured extensively.

Most taxpayers either hope to pay as little income tax as is legally possible or try to receive the most money back as a refund after filing their income tax return however, come tax season, taxpayers who have not researched how to minimize their income taxes may end up paying more in taxes than the Internal Revenue Service requires of them.

To reduce your taxable income or receive a larger refund, it’s important to consider if you’re eligible for tax deductions and tax credits and whether you should itemize when you file your income tax return. We look at each of these ways to reduce your tax bill in detail below.

Claim A Deduction For Expenses Incurred In Earning Your Income

As a general rule, you can claim a deduction for any expense incurred in earning your income. Here are some typical deductions:

• transport from worksite to worksite, or when visiting clients or suppliers
• travel, meals and accommodation up to the amount actually spent. Allowances paid by employers are taxable
• tools and other equipment for work purposes .

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Tip : Report All Income

You have to report all eligible income on your tax return. If you dont, you could get into serious trouble with the IRS if your returns are audited in the future. If the IRS discovers unreported income, youll have to pay interest and penaltiesand that can amount to a lot of money.

Before you file your return, consider all your sources of income for 2020. Include things like:

• Income from contract work
• Interest on your savings account
• Dividend payments

You might want to use a spreadsheet to keep up. It might seem old school, but spreadsheets can help you stay on top of small amounts of 1099-related income throughout the year.

What Us Savings Bonds Can I Buy Using This Streamlined Tax Refund Method

Series I U.S. Savings Bonds are sold under this program. They are a low-risk, liquid savings product that earn interest and provide protection from inflation. Although savings bonds are not marketable in that they cannot be bought or sold in secondary security markets, they can be redeemed for principal and accrued earnings at any time after 12 months. See details below.

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There Are Various Options To Use The Money For Instance Should You Save It Should You Splurge Or Invest It While Some Choices Could Improve Your Financial Situation Others Can Give You A Short Trip Or The Phone That You Have Been Wanting For Some Time

Getting an income tax refund is both exciting and at the same time stressful. Most generally do not know what to do with their sudden and possibly unexpected windfall. There are various options to use the money. For instance, should you save it? Should you splurge, or invest the money? While some choices could improve your financial situation, others can give you a short trip or the phone that you have been wanting for some time.

A tax refund could make you feel rich and push you to splurge on unnecessary things. Experts suggest taxpayers should remember that this isnt extra cash, the government isnt sending you a bonus check, it is your own money. Try to treat your refund like your monthly paycheck, and give it a purpose. Determine your financial priorities and utilize the money.

Hence, if you have received or expecting a tax refund this year, make a plan for it in advance so that you can fill in gaps in your financial life before splurging.

Here are some ways you should consider spending your tax refund

1. Clear off debtThis is the first and foremost thing you should do with your money, clear your existing dues. You should not save or invest your own money when you owe money somewhere. Especially, if it includes you paying an interest rate of 35-40 per cent per annum.

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