Time to Start Organizing Your Deductions

A deduction is an expenditure that will reduce your taxable income. There are two kinds of deductions: adjustments to income and itemized deductions. The adjustments to income are the better of the two, as they reduce adjusted gross income, or “AGI.” Itemized deductions reduce your taxable income.

First, we will look at some adjustments to income.

Educator expenses apply to K – 12^th grade educators, and are limited to $250 of documented supplies per qualified taxpayer. Expenses exceeding $250 can be taken as a miscellaneous itemized deduction.

A health savings account is an account set up exclusively for paying the qualified medical expenses of the account beneficiary or the beneficiary’s spouse or dependents.

Moving expenses include qualified out-of-pocket expenses or an employer reimbursement that was included in your W-2 form. If you received a non-taxable reimbursement, you cannot deduct the expenses.

Self-employment tax. If you are a sole-proprietor, active partner or have miscellaneous income subject to self-employment tax, you can deduct half of the self-employment tax.

Self-employed pension plans. You can deduct all qualified contributions to self-employed SEP, SIMPLE, and qualified plans.

Self-employed health insurance deduction. For this deduction you must be a sole proprietor or an active partner with net business income or a more than 2% shareholder of an S-corporation. The deduction is limited to net profit. Qualified long-term care insurance premiums, subject to age limitations, are also deductible.

Penalty on early withdrawal of savings is deductible and you will find this fee on your form 1099-INT. These penalties are typically incurred when you cash in a CD prematurely.

Alimony paid is deductible, but you must include the Social Security number of the recipient.

IRA deduction. Report only deductible traditional IRA contributions. Roth IRA contributions are not deductible.

Student loan interest. Up to $2,500 of the interest paid on a qualified student loan is deductible. There are income limitations. You will receive Form 1098-E from the entity to which you paid the student loan interest.

Tuition and fees deduction. Up to $4,000 of higher education tuition and fees can be deducted by taxpayers with an AGI under $80,000 if single, or $160,000 if married filing jointly.

For more information, contact Elite Bookkeeping & Tax Services at (800) 416-3820 or (775) 884-6188 Address: 123 West Nye Lane, Suite 103, Carson City, NV 89706. Visit our website at www.elitebookkeeping.biz