High status income tax firms in Houston, TX? By the end of January, you should have received all the various tax documents that you need from your employer or employers, as well as from banks, brokerage firms, and others with whom you do business. For each form, check that the information matches your own records. These are some of the most common forms: Form W-2,6? if you had a job. The various 1099 forms that report other income you received, such as dividends (Form 1099-DIV),7? interest (Form 1099-INT),8? and non-employee compensation paid to independent contractors (Form 1099-MISC).9? Brokers aren’t required to mail Form 1099-B,10? which reports gains and losses on securities transactions, until mid-February, so those may come a little later.

The SECURE Act, which became law at the end of 2019, includes several provisions that apply to high income earners. They include: The age for Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) from retirement plan accounts was raised to 72. However, if you turned 70 1/2 in 2019, you will be required to take a disbursement in 2020. Eliminating the age limit for contributions to Traditional IRA accounts. Increasing annual contribution limits for 401(k) and 103(b) accounts to $19,500, and to $13,400 for SIMPLE IRAs. The contribution maximum for Traditional and Roth IRAs remains at $6,000 per year. Increasing the Social Security wage base to $137,700. Increasing the income ceiling for Roth IRAs. Contributions now phase out at $124,000 and $139,000 of modified adjusted gross income. ($196,000 to $206,000 if you’re married filing jointly.) Increasing limits for long-term care premium deductions to $5,430 per person for people age 71 or over, and to $4,3500 for people between the ages of 61 and 70. Self-employed earners may write off 100% of their premiums using Schedule 1 of the 1040 form. These changes are significant because they make it possible for high income earners to make additional contributions to a retirement plan during the tax year.

Avoid Taxes on an RMD with a Charitable Donation: Seniors who have a traditional 401(k) or IRA must take a required minimum distribution each year once they reach age 70 1/2. Those who don’t need this money for living expenses may want to consider having it sent directly to a charity as a qualified charitable distribution. “It’s basically a check issued from the IRA and made out to the charity,” Zollars says. This prevents the money from becoming taxable income and could help reduce the amount of Social Security retirement benefits that are deemed taxable, too.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) created the Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction when the law went into effect in 2018. You might be able to deduct 20% from your qualifying business income if your business is a pass-through entity—a sole proprietorship, an S corporation, or a partnership, passing its income and deductions down to its shareholders, partners, or owners to report on their personal returns. This deduction is in addition to claiming your ordinary business expense deductions. You should qualify if your taxable income is below $157,500, or $315,000 if you’re married and filing a joint return. Special rules apply if you earn more than these amounts, so you might still qualify depending on the nature of your business. See extra info at https://greentree.tax/tax-preparation-service-in-houston/.

Debt collections happen in almost every operating business. They are just part of the business landscape. In today’s tough economy, customers may be having more trouble than normal paying their debts. When invoices aren’t getting paid, it may be time to hire a commercial collection agency to help get these debts paid. Commercial collection agencies are experts in business to business debt collection. As in every industry, there are good ways and bad ways to perform debt collections. Here are some ways to increase your success.

Flipping Houses as a Business. If you buy and sell property frequently, the IRS could decide that you are in the business of flipping houses and aren’t just an investor. If so, you’ll have to pay self-employment taxes of up to 15.3% on your profits, in addition to income taxes. Buying and Selling Stuff Can Be Taxable Too. If you scout out bargains at flea markets and then sell the furniture and other finds on eBay (or a similar site), you’ll end up paying income taxes on the profits. If you do that just occasionally, you may not have to report the sale on your tax return. However, if you do it frequently, the IRS will consider you to be in a self-employed business since one of the requirements of owning your own business and claiming the income is if you are engaged in the business activity on a regular basis for a profit.