Steps in the Tax Filing Preparation Process
Start Planning Early: When a tax season is over, it’s time to begin planning for the next one. Don’t put this off till the last minute. Planning early would give your financial adviser enough time to review your wealth accumulation strategies.
Get Organized: Gather the forms and data required to complete the tax return. This is the first and most time consuming step of tax filing preparation. Start the process by collecting W2 forms for wages, 1099s and 1099Bs for dividends and interests and bond and stock sales and1098s for deduction of taxes and interests. Other information includes last year’s tax return, mortgage interest, earned interest and dividends, charitable donations, tuition, medical expenses and unemployment.
Proper Documentation: To claim your deductions you should have receipts for the expenses incurred. Records of any sale or investment in the stock exchange should also be in place.
Prepare Profit & Loss Statements Early: Early tax filing preparation has its benefits for self-employed taxpayers. In case you owe money, this gives you more time to arrange for the funds required to repay debt.
Standard or Itemized Deductions: Compare your standard deductions to the total permissible itemized deductions. These itemized deductions could include taxes, interests, medical expenses, charity and robbery-related losses.
Tax Credit: A tax credit is more beneficial than deductions. Tax credits may include education credit, child tax credit and dependent care credit. So, make a list of all the tax credits you are eligible for.
Determine your strategy for tax filing preparation: If you are married, decide whether you would be filing jointly with your spouse. Joint returns yield the lowest tax in most cases. However, if you have, say, high medical deductions, filing separately may yield a lower tax. A single mother may be eligible for head-of-household rates. You have to know the rules to get the lowest tax.
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