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Today is “T” Day… Tax Day and here are five tips for getting your taxes done on time and saving some money along the way.
Unlike 401(k) contributions that have to be made before year-end, taxpayers have until (today) April 15 to contribute to their individual retirement accounts and still take a deduction on their 2018 return.
(Then file an extension)
If your health coverage for 2018 was considered a high-deductible insurance plan, you can still contribute to a health savings account and claim it as a deduction on your 2018 taxes, regardless of your income.
If you drive for Uber on the weekends or rent out your house on Airbnb, you could qualify as a business owner and should be filing a Schedule C tax form.
As a general rule, freelancers can write off expenses for business-related meals, lodging, office expenses and required equipment or materials.
Parents can claim as much as 35% of their child-care expenses as a tax credit each year, or up to $3,000 for a single child or $6,000 for two or more children, to cover the cost of day-care programs, preschool and summer camps — including music camps, athletic camps and mini camps — for children 12 and under. If the cost of transportation to and from camp is included in the camp’s fees, then that counts, too.
If you can’t get all of this done by midnight Monday, file an extension and pay the estimated taxes you owe before the due date to avoid penalties and interest. That would give you until Oct. 15 to submit your 2018 return.
Source: CNBC.com
