Commonly Missed Tax Deductions
Nobody wants to pay more taxes than they’re required to.  At Roth CPA&Associates LLC, we’re committed to making sure that you don’t miss any deductions or credits that you’re entitled to take.  Following are some commonly missed deductions and credits:  

  • State tax paid last spring.   Did you owe state income tax when you filed your 2012 tax return in the spring of 2013? If so, remember to include that amount in your state-tax deduction on your 2013 return, along with state income taxes withheld from your paychecks or paid via quarterly estimated payments.

 

  • Refinancing points.   When you buy a house, you get to deduct in one fell swoop the points paid to get your mortgage. When you refinance a mortgage, though, you have to deduct the points over the life of the loan. That means you can deduct 1/30th of the points a year if it’s a 30-year mortgage. That’s $33 a year for each $1,000 of points you paid -- not much, but don’t throw it away. 
    Even more important, in the year you pay off the loan -- because you sell the house or refinance again with a different lender-- you get to deduct in one fell swoop all of the as-yet-undeducted points.

 

  • PMI Insurance.    PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance) is insurance that you have to purchase if to protect the lender if your first mortgage is greater than 80% of the value of the home. The PMI deduction expired at the end of 2011 however congress recently reinstated the deduction and retroactively applied it to 2013.

 

  • State sales taxes.   This deduction usually makes sense primarily for taxpayers who live in states that unlike Ohio do not impose an income tax. You must choose between deducting state and local income taxes or state and local sales taxes. For most citizens of income-tax states such as Ohio, the income tax is a bigger burden than the sales tax, so the income-tax deduction is a better deal.
    The IRS has tables that show how much sales tax residents of various states can deduct. But the tables aren’t the last word. If you purchased a vehicle, boat or airplane, you get to add the state sales tax you paid to the amount shown in the IRS tables for your state.  The same goes for any homebuilding materials you purchased. These add-on items are easy to overlook, but they could make the sales-tax deduction a better deal even if you live in a state (like Ohio) with an income tax. The IRS also has a calculator on its Web site to help you figure the deduction, which varies depending on the state where you live and your income level.

 

  • Reinvested dividends.   This isn't really a tax deduction, but it is an important subtraction that can save you a bundle. This is the break that former IRS commissioner Fred Goldberg says a lot of taxpayers miss. 
    If, like most investors, your mutual fund dividends are automatically used to buy extra shares, remember that each reinvestment increases your tax basis in the fund. That, in turn, reduces the taxable capital gain (or increases the tax-saving loss) when you redeem shares. Forgetting to include the reinvested dividends in your basis results in double taxation of the dividends -- once when you receive them and later when they’re included in the proceeds of the sale. Don’t make that costly mistake. If you’re not sure what your basis is, ask the fund for help.

 

  • Out-of-pocket charitable contributions.   It’s hard to overlook the big charitable gifts you made during the year, by check or payroll deduction (check your December pay stub). But the little things add up too, and you can write off out-of-pocket costs incurred while doing good works. For example, ingredients for casseroles you prepare for a nonprofit organization’s soup kitchen and stamps you buy for your school’s fundraising mailing count as a charitable contribution. Keep your receipts and if your contribution totals more than $250, you’ll need an acknowledgement from the charity documenting the services you provided. If you drove your car for charity the mileage is deductable.

 

  • Student-loan interest paid by Mom and Dad.   Generally, you can only deduct mortgage or student-loan interest if you are legally required to repay the debt. But if parents pay back a child’s student loans, the IRS treats the money as if it was given to the child, who then paid the debt. So, a child who’s not claimed as a dependent can qualify to deduct up to $2,500 of student-loan interest paid by Mom and Dad. And he or she doesn’t have to itemize to use this money-saver. Mom and Dad don’t get the interest deduction since they were not liable on the debt.

 

  • Job-hunting costs.   If you’re among the millions of unemployed Americans who were looking for a job, keep track of your job-search expenses. If you’re looking for a position in the same line of work, you can deduct job-hunting costs as miscellaneous expenses if you itemize, but only to the extent that the total of your total miscellaneous itemized deductions exceed 2% of your adjusted gross income. Job-hunting expenses incurred while looking for your first job don’t qualify. Deductible job-search costs include, but aren’t limited to:
    - Food, lodging and transportation if your search takes you away from home overnight - Cab fares - Employment agency fees - Costs of printing resumes, business cards, postage, and advertising

 

  • Moving expenses to take your first job.   As just mentioned, job-hunting expenses incurred while looking for your first job are not deductible. But, moving expenses to get to that position are. And you get this write-off even if you don't itemize.
    To qualify for the deduction, your first job must be at least 50 miles away from your old home. If you qualify, you can deduct the cost of getting yourself and your household goods to the new area, mileage for driving your own vehicle, plus parking fees and tolls.

 

  • Military reservists’ travel expenses.   Members of the National Guard or military reserve may tap a deduction for travel expenses to drills or meetings. To qualify, you must travel more than 100 miles from home and be away from home overnight. If you qualify, you can deduct the cost of lodging and half the cost of your meals, mileage for driving your own car to get to and from drills. In any event, add parking fees and tolls. You get this deduction regardless of whether you itemize.

 

  • Health insurance deduction to reduce self-employment tax.   Business owners have always been allowed to deduct health insurance premiums for themselves and their family in computing adjusted gross income on the front page of Form 1040. Now they can also deduct the cost of those health insurance premiums in calculating self-employment tax on Schedule SE.
    The IRS has hidden this write-off on line 3 of Schedule SE. On that line, you are told to add your self-employment income from lines 1 and 2, subtract the amount claimed on line 29 of Form 1040 (your health insurance premiums) and enter the net amount on line 3. Since the write-off is not on a separate line and is not clearly identified, it will be far too easy for many self-employed persons to miss unless you are fully aware of this tax break and are looking for it.

 

  • Child-care credit.   If you pay your child-care bills through a reimbursement account at work, it's easy to overlook the child-care credit. Although only $5,000 in expenses can be paid through a tax-favored reimbursement account, up to $6,000 (for the care of two or more children) can qualify for the credit. So, if you run the maximum through a plan at work but spend even more for work-related child care, you can claim the credit on as much as $1,000 of additional expenses. That would cut your tax bill by at least $200 since the credit is at least 20% of the amount paid.

 

  • Jury pay turned over to your employer.   Many employers continue to pay their employees’ full salary while the workers serve on jury duty, and some require employees to turn over their jury pay they receive from the court to the company coffers. The only problem is that the IRS demands that you report those jury fees as taxable income. To even things out, you get to deduct the amount you pay to your employer.
    But how do you do it? There’s no line on the Form 1040 labeled jury fees. Instead the write-off goes on line 36, which purports to be for simply totaling up the deductions that get their own lines. Add your jury fees to the total of your other write-offs and write “jury pay” on the dotted line to the left.

 

  • American Opportunity Credit.   This tax credit, which has been extended through 2017, is available for up to $2,500 of college tuition and related expenses paid during the year. The full credit is available to individuals whose modified adjusted gross income is $80,000 or less ($160,000 or less for married couples filing a joint return). The credit is phased out for taxpayers with incomes above those levels. This credit is juicier than the old Hope credit – it has higher income limits and bigger tax breaks, and it covers all four years of college. And if the credit exceeds your tax liability (regular and AMT), it is partially refundable.

 

  • Credit for energy-saving home improvements.   There’s no dollar limit on the credit for homeowners who install qualified residential alternative energy equipment, such as solar hot water heaters, geothermal heat pumps and wind turbines. Your credit can be 30% of the total cost (including labor) of such systems installed through 2016.

 

  • Section 529 Plans.   Education savings options are available to parents and other family members.  529 plans are designed to boost college savings; only a state deduction is available for the contributions, but the money grows tax free in the plan, and the money paid from these accounts for qualified education expenses is not taxable.  A Coverdell Education Savings Account can be used to pay for qualified elementary, secondary and higher education expenses.

 

  • Ohio Political Contributions Credit.   Political tax contributions are not deductable from Federal Income Taxes.  However you can claim an Ohio tax credit for contributions of money you made during the year to the campaign committee of candidates for any of the following Ohio offices:
    - Governor Lieutenant Governor - Secretary of State - Auditor of State
    - Treasurer of State - Attorney General
    - Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court - Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
    - Ohio Board of Education - Ohio Senate
    - Ohio House of Representatives The amount of the credit is $50 or $100 for married filing joint returns.