When you think about April, you undoubtedly think about tax season. The cringing of whether you get a refund or have to pay out your hard-earned money can wreak havoc on your well-being. To ensure you always get the most back, you should verify that you’re personally taking advantage of these underutilized tax deductions.
One of the most underutilized tax deductions is charitable contributions. Many individuals who donate regularly remember to do this deduction for larger sums. However, those who donate sporadically tend to forget to sum up their tax-deductible amount. Things like stamps, food ingredients, and transportation gas are all deductible. Think about all the things you’ve done for nonprofit organizations, such as school fundraisers. All of the little things you do throughout the year should be tracked so that you can sum up your total charitable contribution come tax time.
Student loans seem to get more and more expensive. Getting back some of that money is a definite benefit. However, in the past, getting back the interest paid on student loans was more difficult to do. Originally, the student had to be the one paying back the loan in order to get the deduction. Now, students who are liable for the loan can deduct the interest their parent’s pay on their student loans as long as they’re filing as an independent on their own tax returns. You can thank mom and dad for this tax deduction.
Child care is something that is becoming more widely used as both parents tend to work during the day. While many businesses will offer a reimbursement credit for their employees for the costs they incur for child care, it doesn’t always cover the actual costs of having it. Many businesses will run up to a $5,000 tax-favored reimbursement account for their employees. Anything over that limit was not able to be deducted from a person’s taxes in the past because there was a $4,800 limit set by the Government. Now, that limit has risen to $6,000. This means that any child care expenses you incur over the $5,000 reimbursement from work, you can deduct up to another $1,000 on your taxes.
The last type of underutilized tax deduction is refinancing mortgage points. While this one won’t bring hundreds of dollars to your tax refund check, it only takes a few minutes to get some extra dough. When you refinance the mortgage for your home, you can deduct the points on your tax returns. This is done by calculating your points over the term of the loan, say 30 years. For every $1,000 you paid in points to refinance you can claim up to $33 on your tax returns for a 30-year mortgage. In order to ensure you get this tax formula right, we encourage you to utilize a software, such as the one found at https://www.groupon.com/coupons/stores/turbotax.intuit.com to complete your tax returns.
As you can see, there are some tax deductions out there which may be eligible for you to receive more money on your tax return. Understanding the various deductions that are available for citizens is a must. This will ensure that you always file your return with the intent of setting yourself up to get the biggest refund check that is currently available for your tax situation.
