Storing tax records: How long is long enough?

April 15 has come and gone and another year of tax forms and shoeboxes full of receipts is behind us. But what should be done with those documents after your check or refund request is in the mail?

Federal law requires you to maintain copies of your tax returns and supporting documents for three years. This is called the “three-year law” and leads many people to believe they’re safe provided they retain their documents for this period of time.

However, if the IRS believes you have significantly underreported your income (by 25 percent or more), or believes there may be indication of fraud, it may go back six years in an audit. To be safe, use the following guidelines.

While it’s important to keep year-end mutual fund and IRA contribution statements forever, you don’t
have to save monthly and quarterly statements once the year-end statement has arrived.

1. Create a Business Plan!
Have something in writing detailing your business plan. Establish goals, procedures and policies; set deadlines for reevaluating your business, etc. Meet with your financial and business advisors to make sure you’re on the right track. Ensure that you have a budget and projection, at least for your first year in business, preferably for the first two years, and consult with professionals to compare.

2. Determine your business structure
What type of organization will you create? Will you operate as a sole proprietor or as a business entity (corporation, partnership, etc.). If you have set up an LLC – elect the tax reporting entity.

3. Select your business location
Depending on the type of business, location can be a significant factor in your success. Carefully research traffic and visibility of your location, as well as practicality and cost. Consider starting your business at home, to save money, until you start turning a profit.

4. Apply for an EIN
You’ll need an identification number to open a business account, to give to clients, or if you’re going to hire employees. You’re better off providing an EIN number to vendors instead of your social security number, to avoid identity theft.

5. Open a Business Banking Account
Having a separate checking account for business expenses will save you time and money when it comes to preparing your business tax returns. Provide your EIN number when opening your business account.

6. Apply for all necessary permits with local, state and federal agencies
Check with your city and county for necessary licenses and permits. Remember to register with the State Board for a resale number if you will be making merchandise purchases or sales.

7. Determine your insurance needs
Get your insurance policies in order and make sure you have workman’s compensation coverage if you will be hiring employees.

8. Compare and research vendors and service providers
Do your homework before signing any contracts or entering into binding service agreements. Check prices, quality, and reviews of companies that you will be working with, as their reputation will affect yours.

9. Obtain necessary business equipment
Make a list of the equipment that you will need for your day-to-day operations. Schedule equipment by date of necessity as you begin your business operations – remember to budget for purchase or lease costs.

10. Contact Sikka & Associates
One of our tax consultants can help you start up the above list. Plus, getting good tax advice at the outset will ensure you pay the lowest tax rates and receive the highest tax credits available to your business.

If you moved–or are planning to move–this year to start a new job you may be able to deduct certain moving-related expenses on your tax return. You may be able to deduct these expenses even if you kept the same job but moved to a different location.

1. Expenses must be close to the time you start work
Generally, you can consider moving expenses that you incurred within one year of the date you first report to work at a new job location.

2. Distance Test
Your move meets the distance test if your new main job location is at least 50 miles farther from your former home than your previous main job location was from your former home. For example, if your old main job location was three miles from your former home, your new main job location must be at least 53 miles from that former home.

3. Time Test
Upon arriving in the general area of your new job location, you must work full-time for at least 39 weeks during the first year at your new job location. Self-employed individuals must meet this test, and they must also work full time for a total of at least 78 weeks during the first 24 months upon arriving in the general area of their new job location. If your income tax return is due before you have satisfied this requirement, you can still deduct your allowable moving expenses if you expect to meet the time test. There are some special rules and exceptions to these general rules. Call us for more information.

4. Travel
You can deduct lodging expenses (but not meals) for yourself and household members while moving from your former home to your new home. You can also deduct transportation expenses, including airfare, vehicle mileage, parking fees and tolls you pay, but you can only deduct one trip per person.

5. Household goods
You can deduct the cost of packing, crating and transporting your household goods and personal property, including the cost of shipping household pets. You may be able to include the cost of storing and insuring these items while in transit.

6. Utilities
You can deduct the costs of connecting or disconnecting utilities.

7. Nondeductible expenses
You cannot deduct the following moving-related expenses: any part of the purchase price of your new home, car tags, a drivers license renewal, costs of buying or selling a home, expenses of entering into or breaking a lease, or security deposits and storage charges, except those incurred in transit and for foreign moves.

8. Form
You can deduct only those expenses that are reasonable for the circumstances of your move. Call us if you have any questions.

9. Reimbursed expenses
If your employer reimburses you for the costs of a move for which you took a deduction, the reimbursement may have to be included as income on your tax return.

10. Update your address
When you move, be sure to update your address with the IRS and the U.S. Postal Service to ensure you receive mail from the IRS. Use Form 8822, Change of Address, to notify the IRS.

Don’t hesitate to call us if you need help figuring out the amount of your deduction for moving expenses. We are here to help.

The Child Tax Credit is a valuable credit that can significantly reduce your tax liability. Here are 10 important facts about this credit and how it may benefit your family.

1. Amount
With the Child Tax Credit, you may be able to reduce your federal income tax by up to $1,000 for each qualifying child under the age of 17.

2. Qualification
A qualifying child for this credit is someone who meets the qualifying criteria of six tests: age, relationship, support, dependent, citizenship, and residence.

3. Age Test
To qualify, a child must have been under age 17 – age 16 or younger – at the end of the year.

4. Relationship Test
To claim a child for purposes of the Child Tax Credit, they must either be your son, daughter, stepchild, foster child, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister or a descendant of any of these individuals, which includes your grandchild, niece or nephew. An adopted child is always treated as your own child. An adopted child includes a child lawfully placed with you for legal adoption.

5. Support Test
In order to claim a child for this credit, the child must not have provided more than half of their own support.

6. Dependent Test
You must claim the child as a dependent on your federal tax return.

7. Citizenship Test
To meet the citizenship test, the child must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or U.S. resident alien.

8. Residence Test
The child must have lived with you for more than half of the year. There are some
exceptions to the residence test, which can be found in IRS Publication 972, Child Tax Credit.

9. Limitations
The credit is limited if your modified adjusted gross income is above a certain amount. The amount at which this phase-out begins varies depending on your filing status. Please call us for the limitation amount. In addition, the Child Tax Credit is generally limited by the amount of the income tax you owe as well as any alternative minimum tax you owe.

10. Additional Child tax Credit
If the amount of your Child Tax Credit is greater than the amount of income tax you owe, you may be able to claim the Additional Child Tax Credit.

For more information, see IRS Publication 972, Child Tax Credit or call Sikka & Associates.

If you paid someone to care for your child, spouse, or dependent last year, you may be able to claim the Child and Dependent Care Credit on your federal income tax return. Below are 10 things the IRS wants you to know about claiming a credit for child and dependent care expenses.

1. The care must have been provided for one or more qualifying persons. A qualifying person is your dependent child age 12 or younger when the care was provided. Additionally, your spouse and certain other individuals who are physically or mentally incapable of self-care may also be qualifying persons. You must identify each qualifying person on your tax return.

2. The care must have been provided so you – and your spouse if you are married filing jointly – could work or look for work.

3. You and your spouse if you file jointly – must have earned income from wages, salaries, tips, other taxable employee compensation or net earnings from self-employment. One spouse may be considered as having earned income if they were a full-time student or were physically or mentally unable to care for themselves.

4. The payments for care cannot be paid to your spouse, to the parent of your qualifying person, to someone you can claim as your dependent on your return, or to your child who will not be age 19 or older by the end of the year even if he or she is not your dependent. You must identify the care provider(s) on your tax return.

5. Your filing status must be single, married filing jointly, head of household or qualifying widow(er) with a dependent child.

6. The qualifying person must have lived with you for more than half of year. There are exceptions for the birth or death of a qualifying person, or a child of divorced or separated parents. See Publication 503, Child and Dependent Care Expenses.

7. The credit can be up to 35 percent of your qualifying expenses, depending upon your adjusted gross income.

8. You may use up to $3,000 of expenses paid in a year for one qualifying individual or $6,000 for two or more qualifying individuals to figure the credit.

9. The qualifying expenses must be reduced by the amount of any dependent care benefits provided by your employer that you deduct or exclude from your income.

10. If you pay someone to come to your home and care for your dependent or spouse, you may be a household employer and may have to withhold and pay social security and Medicare tax and pay federal unemployment tax.

For more information on the Child and Dependent Care Credit, see Publication 503 or call us.