A significant portion of your income each year goes to pay taxes. Understanding the rules by which you are being taxed can give you a better idea about how companies, institutions, and people are handling their money. Not only is this knowledge useful in seeing where your money is going, but it can help you avoid making financial mistakes that might result in heavy fines or penalties. Therefore, in this article, we will show you how a thorough understanding of how taxes work can improve your financial situation.
Tax Deductions
Many people who claim deductions on their taxes fail to do so for very simple reasons. The first, and most common, is simply failing to file the right forms- in some years, there are numerous places where you can get money back by claiming this deduction or another. These include things like medical expenses, property taxes paid during the year, business travel expenses incurred by employees of your company (as long as they are not reimbursed), childcare programs that qualify for tax deductions, education costs that may be applied toward a scholarship at the end of the course, among others. If you’re not sure whether or how much deductions you can claim on your taxes ask an accountant – they will know how much has been allowed in previous years and can advise you accordingly.
Investments
Another area where a good understanding of taxes can improve your financial situation is in regards to investments. One such way is knowing which accounts are tax-free and which will result in you having to pay taxes each year on the money you gain. Tax-free accounts include things like Roth IRA’s and 401(k)s, both of which allow you to put away money that won’t be taxed until upon withdrawal.
Taxable accounts, meanwhile, include savings or checking accounts, as well as stocks held for less than 12 months. The IRS treats this type of investment much differently than other types, but if done right can provide an opportunity for you to improve your financial situation. Consulting tax preparation specialists or your accountant can help you determine the best tax-advantaged investment for your money. It will also help you avoid potential pitfalls, such as taking too much risk with your money and causing it to dwindle before you can even put it into an account, or losing too much money and having to pay capital gains tax as a result.
Tax Brackets
Tax brackets represent another way where understanding how taxes work will improve your financial situation. The idea behind a tax bracket is that within certain limits, people who earn more money will pay a higher rate of tax on the additional income they make. This ensures that those who earn less money do not have to pay as high a proportion of their salary towards taxes as those who earn more. While this makes sense from an economic perspective, it can also lead to problems if you don’t fully understand how it works – for example, low earners might want to work overtime or take on another job just so they can get into a higher tax bracket and therefore avoid having too much of their income taxed away.
Tax Evasion
Knowing how taxes work can also help you avoid getting into trouble with the IRS. Tax evasion, for example, can result in heavy fines and penalties, as well as possible jail time. Tax evasion is when someone who owes taxes fails to pay them on time or at all. Taxpayers are required to pay their taxes each year by April 15th (or April 18th this year). One of the most common forms of tax evasion is failing to file any taxes at all if you don’t file your taxes by the deadline, you can expect a penalty for this offense.
Another form of tax evasion is fraud-filing false income information, expenses paid during the year, property claimed on your taxes, etc can be prosecuted as fraud. This is often done to avoid paying taxes or receiving larger refunds than what they are entitled to. Consulting with an accountant when doing your taxes can help prevent this, as well as remind you when the annual deadline is approaching so you don’t forget about it.
Tax Credits
A tax credit is a dollar-for-dollar reduction of the income taxes that you owe each year, which means it gives back to your money that you can use to either pay other bills or save for later. Tax credits are often given to those who qualify for them, but whether or not you do can depend on many different factors – these include income level, type of work performed (full time vs part-time), age, and marital status. Furthermore, there are tax credits available for people who fall within certain categories, such as single parents with custody of children under 17 or taxpayers with disabilities among others. Consultation with an accountant during filing season will help you to determine whether or not you qualify for a tax credit.
In conclusion, knowing how taxes work from a financial perspective can help you to not only lower your tax rate and increase your earning potential, but it can also help prevent problems with the IRS and ensure that you don’t lose more money than you have to. Consulting an accountant during filing season or before opening any new account will give you a better idea of how taxes work and what you can do to lower your tax rate, which in turn will significantly improve your financial situation.