Peter Tuttle - Tax Services

04/07/2026

GREAT TIP: Take a photo with your smartphone of every restaurant receipt BEFORE you leave the restaurant.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BFKukjCVp/

💳 Your credit card statement shows one number for a restaurant charge. It doesn't break out the subtotal, tax, and tip separately.

If someone changes the tip after you sign, the only way to catch it is to compare the posted charge against what you actually wrote.

I never had a system for keeping paper receipts. They'd end up crumpled in a pocket or thrown away. A phone photo takes 2 seconds and stays in your camera roll until you need it.

I use Monarch for budgeting, so all my transactions are in one place. Every month, when I'm already reviewing spending, I'll check a few restaurant charges against the
photos. If everything matches, I delete the photos next time I'm clearing out my camera roll.
Most of the time, the amounts match. But it only takes one that doesn't to make the habit worth it.

This works with any budgeting app or even just your credit card's transaction history. The photo is the part that matters.

05/18/2024

Savvy tax savings

Cades Cove Cantilever Barn
“When those hated tax men finally made his way up to Cades Cove and started pokin’ around and assessing property tax on the folks who lived there, they quickly realized that it was the footprint square footage that determined the tax rate on each building. Well, the w***y mountaineers quickly changed the design of their sheds incorporating a smaller footprint with a larger overhang, and just like that, they cut the property taxes on the building in half and the Cantilever Barn was born. At one time, there were nearly 200 of these barns in Sevier and Blount Counties. The barn had additional benefits such as allowing for storage for tools and even provided a place to get out of the rain for the smarter cows.” -Squire Elroy

09/24/2023

https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/music/irs-taylor-swift-eras-tickets-beyonce-lionel-messi-tax-480d346c?st=w24v5zrnk8rheev&reflink=article_copyURL_share

In a big shift, anyone who took in more than $600 a year from reselling tickets could be in for a tax surprise.

04/13/2022

Get Financial Help for Those Lost to COVID-19

Do you need help covering the financial costs of funerals for loved ones who died of COVID-19? To help ease the financial burden and the stress of the pandemic, FEMA is reimbursing up to $9,000 for funeral expenses related to COVID-19. Check eligibility requirements and see how to apply for FEMA’s COVID-19 funeral assistance program.

f you are covering the cost of a COVID-19 funeral, FEMA may be able to help.

01/21/2022

10/14/2021

Social Security benefits will increase 5.9% in 2022, the largest cost-of-living adjustment in 39 years.