Shepherd Tax and Bookkeeping, Inc.

Shepherd Tax and Bookkeeping, Inc. Tax preparation, Tax Planning, and Bookkeeping firm offering excellent service at fair pricing. We s

12/03/2022

Shepherd Tax Services is now part of Greater Boston Tax Service LLC. Join us on Saturday, December 3rd from 11am to 3pm for an Open House to meet our new team members.

Giving Tuesday and Charitable Donations - Did You Know?Millions of Americans will contribute to their favorite charities...
11/29/2022

Giving Tuesday and Charitable Donations - Did You Know?

Millions of Americans will contribute to their favorite charities on Giving Tuesday (November 29), and throughout the holiday season. Charitable donations are often described as tax-deductible, but whether you can claim a deduction for your contribution depends on several factors.

First, you generally must itemize deductions on your tax return to claim a deduction for charitable donations. Therefore, your donation will not be deductible if you use the standard deduction. Note that the special rules that allowed taxpayers who did not itemize to deduct certain monetary donations in 2020 and 2021 have now expired. A tax professional can help you determine whether itemizing deductions would be advantageous for you.

If you do itemize deductions, you may generally deduct donations of money or property to any eligible tax-exempt charity. If you are unsure whether an organization qualifies to receive tax-deductible donations, the IRS Tax-Exempt Organization Search tool (link below) can help.

Tax-Exempt Organization Search: https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/tax-exempt-organization-search

Potentially Taxable Events – Did You Know?In addition to traditional income sources like employee wages and business pro...
11/22/2022

Potentially Taxable Events – Did You Know?

In addition to traditional income sources like employee wages and business profits, there are a number of other activities and transactions that the IRS classifies as potentially taxable. It is important to consider all of these “taxable events” for your tax return.

The most commonly overlooked taxable events include:

- Investment income, including receiving stock dividends or cashing in bonds
- Converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA
- Forgiveness (discharge) of a loan or other debt, including student loans
- Sale of assets such as vehicles, musical instruments, or a home at a gain (that is, for more than you paid to purchase the assets)
- Sale or exchange of cryptocurrency (like Bitcoin), or making purchases with cryptocurrency
- Withdrawing funds from a retirement plan (or from the cash value of a life insurance policy if you withdraw more than you have paid in premiums)
- Gifts and inheritances

A tax professional can advise you about which events in your life may have tax implications, and how to properly report those events. For example, in some cases, you may only need to declare the event to the IRS if the amount of money involved exceeds a minimum threshold, known as an “exclusion.”

Charitable Contributions Can Reduce Tax on IRA Distributions – Did You Know?In general, distributions from a traditional...
11/15/2022

Charitable Contributions Can Reduce Tax on IRA Distributions – Did You Know?

In general, distributions from a traditional IRA are taxable income. However, if you have a traditional IRA and are age 70 1/2 or older, you may have the option of making tax-free charitable contributions through your IRA. A qualified charitable distribution (QCD) is a contribution made directly to an eligible charity from IRA funds. The account trustee, such as a bank or investment broker, must arrange and execute the contribution.

A QCD counts toward your annual required minimum distribution (RMD). Therefore, if you do not need funds from your traditional IRA this year, making a QCD may enable you to satisfy RMD rules without owing tax on the distribution. You must report QCDs on your tax return on the line for IRA distributions, but you may usually report the taxable portion of a QCD as zero.

Limitations on the nontaxable amount of a QCD may exist, depending on factors like your recent IRA contribution amounts. A tax professional can help you verify your eligibility to make a tax-free QCD, and properly arrange and report the transaction to comply with all IRS rules.

Charitable Donations - Did You Know?If you are thinking of making charitable donations by year-end, the IRS has a tool t...
11/09/2022

Charitable Donations - Did You Know?

If you are thinking of making charitable donations by year-end, the IRS has a tool to make it easier to get information about charitable organizations. The Tax Exempt Organization Search website offers additional information as well as a mobile-friendly interface.

Search tool: hhttps://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/search-for-tax-exempt-organizations

2023 Healthcare Open Enrollment - Did You Know?The 2023 open enrollment period for Marketplace health insurance starts t...
11/01/2022

2023 Healthcare Open Enrollment - Did You Know?

The 2023 open enrollment period for Marketplace health insurance starts today, November 1, 2022, and ends December 15, 2022. Plans will start January 1, 2023.

Once the Open Enrollment period is over, you will only be able to enroll if there's a qualifying life event for the Special Enrollment Period.

Enrollment can be done at https://healthcare.gov, and a simple checklist of documents you'll need can be found here: https://marketplace.cms.gov/outreach-and-education/marketplace-application-checklist.pdf.

Tax Considerations for People Changing Marital Status – Did You Know? (2/2)A person is considered married for tax purpos...
10/28/2022

Tax Considerations for People Changing Marital Status – Did You Know? (2/2)

A person is considered married for tax purposes if they are married on the last day of the year. Therefore, the IRS urges all taxpayers whose marital status changes during 2022 to consider several possible impacts on their taxes. In particular, for taxpayers who get married this year, or become divorced or legally separated, these issues may come into play:

UPDATING YOUR WITHHOLDING: Generally, if your marital status changes, you will need to file a new Form W-4 with your employer(s) so that your paycheck withholding may be adjusted accordingly. If you also have self-employment income or work multiple jobs, you may wish to use the IRS Withholding Estimator tool (link below) to check your withholding amounts. If you pay estimated taxes, you may need to adjust your payments based on your new marital status.

CHANGING FILING STATUS: If you are married as of December 31, 2022, you may select either Married Filing Jointly or Married Filing Separately status on your 2022 federal tax return. For many couples, joint filing may result in lower tax, but exceptions exist. If you are divorced or legally separated as of December 31, you may file under Single or, if you qualify, Head of Household status. Head of Household filers receive a larger standard deduction and other tax benefits.

A tax professional can help you sort out any tax issues related to your change in marital status, including choosing the most advantageous filing designation.

IRS Withholding Estimator: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/tax-withholding-estimator

6-Month Filing & FBAR Extensions DeadlineFor taxpayers who have extensions to file their 2021 returns, the filing due da...
10/10/2022

6-Month Filing & FBAR Extensions Deadline

For taxpayers who have extensions to file their 2021 returns, the filing due date for those returns is Monday, October 17, 2022.

The October 17 deadline to file under an extension applies to several common returns, including:

2021 INDIVIDUAL INCOME TAXES:

Most individual taxpayers who requested an extension to file their 2021 federal tax returns must file by October 17. However, additional extensions may be available to some taxpayers affected by recent disasters.

2021 CORPORATE INCOME TAXES:

The October 17 deadline also applies to C corporations that requested an extension to file their 2021 corporate income tax returns (Form 1120).

FOREIGN BANK ACCOUNT REPORT (FBAR):

Many U.S. taxpayers, including individuals and businesses, must file an annual report of their foreign bank and other financial accounts, called an FBAR. Most taxpayers who are required to file a 2021 FBAR and have not yet done so must file by October 15.

Reasons to File a 2021 Federal Tax ReturnSome taxpayers are not required to file federal tax returns, generally because ...
10/04/2022

Reasons to File a 2021 Federal Tax Return

Some taxpayers are not required to file federal tax returns, generally because their income falls below the filing threshold. However, choosing not to file a return may mean missing out on a tax refund. Therefore, the IRS urges all Americans who may qualify for a tax refund to file a 2021 return by the extension filing deadline of October 17, 2022 or earlier if possible.

Even if you had no tax withheld from your pay in 2021 and made no estimated tax payments, you may still be entitled to a refund if you qualify for certain federal tax credits, including:

Recovery Rebate Credit: If you were eligible for a third economic impact payment (EIP, also called a stimulus payment) in 2021, but did not receive it or got less than the full amount, you may be able to claim this credit.
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC): Working taxpayers who had $57,414 or less in 2021 income may qualify for this credit, depending on their filing status and number of dependents. For those with dependents, the credit amount can be as high as $6,728.

Both of these credits are fully refundable, meaning that if you qualify, you may receive the credit as an IRS refund even if you owe no tax for 2021.

Child Tax Credit (CTC): You may be eligible for this credit if you had a qualifying child of age 17 or younger in 2021.
American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC): You may qualify for this credit if you, your spouse, or your dependent was enrolled at least half time at an institution of higher learning (such as a college, university or trade school) in 2021.

The CTC is fully refundable, while the AOTC is partially refundable.

You may also be eligible for a federal tax refund if your employer(s) withheld taxes from your paychecks, or if you made estimated tax payments at any time in 2021.

IRS Provides Penalty Relief to Millions of Taxpayers – Did You Know?As part of ongoing COVID-19 tax relief efforts, the ...
09/12/2022

IRS Provides Penalty Relief to Millions of Taxpayers – Did You Know?

As part of ongoing COVID-19 tax relief efforts, the IRS is waiving penalties for many businesses and individuals who file their 2019 or 2020 tax returns late. Eligible taxpayers will not have to pay a late filing penalty in relation to returns for those two years. Those who have already filed their 2019 and/or 2020 returns and paid late filing penalties will receive a refund of the penalty.

This penalty waiver will be automatic for all eligible taxpayers. However, in order to receive penalty relief, taxpayers must file their 2019 and 2020 federal tax returns by September 30, 2022.

Note that this waiver generally applies only to penalties for late filing, and not to penalties assessed for late payment of tax or other reasons.

Quarterly Estimated Tax Payments - ReminderIf you are making quarterly estimated tax payments to the IRS, the due date f...
09/06/2022

Quarterly Estimated Tax Payments - Reminder

If you are making quarterly estimated tax payments to the IRS, the due date for the June 1st - August 31st, 2021 quarter of year is Thursday, September 15th, 2022.

For payments made using IRS Direct Pay, you can make payments until 8PM EST, and for payments using a credit or debit card, payments can be made up to midnight on the due date.

Educator Expense Deduction for 2022 – Did You Know?For tax year 2022, the maximum deduction amount has increased for the...
08/29/2022

Educator Expense Deduction for 2022 – Did You Know?

For tax year 2022, the maximum deduction amount has increased for the first time, to $300. Joint return filers who are both educators may deduct up to $300 per spouse.

You may qualify for this deduction if you work as a teacher, counselor, principal or aide for grades K-12 in a public or private school. You generally must work at the school for at least 900 hours during the school year.

Eligible classroom expenses include:
- Books, supplies and materials that you purchase for classroom use
- Classroom equipment, including computers, peripherals and software
- Items such as hand sanitizer and masks purchased to prevent the spread of COVID-19

Tuition and fees for professional development courses may also qualify for the Educator Expense Deduction. However, you may get a larger tax benefit by claiming the Lifelong Learning Credit or a different deduction for these costs. A tax professional can help you find the most advantageous way to report all your qualified expenses.

Address

44 Wood Avenue, Suite 4
Mansfield, MA
02048

Opening Hours

Monday 9:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 9:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 5pm
Thursday 9:30am - 5pm
Friday 9:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+15083391870

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