The tax filing season starts on Monday, Jan. 23, 2017, and shall run till Tuesday, April 18, 2017. This post is for readers to claim ceratin benefits that one can do till the end of the year i. e 31st December 2016 . Often, taxpayer miss because they forget to claim those or do certain action as per law. So here are five such reminders :
1. Donate before End of 2016
Donations to charites are deductible in the same year , it is done. So if you want ot donante to any charity, now is the time . You can claim deduction fo such donations. Please remember , if you donate through credit card before the end of 2016 or by mailing a cheque before 31.12.2016 . You can get deduction even if the actual payment from credit card or cheque was after 31st Dec, 2016.
2. Change of Name or Address
If there is a mismatch between the name shown on your tax return and the SSA records , it can create problems in the processing of your return .Therefore ,if your or any dependent’s name changed for any reason, you must notify the Social Security Administration (SSA) so the new name will match IRS and SSA records.
Similarly , in case there was a change in address , you must
- inform the US Postal Service,
- your employer and
- the IRS by mailing Form 8822
- If insurance policy was bought from Health Insurance Marketplace, you should notify the Marketplace when you move out of the area covered by their current Marketplace plan.
3. Retirement Benefits
Most workplace retirement account contributions should be made by the end of the year, but taxpayers can make 2016 IRA contributions until April 18, 2017. For 2016, the limit for a 401(k) is $18,000. For traditional and Roth IRAs, the limit is $6,500 if age 50 or older and up to $15,500 for a Simple IRA for age 50 or older.
4.Renew ITIN if Not Used for a Year
If you have not used the ITIN at least once on a tax return in the past three years or your ITIN is having middle digits 78 or 79, then you must renew the ITIN . Please read the full post who needs to renew of ITIN immediately
5. Keep Tax Records
It will always benefit if you keep the tax records handy . A taxpayer using a software product for the first time may need their Adjusted Gross Income amount from a prior tax return to verify their identity.Therefore , having copies of tax returns is important as the IRS makes changes to protect taxpayers and authenticate their identity.
Post Disclaimer
While the information on this site - Internal Revenue Code Simplified-is about legal issues, it is not legal advice or legal representation. Because of the rapidly changing nature of the law and our reliance upon outside sources, we make no warranty or guarantee of the accuracy or reliability of information contained herein.