JDT I have questions for you

[JDT]

Here are some of the deductions that i've used in the past as a 1099 employee:

(this is off the top of my head as I don't have my taxes in front of me)

Dry cleaning expenses
Car (payment, maint, upkeep)
% of the utility bills (when I worked from home)
Chairable donations
education (continuing education) expenses
Office Supplies
Work supplies (anything I bought for my business)
Travel
Cell Phone

That's all I can think of now.

Where I live everybody and their brother owns a business. I've honestly NEVER seen so many small business's in my life! Many vendors will ask that you pay in cash or make the check payable to them personally. That way they avoid paying taxes on the money. I'm not suggesting that that's what you do - i'm just putting it out there. It REALLY depends on how you make your money.

When I sold houses I worked with a contractor who made probably $250K year. His income tax return only showed $100K year in income. That made it hard for him to get a home loan, but we got the deal done.

What i've leaned is that what people actually make and what they claim on their taxes - 2 TOTALLY different things!

eta:

Do you know how many dependants your dh claims? My dh and I both work, we could claim 5 dependants each so less taxes are taken away from our paychecks, but we each only claim 1. That way we end up in pretty good shape at tax time We also make tons of donations throughout the year. If you donate to Salvation Army or anywhere like that, make sure to get a receipt from them, and also keep a list of what you donate and how much $$ it's worth. You can also claim a certain amount for work clothes. . . . like others said, there are several tricks Together we make a little over 100K, and we usually get $6K refund.

I've never understood that. Why give Uncle Sam that loan? When I work a regualr job I think I claim 5 or 6. I ALWAYS complete the worksheet when completing the w-4, 9, (whatever the # is). Our property taxes are so high we usually get a good refund. But i'll be damned if i'm just going to give the gov my money!

[debmom2boyz]

So you guys want a big laugh....

My son was born in late December. Everyone kept saying...oh you'll tax deducation. This year, I realized, OH, we get to claim him every year. Duh, I didn't know!

We're not home owners. Our return is not a lot. I think it was about $1200 this year.

QUESTION: How many should I claim? I'm the primary bread winner. Am I head of household?

We're moving. Can we write it off? I did get a job, hence the move. I didn't lose my job here though. KWIM?

Taxes....so not my thing.

[JDT]

To figure out home many you can deduct DO THE WORKSHEET!!! It's not hard and will give you a good idea. You can even do it online.

Yes you can deduct moving expenses. If you buy a house you can deduct closing costs and other expenses associated with home buying.