THE SUNLIGHT TAX BLOG:
Tax and Money Education for Creative People, Freelancers and Solopreneurs
What are your money concerns? Suggest a blog topic for Hannah here.
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interviews
- Oct 25, 2022 Vision: Running for Office
- Sep 27, 2022 Paddy Johnson: Real Talk on How to Succeed in the Arts
- May 24, 2021 Nicole Espaillat: A money story of debt, yoga, and buying a house.
- Apr 26, 2021 Why the PPP Loan is Good for Artists
- Apr 6, 2021 Money Management for Creative Professionals
- Mar 31, 2021 Startist Interview: Profit Motive, Marketing, and Tax Tips for Artists
- Mar 19, 2021 ArtWitch Podcast: Permission to Thrive + Money Mindsets
- Mar 2, 2021 Artist/Mother Podcast with Hannah Cole of Sunlight Tax
- Feb 25, 2021 How Can Freelancers Benefit from New Tax Laws?
- Feb 1, 2021 Radio Interview with Hannah
- Sep 30, 2019 The Insidious Role of Gender Bias in How Artists Grapple with Personal Finances
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personal finance
- Feb 17, 2023 These Are The Money Moves You Should Make Right Now, According to Finance Pros
- Sep 9, 2022 What I've Learned from Doing Artists' Taxes
- Aug 9, 2022 Summer Camp and the Child Tax Credit
- Apr 26, 2021 Why the PPP Loan is Good for Artists
- Mar 19, 2021 ArtWitch Podcast: Permission to Thrive + Money Mindsets
- Mar 2, 2021 Artist/Mother Podcast with Hannah Cole of Sunlight Tax
- Sep 30, 2019 The Insidious Role of Gender Bias in How Artists Grapple with Personal Finances
- Mar 11, 2018 Money and Happiness: Artists' Superpower
- Feb 22, 2018 What's the Deal with Receipts?
- Jun 16, 2017 Business and Personal Accounts: Keep ’em Separated
- Jun 2, 2017 The Personal Finance Attitude Adjustment
- May 19, 2017 A Personal Finance Cheat Sheet for the Overwhelmed
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podcast
- May 14, 2024 How to Deduct Business Meals When You're Self-Employed
- May 7, 2024 How to Deduct Business Travel
- Apr 30, 2024 Startup Expenses: A Perk for Your New Business
- Apr 23, 2024 Business vs. Hobby & the IRS 9 Point Test for Profit Motive
- Apr 16, 2024 New Rules for LLCs: Update
- Apr 9, 2024 Why It Matters Who You Listen To
- Apr 2, 2024 4 Cases Where Done Beats Perfect
- Mar 26, 2024 How Taxes Can Unlock Your Financial Health
- Mar 19, 2024 Thoughts I've Had About Money
- Mar 12, 2024 1099 vs W2 Income and Why it Matters
- Mar 5, 2024 Insider Deduction Tips
- Feb 27, 2024 How to Deduct Fees, Bandmate Payouts and Gallery Commissions
- Feb 20, 2024 Tips to Make Your Taxes Better Right Now
- Feb 13, 2024 Can a Massage Therapist Deduct Massages? Education Expenses Explained
- Feb 6, 2024 Discomfort Means You're Growing: Estimates and Investments
- Jan 30, 2024 1099s Deep Dive: Listener Questions
- Jan 23, 2024 What Are Receipts Actually For?
- Jan 16, 2024 Issuing 1099s
- Jan 9, 2024 Respect Your Work, Then Get Organized
- Jan 2, 2024 The De-Stress Your Taxes Checklist
- Dec 26, 2023 Tax Credits and Law Changes Not to Miss
- Dec 19, 2023 Lower Your Taxes at Year-End, Prevent a Cash Crunch
- Dec 12, 2023 New Rules for LLCs: How The Corporate Transparency Act Affects You
- Dec 5, 2023 Understand Your Tax Rate
- Nov 28, 2023 FU Money for the People
- Nov 21, 2023 Donating Your Work isn't a Charitable Deduction
- Nov 14, 2023 Set Up Your Calendar for Tax Success
- Nov 7, 2023 Your Personal Finance Attitude Adjustment
- Oct 31, 2023 Money Cheat Sheet for the Overwhelmed
- Oct 24, 2023 The Right Step at the Right Time
- Oct 17, 2023 Your Business Already Started
- Oct 10, 2023 How to Reduce Tax Overwhelm
- Oct 3, 2023 How I Got Here: Interview with Kelly Bennett, Brand Strategist
- Sep 26, 2023 Farnoosh Torabi: When Financial Fear is Good
- Sep 19, 2023 My top 4 ROIs (Returns on Investment)
- Sep 12, 2023 Mistakes People Make When Working with an Accountant
- Sep 7, 2023 Your Complete Guide to the New Student Loan Forgiveness
- Sep 5, 2023 3 Secrets to Extra Money in Your Tax Deductions
- Aug 29, 2023 LLCs & Why You Need to Separate Your Accounts
- Aug 22, 2023 The Child Care Tax Credit
- Aug 15, 2023 Taxes Should Be Part of Civic Education: A Story of Hope
- Aug 8, 2023 10 Minute Tax Fix: Do a Paycheck Checkup
- Aug 1, 2023 Oops! How to Fix a Tax Mistake
- Jul 25, 2023 What is a Schedule? Capital Gains, Self-Employment Tax and Itemized Deductions
- Jul 18, 2023 What I do With My Money
- Jul 11, 2023 How to Have it All
- Jul 4, 2023 Why I'm Patriotic (Proof of Real Progress)
- Jun 27, 2023 The One Thing You Must Do in Your Business
- Jun 20, 2023 Medical Expense Deductions: When it's Worth Tracking & How
- Jun 13, 2023 The Business Advantages of Creatives
- Jun 6, 2023 BTS: How I Structure My Day for Better Focus
- May 30, 2023 BTS: Creative Career Advice from Architect John Cole (aka My Dad)
- May 23, 2023 BTS: Tips for Your First Hire
- May 16, 2023 S Corp Mistakes That will Cost You Thousands
- May 9, 2023 Tips to Ensure You Pay Yourself
- May 2, 2023 Re-framing Finances for Creatives
- Apr 25, 2023 What Counts As Taxable Income?
- Apr 18, 2023 3 Tips for Easier Taxes
- Apr 11, 2023 Is it Ok to Get a Tax Extension?
- Apr 4, 2023 Aggressive Means "High Growth"
- Mar 28, 2023 How to Stash More FU Money: The SECURE 2.0 Act Expands Your Retirement-Funding Options
- Mar 21, 2023 The Mental Load of Financial Fear
- Mar 14, 2023 Do I Need an LLC?
- Mar 7, 2023 The Home Office Deduction
- Feb 28, 2023 How to Fund Your IRA: Pay Yourself First
- Feb 21, 2023 When Do You Actually Need an Accountant?
- Feb 14, 2023 Estimated Quarterly Taxes: How To Calculate Your Payments
- Feb 7, 2023 Estimated Quarterly Taxes: Breaking It Down
- Jan 31, 2023 1099s: Your Top Questions
- Jan 24, 2023 Tips to Set Up for Easy Taxes
- Jan 19, 2023 How to Issue 1099s
- Jan 17, 2023 10 Reasons Self-Employed People Get Stuck with Money, and How to Fix It
- Jan 10, 2023 What Small Business Bookkeeping is Actually For
- Jan 3, 2023 Taxes, Democracy, and the Largest Climate Bill in US History
- Dec 27, 2022 Taylor Smalls: Taking the Leap from Architecture to Full Time Art
- Dec 20, 2022 Phrases to use for Boundaries & Pricing with your Clients
- Dec 13, 2022 Tax and Year-End Planning
- Dec 6, 2022 Pricing and Business Lessons
- Nov 29, 2022 Imagine (Sneha Shrestha): Street Art, Authenticity, and Connecting Savings to Creative Freedom
- Nov 22, 2022 Gretchen Carder: Prestige is Not Payment: Textiles, Covid Pivots + Bookkeeping as Self-Care
- Nov 15, 2022 What it Costs You to Wait: Money School
- Nov 15, 2022 Don't Hustle, Don't compromise, Just Maximize: Money School Bonus Series
- Nov 10, 2022 Why Business Deductions Save More Than You Think: Self-Employment Tax: Money School
- Nov 8, 2022 Receipts & Bookkeeping Demystified: Money School bonus series
- Nov 3, 2022 Here's How to Cancel Your Student Debt: Money School Bonus episode
- Nov 1, 2022 What Accountants Get Wrong About Creative People: Money School
- Oct 25, 2022 Vision: Running for Office
- Oct 18, 2022 Itemized vs. Business Deductions: Ending the Confusion
- Oct 11, 2022 Perfectionism will Kill You
- Oct 4, 2022 Roth vs Traditional IRA: Does it Even Matter?
- Oct 4, 2022 What's Going on in the Economy Right Now?
- Sep 27, 2022 Paddy Johnson: Real Talk on How to Succeed in the Arts
- Sep 20, 2022 Proof You're Doing Fine: Break Even Point
- Sep 13, 2022 Mileage: The Best Tax Deduction You're Missing
- Sep 9, 2022 Erika Hess: Podcasting, Art, Motherhood and Widening the Circle
- Sep 9, 2022 Money is Gas in the Car
- Sep 9, 2022 What I've Learned from Doing Artists' Taxes
- Sep 1, 2022 Introducing the Sunlight Podcast
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retirement savings
- Sep 9, 2022 What I've Learned from Doing Artists' Taxes
- Jul 25, 2022 The Second Best Time is Now
- Mar 11, 2018 Money and Happiness: Artists' Superpower
- May 19, 2017 A Personal Finance Cheat Sheet for the Overwhelmed
- Mar 14, 2017 The SEP IRA: A Lovesong
- sales tax
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self-employment tax
- Feb 17, 2023 These Are The Money Moves You Should Make Right Now, According to Finance Pros
- Sep 9, 2022 What I've Learned from Doing Artists' Taxes
- Apr 6, 2021 Money Management for Creative Professionals
- Mar 31, 2021 Startist Interview: Profit Motive, Marketing, and Tax Tips for Artists
- Mar 2, 2021 Artist/Mother Podcast with Hannah Cole of Sunlight Tax
- Feb 25, 2021 How Can Freelancers Benefit from New Tax Laws?
- Dec 27, 2018 Translating the New Tax Bill for Small Businesses
- Oct 24, 2018 No, You Really Can't Get a Deduction for that Artwork You Donated to Charity
- Feb 22, 2018 What's the Deal with Receipts?
- Apr 18, 2017 Set up For Your Best Year Ever: A Tax Day How-To
- Mar 23, 2017 Some Real Numbers for Artists on the ACA Repeal
- Mar 14, 2017 The SEP IRA: A Lovesong
- Aug 4, 2016 Estimated Quarterly Taxes for the New Freelancer
- May 7, 2016 Self-Employment Tax for the New Freelancer
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tax credits
- Aug 9, 2022 Summer Camp and the Child Tax Credit
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tax policy
- Oct 25, 2022 Vision: Running for Office
- Sep 20, 2022 Proof You're Doing Fine: Break Even Point
- Apr 6, 2021 Money Management for Creative Professionals
- Mar 25, 2021 What’s in the $1.9 Trillion stimulus plan?
- Mar 19, 2021 ArtWitch Podcast: Permission to Thrive + Money Mindsets
- Mar 17, 2021 Unemployment Tax Savings from the 2021 Stimulus Bill
- Feb 23, 2021 What Do Arts Organizations Need to Know About the Federal Shuttered Venue Operators Grant?
- Jul 15, 2020 How Banks Artwash the Funds that Enable Police Brutality
- Mar 13, 2020 Some of the Art World’s Largest Donors Have Paid Millions to Squelch a Wealth Tax
- Mar 27, 2019 Tax Policy Should be Part of Our Basic Civic Education
- Dec 27, 2018 Translating the New Tax Bill for Small Businesses
- Sep 24, 2018 How the New Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Impacts the Art World
- Feb 22, 2018 What's the Deal with Receipts?
- Jan 30, 2018 How The New Tax Bill Affects Freelancers
- May 2, 2017 The Estate Tax: An Economic Justice No-Brainer
- Apr 4, 2017 Charitable Deductions for You, Me and Warren Buffet
- Mar 23, 2017 Some Real Numbers for Artists on the ACA Repeal
- Nov 15, 2016 How Donald Trump's Tax Plan Will Affect Arts Workers: There's Bad Stuff Coming
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tax savings
- Aug 9, 2022 Summer Camp and the Child Tax Credit
- Mar 31, 2021 Startist Interview: Profit Motive, Marketing, and Tax Tips for Artists
- Mar 25, 2021 What’s in the $1.9 Trillion stimulus plan?
- Mar 17, 2021 Unemployment Tax Savings from the 2021 Stimulus Bill
- Feb 25, 2021 How Can Freelancers Benefit from New Tax Laws?
- Feb 23, 2021 What Do Arts Organizations Need to Know About the Federal Shuttered Venue Operators Grant?
- Dec 27, 2018 Translating the New Tax Bill for Small Businesses
- Apr 18, 2017 Set up For Your Best Year Ever: A Tax Day How-To
- Mar 14, 2017 The SEP IRA: A Lovesong
- Feb 6, 2017 Rent Too Damn High? Deduct Your Home Studio.
- Nov 1, 2016 Tax Shelters for the Working Artist
How Taxes Can Unlock Your Financial Health
LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE HERE
How Taxes Can Unlock Your Financial Health
Today, I’m giving some guidance on how you can use tax time as an opportunity to improve your finances and set yourself up for retirement. I’m diving into the importance of getting organized with systems to track tax documents, receipts, and bookkeeping so you can prevent stress and surprises during tax season.
Join me in this episode as I outline the steps you need to take to improve your financial security as a creative entrepreneur.
LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE HERE
Today, I’m giving some guidance on how you can use tax time as an opportunity to improve your finances and set yourself up for retirement. I’m diving into the importance of getting organized with systems to track tax documents, receipts, and bookkeeping so you can prevent stress and surprises during tax season.
Join me in this episode as I outline the steps you need to take to improve your financial security as a creative entrepreneur.
Also mentioned in today’s episode:
Why tax time is a key time to assess your financial situation 2:42
Why being organized with your finances is so important 7:24
High-level steps you can take to prevent stress and surprises at tax time 12:35
How you can easily calculate profit as a self-employed person 14:40
If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review and share it!
Links:
The De-Stress Your Taxes Checklist Episode
Sign up for the free class: Make Taxes Easier and Stash an Extra $130k in your Savings.
Your Complete Guide to the New Student Loan Forgiveness
LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE HERE
Your Complete Guide to the New Student Loan Forgiveness
In today’s timely bonus episode, I am sharing some information on student loans, the new SAVE program and how this new program can help lower your payments and still lead to student loan forgiveness.
Join me as I give you all the nitty-gritty details about your student loans including who qualifies for the SAVE program and how you can make sure you sign up for it to take advantage.
LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE HERE
In today’s timely bonus episode, I am sharing some information on student loans, the new SAVE program and how this new program can help lower your payments and still lead to student loan forgiveness.
Join me as I give you all the nitty-gritty details about your student loans including who qualifies for the SAVE program and how you can make sure you sign up for it to take advantage.
Also mentioned in today’s episode:
What’s different about the SAVE program and what does it include? 3:33
Forgiveness of your loan 8:00
Who qualifies for the SAVE program 10:12
What is the Fresh Start program? 18:00
If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review and share it!
Links:
How to Stash More FU Money: The SECURE 2.0 Act Expands Your Retirement-Funding Options
LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE HERE
How to Stash More FU Money: The SECURE 2.0 Act Expands Your Retirement-Funding Options
Today, I’m sharing with you some information about the recently passed Secure 2.0 Act and how it can help you stash more FU money and expand your retirement funding.
Listen to this episode to hear all of the details about the Secure 2.0 Act, how you can take advantage of it with your retirement plan and why it’s so helpful for every tax payer.
Today, I’m sharing with you some information about the recently passed Secure 2.0 Act and how it can help you stash more FU money and expand your retirement funding.
Listen to this episode to hear all of the details about the Secure 2.0 Act, how you can take advantage of it with your retirement plan and why it’s so helpful for every tax payer.
Also mentioned in today’s episode:
What is the Secure 2.0 Act? 8:28
How the Secure 2.0 Act helps with retirement funding 12:15
How you can take advantage of this act with your retirement 18:45
If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review and share it!
Links:
https://www.sunlighttax.com/moneybootcamp2023
I use a service (Guideline) that plugs into my payroll software (Gusto - this is my referral link, and it will save you $100. I *highly* recommend Gusto for running payroll and paying contractors/complying with 1099s/W2s). Guideline is so affordable and streamlined that even as a small employer, I have no trouble maintaining my 401k.
Recession is a Golden Opportunity
“Should I be freaking out about the economy?”
You’re getting the message that there's bad stuff happening in the economy right now. Inflation. Gas prices. Groceries. Stocks tumbling. Crypto cratering. But how these things touch your life can vary. You’re self-employed, and so you want to be sure that your business stays strong and you are managing your money well through potential choppy waters.
Do you need to freak out?
Hell no. In fact, you might even celebrate.
If you know what to do, recessions present some of the best opportunities for you to maximize your money and stand out in your business.
“Should I be freaking out about the economy?”
You’re getting the message that there's bad stuff happening in the economy right now. Inflation. Gas prices. Groceries. Stocks tumbling. Crypto cratering. But how these things touch your life can vary. You’re self-employed, and so you want to be sure that your business stays strong and you are managing your money well through potential choppy waters.
Do you need to freak out?
Hell no. In fact, you might even celebrate.
If you know what to do, recessions present some of the best opportunities for you to maximize your money and stand out in your business.
Wait, is that really true?
Absolutely.
Ad costs drop. That’s a chance for you to get out in front of more potential clients.
Stock prices drop. That’s a chance for you to “buy low.” It’s a sale on the stock market. I don’t know about you, but I love a sale.
Small creative businesses like yours get distracted and lose their nerve. That’s a chance for you to hone your message, focus on your clients’ needs, invest in some new skills, and become the go-to business in your niche.
But of course if you have no savings, no cushion in your business, and no plan, you cannot optimize your business for a recession. This is the time for a financial plan.
Good news: I’m here to help you with this.
I just hosted a training about managing the scary parts of a recession and optimizing your opportunities. And I’ve decided to make it available to you, dear reader, so you can feel more calm and in control.
WATCH: How to Thrive in a Recession
[NOTE ABOUT THE BONUS offer: in the Recession video, I mention a bonus 1:1 consult with me. That offer is no longer available as stated in the video. BUT, if you’re interested in it, you can still get a session with me by watching this class on How to Put Your Taxes on Autopilot and Grow Your “Freedom Fund” and joining the program using the fast-action bonus link. The 1:1 sessions with me, Hannah, are available so long as you join by August 15]
Startist Interview: Profit Motive, Marketing, and Tax Tips for Artists
Hannah talks with Laura Griffin and Nikki May of Startist Society about her roots as an artist and about establishing a profit motive for your art business. She chats about empowerment for artists and how she got started in accounting after some bad experiences she had as an artist.
What should you use to track expenses? How and what expenses are deductible? Can donated artwork be deducted? Do I need to collect sales tax?
Is your art a business or a hobby?
Hannah talks with Laura Griffin and Nikki May of Startist Society about her roots as an artist and about establishing a profit motive for your art business. She chats about empowerment for artists and how she got started in accounting after some bad experiences she had as an artist.
What should you use to track expenses? How and what expenses are deductible? Can donated artwork be deducted? Do I need to collect sales tax? Find out the answers in this podcast interview relevant to creative freelancers in the US.
Hannah discusses what things in nature and the outside world inspire her as an artist and how to slow down to look at things that most people don’t notice. How does she choose what she paints in her art practice?
They talk about using your left brain vs. right brain and balancing art and your business practice. Hannah goes into depth about how to show the IRS that your art is a business and not a hobby. They discuss how to show a profit motive through your activities and record-keeping—even if your business is not yet generating a profit.
Hannah gives specific information about tracking business expenses and receipts with examples that pertain to creative people. She also discusses how LLCs are legal and not a tax entities. They explore how to prevent tax audits and common deductible expenses, including details about mileage, business meals, donations, etc.
Money Bootcamp is an annual membership for creators to get you set up right and tracking all the right things without wasting your time. You'll have more time for creative pursuits when you stop worrying about your finances and money.
What’s in the $1.9 Trillion stimulus plan?
The American Rescue Plan, Biden’s $1.9 Stimulus Bill, will be an enormous boost to the US economy. Here’s a brief rundown of the items most likely to affect freelancers.
Stimulus payments:
New $1400 stimulus payments will go out per person on the return. This means that children and other dependents will get the full $1400 each, in addition to the taxpayers. Households with income under $150,000 (married filing jointly) and individuals with income under $75,000 will receive the full benefit. Households with income between
The American Rescue Plan, Biden’s $1.9 Stimulus Bill, will be an enormous boost to the US economy. Here’s a brief rundown of the items most likely to affect freelancers.
Stimulus payments:
New $1400 stimulus payments will go out per person on the return. This means that children and other dependents will get the full $1400 each, in addition to the taxpayers. Households with income under $150,000 (married filing jointly) and individuals with income under $75,000 will receive the full benefit. Households with income between 160,000 and 150,000 will get a reduced payment, as will individuals with income between $75,000 and $80,000.
Unemployment:
Unemployment benefits have been expanded by an extra $300/week, and extended to September 6. In addition, unemployment benefits from 2020 will not be taxable up to $10,200 per person ($20,400 in a married filing joint couple). This benefit is retroactive, meaning that it will take effect on your 2020 tax return. If you have already filed your 2020 return, the IRS will do the calculation for you and send you a refund of the taxes you paid on your 2020 unemployment. Do NOT file an amended return.
Money for families with children:
The American Rescue Plan will help families enormously. For 2021, the Child Tax Credit will be expanded from $2000 per child to $3600 per child under 6, and $3000 per child age 6-17. Notably, taxpayers will not need to wait until tax time to claim the credit. Payments will be sent directly to families in monthly installments starting in July 2021. These payments will go to married-filing-joint families earning under $150,000, heads of household earning under $112,500, and married-filing-separate families earning under $75,000. You may calculate your credit using a choice of either your 2019 or your 2020 income - whichever gets you the bigger credit.
The dependent care credit is enhanced for 2021. It will increase to $8,000 for 1 child or $16,000 for 2 or more children. The credit is for 50% of the costs of childcare, which include (as always) babysitters and summer camps so that the parent(s) can work. This means that the maximum credit will be $4000 for one child or $8000 for 2 or more (that is 50% x the cost of care up to $8000 for one child or $16,000 for two). The credit phases out starting at household income of $125,000 (married filing joint), to a reduced benefit of 20% of costs, but a reduced credit amount is still available for families with income up to $400,000.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit will be increased 15% through September. And K-12 schools will receive over $120 billion in additional funding.
Earned income tax credit (EITC) expansion:
The Earned income tax credit is expanded. It will now include several groups who were not previously eligible:
Age 19 if not a student
Age 24 if a student
Age 18 if an eligible foster child
The age 65 upper limit for the EITC is repealed
Whereas the EITC in its original form was targeted primarily at working families with children, the EITC formula is now enhanced for single people with no children. As with the child tax credit, you may calculate your credit based on 2019 or 2020 income; whichever provides you the bigger credit.
Teacher deduction:
The $250 deduction that K-12 teachers currently receive for classroom supplies paid for out of pocket has been expanded to include the purchase of PPE/sanitizer. The deduction amount remains $250.
Student Loans:
The bill does not provide forgiveness for student loans, as many had hoped. However, any student loans forgiven between 2021-2025 will be tax free. This is a benefit, because forgiveness of debt would normally be considered taxable income.
Healthcare:
For those who have lost a job or had hours cut, the government will cover the full cost of COBRA health coverage through the former employer from April 1 through September 30th.
If you bought health insurance through a government exchange, the cost has been lowered to no more than 8.5% of your total income. This will be automatically applied--so there is no need to take additional action.
For those who would consider buying marketplace health insurance if the prices were more affordable, the open enrollment date has been extended through May 15. You may also use the open enrollment period to switch from your current plan to a lower-priced plan.
Premium tax credits--the advanced payments made to taxpayers that subsidize the cost of their marketplace health insurance--are affected by the law, too. Normally, taxpayers are only eligible for premium tax credits if they have income between 100% and 400% of the Federal poverty level. For 2021, that cap is removed, making more people eligible for premium tax credits. Additionally, under normal circumstances, a taxpayer whose income rises above 400% of the poverty level has to pay back some or all of their advanced credits. For 2020 taxes, this payback will be forgiven altogether. And lastly, if unemployment income raised your income level above the threshold to qualify for premium tax credit health care subsidies, it will not be counted as income in consideration of the premium tax credit.
Grants for Restaurants:
There is a new $30 Billion grant program called the Restaurant Revitalization Grant program. This will give money to struggling restaurant and food service businesses, with $5 Billion earmarked for businesses with gross receipts under $500,000. To check your eligibility and application requirements, see the Small Business Administration website for details and the latest updates.
All in all, the Biden stimulus bill, the American Rescue Plan, will put money in the pockets of the people in the US who need it most. It takes a big step toward a guaranteed income for families with children, lowers healthcare costs, and knits up some of the holes in our social safety net.
Unemployment Tax Savings from the 2021 Stimulus Bill
President Biden recently signed the American Rescue Plan into law, and it has some very exciting provisions for people who collected unemployment during 2020. Hannah Cole of Sunlight Tax created the following short video to give you the latest information about how the new law will apply to unemployment income.
Hannah goes through specific information about unemployment taxes affected by this retroactive legislation. Hannah covers what you need to know, whether you have already filed your 2020 taxes or whether you have not filed yet.
If you or your spouse collected unemployment in 2020, you need to watch this video!
President Biden recently signed the American Rescue Plan into law, and it has some very exciting provisions for people who collected unemployment during 2020. Hannah Cole of Sunlight Tax created the following short video to give you the latest information about how the new law will apply to unemployment income.
Hannah goes through specific information about the unemployment taxes affected by this retroactive legislation. Hannah covers what you need to know about filing, whether you have already filed your 2020 taxes or whether you have not filed yet. She goes through a few scenarios to show how much you can save depending on your current tax rate and whether more than one person in your household was collecting unemployment last year.
Here’s what Hannah has to say:
What the tax savings is on $10,200 of unemployment income (thanks Democrats!), and a shoutout to those of you who called, texted & knocked to get out the vote--you had a hand in this tax bill that will lift 50% of American children out of poverty and take a meaningful step towards guaranteed income for families with children. You made a difference. Americans (of all parties) will benefit from your work! Thank you!!!❤️🇺🇸
Watch the blog for a longer post about the entire stimulus bill coming soon!
Set up For Your Best Year Ever: A Tax Day How-To
Here we are at Tax Day. Your taxes are filed. (They aren’t? Here’s an IRS extension form – postmark it today. You’ll need one for your state, too.)
Last year you vowed to get your stuff in order. Then suddenly the tax deadline was upon you, and you scrambled through the process, and weren’t as careful as you intended to be. You suspected you should have been paying estimated quarterly taxes all year, but didn’t, and now your tax bill is surprisingly high.
You meant to set some money aside in a retirement account, but that shocking tax bill meant you didn’t have any cash to do it.
You suspect that there were deductions you missed.
If you’re being honest, your books were a mess (if you’re thinking “I need to keep books?” go back and read this.)
Now that the time pressure is off, let’s take a look at how you can make this year better. Plus some discounts on apps that can help you. Read more...
Charitable Deductions for You, Me and Warren Buffet
Here’s a fact that may surprise you: lower income people give far more to charity than people in the upper income brackets. And yet the laws for charitable giving bend over backwards to accommodate high-income charitable givers, and often don’t allow low income people to get a deduction at all.
The reason is that only people who itemize their deductions get to claim charitable deductions, and lower income households usually don’t itemize. Here’s a quick primer:
Every person filing taxes gets a personal exemption of $4050 for every taxpayer and dependant claimed on her return. In English, this means that everybody’s first $4050 of income is automatically tax-free. If you are married with three kids, you only pay tax on any money you make over $20,250 ($4050 personal exemption x 5 people).That’s true for you, me, and Warren Buffett. read more...
The SEP IRA: A Lovesong
We freelancers pay a lot of tax. We don’t just pay an income tax rate of anywhere from 0 to 39% on our freelance income – we also pay a flat 15.3% self-employment tax, no matter what our income bracket. Without tax planning, this can be a huge bite.
As artists and cultural workers, our freelancer tax strategy is generally to reduce the amount of our taxable self-employment income as much as legally possible. Tax planning is hard, because it’s about saving small bits in many places. There are few silver bullets. But the closest thing there is to a silver bullet is tax-sheltered retirement savings. Read full article
Rent Too Damn High? Deduct Your Home Studio.
One of the best tax breaks out there is the home office (or home studio) deduction. In tax terms, this essentially turns a portion of your nondeductible personal expenses (your home) into deductible business expenses (a workplace). A lot of people are confused about the rules, and some people are scared to take the deduction at all because they’ve heard that it can be a red flag to the IRS. As long as you are following the rules correctly, there is nothing wrong with taking the deduction. And it’s a big one! So here is some help.
First, when can you claim a home office/home studio?
You have to use it both exclusively and regularly.
Exclusive use means that the space is a dedicated workspace – no kids watching TV in there after hours, no guests staying there. There is no wiggle room on this part. read full article
The Nitty Gritty: How To Prepare for Filing Your Taxes
Nobody likes filing taxes. But thinking ahead and getting your documents lined up reduce the stress of the process. Here are some key ways to prepare yourself for tax season, and get you ready to sit down to your own tax prep software or deliver an organized package to your tax preparer.
1. Download a 2016 tax year organizer. There are many available online. Mine is here. This will be your guide and checklist, and will help you see what you still need, and tell you when you’re done. Follow this guide. Every accountant has a horror story about someone who, in the attempt to save themselves time, doesn’t read the organizer carefully, and causes no less than six follow up phone calls to chase down the information. Believe me when I tell you that a busy accountant in the heat of tax season will charge you extra for that kind of hand-holding. If you want to save yourself time (and money) on the tax process, have these materials fully prepared before heading to your accountant.
2. Put your receipts, 1099-MISCs, W-2s and all your other tax documents in a folder. This can be virtual or manilla. But keep in mind...read more
Getting Organized: Financial Resolutions for Artists in 2017
As we enter a the new year, let’s take time to think about the priorities in our arts practices, and in our personal lives. You may roll your eyes at the idea of New Year’s resolutions, but there is evidence that writing down your goals actually helps you achieve them. So grab a pen, and let’s put some intention into 2017.
In my interview with artist Susan Crile about her eight year ordeal defending herself in US Tax Court, there was a lot of discussion about keeping records to prove the profit motive in one’s art practice. It brings up a good question for most of us: how are we doing on our own record keeping? If the IRS sent an audit letter tomorrow, would you feel good about the shape that your records are in? If the answer is not good, don’t panic. Here is a list of what you will need, and some thoughts on how to improve your record keeping going forward.
- Good Bookkeeping. Bookkeeping is important to any business. Without tracking expenses and growth, there is no way to improve your practice. It’s impossible to argue that you are actively trying to turn a profit when you don’t track your income and expenses.
Tax Shelters for the Working Artist
What is a tax shelter?
The term “tax shelter” may conjure offshore accounts and shell companies, but in fact it is just a way of reducing your taxable income. Abusive tax shelters are illegal, but there are many legal ones that are actually set up by the US government to encourage Americans to set aside money for important things, like health care, child care, college, and retirement. I want to discuss a subset of these tax shelters, the Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) and the Healthcare Savings Accounts (HSAs) which came up in my previous piece on artist taxes. These accounts allow you to set aside up to a certain dollar amount tax-free to pay for qualified expenses. What you set aside gets subtracted from your taxable income, reducing your overall tax liability. Many of these programs have open enrollment periods in November, so just in time, here is a primer on this group of tax shelters for the working artist.
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