Good morning! The Daily Tax Tip is back and today I’m explaining credits.
To begin with, you need to understand what a credit is. Simply put, a tax credit is an amount that’s deducted from the total amount of tax a person owes back. A tax credit differs from deductions, which reduces the amount of money the government can tax, and are given out for various reasons. The most common tax credit is the income tax and it recognizes what you’ve already paid toward your tax burden. Other credits may be offered as a subsidy (think the Health Care Tax Credit that’s being offered now) or to get you to invest or spend money on certain things.
Below is a list of the three most common tax credits available:
Earned Income Credit
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is available to you if you worked but did not make a lot of money. Granted a “lot” is predetermined by the government and is based on your total income and filing status, but it is worth the research. This credit is a refundable credit (which means you see the money in your refund). There are different qualifiers for this credit and the caveat here is that you usually see the money if you have a child (there have been some cases where people qualify for the credit without children but that amount isn’t as much).
Child and Dependent Care Credit
This credit is available to those who have qualifying child OR dependent care expenses. The credit is given to you in the form of a percentage of the expenses you spent during the year (up to $3,000). Generally, you receive the credit for children less than 13 years of age or a mentally/physically incapacitated dependent. There are some caveats to this credit, so if you receive it, be sure that your tax professional explains it to you.
Retirement Savings Contribution Credit
If you make eligible contributions to a recognized individual retirement account (IRA), you may be eligible to take a credit based on the percentage you contributed during the year. With this credit, there is an income ceiling (you can’t take the credit if you make over a certain amount) and your income determines your credit rate (the lower your income, the higher your credit rate).
Your tax professional should walk you through an interview before they even complete your paperwork to understand your spending behaviors for the past year and your goals for the upcoming year. If you are eligible for credits, they should also take the time to explain why you received the credit. These two conversations will allow them to offer you advice on credits you should be aware of, what you can do to take advantage of other credits in the future and provide you with some security if you’re questioned about it.
Since 2010, Courtney has been using her training and expertise to provide affordable, accurate and ethical tax preparation services to those in her community. She firmly believes in the saying, “When you know better, you do better,” and it is always her intent to educate others on things that significantly impact their lives.