*By Carlo Versano*
For many of us, the impact of the tax overhaul that went into effect a year ago won't be felt until we file our 2018 returns. Here are some things to remember as tax season approaches (W-2s should start appearing in mailboxes in a month), courtesy of Katelynn Minott, a CPA at Bright!Tax:
2018 returns have big increases in the standard deduction, which is now:
* $12,000 for single filers
* $18,000 for heads of households
* $24,000 for married couples filing jointly
While standard deductions have roughly doubled, the personal exemption has been eliminated. That means you can no longer reduce your taxable income by the $4,050 per household member. The standard deduction increase is generally positive for single and married people, but negative for anyone with dependents.
Filers will also no longer be able to deduct costs associated with job searches and working from home, which will negatively impact freelancers and anyone who spent more than 2 percent of their adjusted gross income on job-related expenses.
The new law also makes it harder to deduct mortgage interest and property taxes.
Filers should be prepared to get acquainted with a vastly different 1040 form, Minott said. And if you had a major life event in the last 12 months ー marriage, job change, child ー don't forget to update your W-4 to reflect that change.
And if you're expecting a refund and need the cash, don't forget the IRS works on a first-come, first-serve basis after you file.
"The earlier you file, the earlier your return will come back to you," Minott said.
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He tried to catch them all. A man from Georgia has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for using COVID relief to buy a rare Charizard Pokemon Card with $58,000 of the loan money. The collectible has now become government property.
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Soaring gas prices, South Korea's presidential election is getting nasty, and it was a big night for country music! Here is all the news you Need2Know for Tuesday, March 8, 2022.
Country music fans watching the Academy of Country Music Awards tonight will be doing so in a different way than years past. The ceremony will not be broadcast on network TV and will air exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. This will be the first time a major awards show will be live-streamed exclusively on a subscription video-on-demand platform. Shelly Kramer, co-founder and lead analyst of Futurum Research, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Atomic bills itself as an investing API that allows fintechs and banks to easily integrate investing into their products by bringing the power of investing to everyone, with no account minimums. In November, the company announced its launch along with a $25 million Series A funding round. David Dindi, co-founder and CEO of Atomic, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Derek Shearer, former U.S. Ambassador to Finland and contributing writer for Washington Monthly, joins Cheddar News to discuss the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
