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Greetings!
You don't live "off the grid," so you know that President Obama has signed
the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act." We've provided a few highlights below which may impact you.
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New Withholding Tables May Produce Some Unwanted Results
Tax Cuts for 95% of America's Working Families may produce some unwelcome results, particularly for those filing as married, filing jointly. For 2009 and 2010, the Making Work Pay provision of the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act will provide a refundable tax credit of
up to $400 for working individuals and $800 for married taxpayers
filing joint returns.
This tax credit will be calculated at a rate of 6.2 percent of
earned income and will phase out for taxpayers with adjusted gross
income in excess of $75,000, or $150,000 for married couples filing
jointly.
For people who receive a paycheck and are subject to withholding,
the credit will typically be handled by their employers through
automated withholding changes in early spring. These changes may result
in an increase in take-home pay. The amount of the credit must be
reported on the employee's 2009 income tax return filed in 2010.
Taxpayers who do not have taxes withheld by an employer during the year
can also claim the credit on their 2009 tax return. A Calculator is available that shows you the difference between the old federal withholding rates and the new Federal Withholding Rates. For those who receive small refunds or no refunds, this may cause you to want to file a revised W-4 with your employer to change your dependencies to negate the impact of this change. Feel free to contact our office for assistance.
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First $2,400 of Unemployment Benefits Tax Free for 2009
In 2009,
the first $2,400 of unemployment benefits will be tax-free, under relief
provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Every person
who receives unemployment benefits during 2009 is eligible to exclude the first
$2,400 of these benefits when they file their tax return next year. For a
married couple, the exclusion applies to each spouse, separately. Thus, if both
spouses receive unemployment benefits during 2009, each may exclude from income
the first $2,400 of benefits they receive.
The new law doesn't affect the return taxpayers are filling out now.
Unemployment benefits received in 2008 and prior years remain fully taxable.
Unemployed workers who expect to receive more than $2,400 in benefits in 2009
should consider having tax withheld from their benefit payments in excess of
that amount.
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Support for Students Struggling to Afford College
The American Opportunity Tax Credit helps families offset college tuition costs with the $2500 American Opportunity Tax Credit. (For accountants and tax geeks: That $2,500 includes a full credit on
the first $2,000 of expenses, and then 25 percent of expenses up to
$4,000, for a total potential credit of $2,500.) Many families will see a $500 increase in their maximum Pell Grant to cover college tuition payments. This calculator helps you determine eligibility.
For more information on this important legislation go to the IRS WebsiteIRA investmentsYou have until April 15, 2009 to make any contributions to your IRA for 2008. Remember you control the where to invest, so you choose risk free CD's or even money market funds. Call or email and we can help you determine how much this can save you in taxes.
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Just in Time for Tax Season We have a few new offerings:
Free E-filing: Beat the mail and get your return filed more quickly than ever before.
Audit Shield: Our "Better Safe than Sorry" protection plan
which will pay up to $2500 in penalties, etc. imposed by the IRS due to
an error on your part on forgetting to give us a critical piece of your
income information). The plan is $24.95 and is added to your invoice, should you choose to use it
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We Look Forward to Working With You Throughout the Year and Wish You a Prosperous 2009!
Please welcome our new Intern, Hannah Schoff who will be joining us in May! You will be hearing from Hannah throughout the year! She will be replacing Laura Beck who has risen through the ranks from Intern to Accountant and has accepted a position at the US Treasury upon graduation in May. We will miss Laura, but, welcome Hannah, another bright, talented young accounting professional.
From All of Us
at Maco
& Associates, LLC Telephone:
(610)489-7215 Email:[email protected] 4183 Ironbridge Drive Collegeville, PA
19426 Visit our Blog
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