Having resided in Southern California, I know you can put a lot of miles on your car in that area. One engineering teacher learned the hard way from Tax Court that a written mileage log is essential if you want to deduct your business miles. The petitioner taught at several schools in Southern California. He [...]

One of the most difficult things to explain to a non-tax practitioner is the tax concept of domicile. For most individuals, your domicile is your residence. I reside in Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s my only home. In my case, my domicile and residence are identical (as is the case for most people). However, some individuals [...]

Most payroll services are reputable. They help companies comply with the myriad of laws and regulations in payroll by preparing payroll checks, paperwork, and even sending the withheld payroll taxes to the IRS and state tax agencies. Of course, where most won’t go the Bozo wing of payroll services happily head to. From Maryland comes [...]

Uli Hoeness is the president of Bayern Munich. Who? Well, if you asked a resident of Bavaria this question, you’d get shocked looks–the same as you would get from a New Yorker asking about the Yankees. Bayern Munich is a soccer team in Munich. They’re very successful and already have clinched this year’s bundesliga. This [...]

As I’m still not really working, here’s the press release from the IRS: WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced a three-month tax filing and payment extension to Boston area taxpayers and others affected by Monday’s explosions. This relief applies to all individual taxpayers who live in Suffolk County, Mass., including the city of [...]

I’m in zombie mode — it’s midnight and the last of the work is done (for a short time). I’ll be out the rest of today (Tuesday). Tax Day is over. One place where it’s sort of not over is California. The Franchise Tax Board had major computer issues with their website on Monday. The [...]

As I write this (in March), I just got off the phone with one of my clients. He just did very well in a poker tournament, and won just over $11,000. He took the money in cash (rather than a check) as he thought he was going to need the cash. He doesn’t, so he [...]

Here’s another Bozo Tax Tip that keeps coming around. The problem is, the Bozos don’t change their stripes. In any case, here are some signs your accountant might be a Bozo: - He’s never met a deduction that doesn’t fit everyone. There’s no reason why a renter can’t take a mortgage interest deduction, right? And [...]

Today is April 9th. The tax deadline is just six days away. What happens if you wake up and it’s April 15, 2013, and you can’t file your tax? File an extension. Download Form 4868, make an estimate of what you owe, pay that, and mail the voucher and check to the address noted for [...]

Given its tax time, you will likely find long lines at your local post office. Individuals are filing tax returns, so those who don’t efile must mail the returns. When you mail anything, you should seal the envelope; that’s especially true for anything with your social security number on it. Yet here’s an unfortunately true [...]