Dependents

Kid With Paper Route

March 27, 2012
paper boys

Today TaxMama® hears from Don in the TaxQuips Forum with a little confusion. “My daughter is a widow with 3 children. The kids receive Social Security income from their deceased father’s account. My daughter’s 13-year-old son earned $700 with a paper route & received a 1099-MISC with the amount in box 7 – Nonemployee compensation. [...]

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The Etermal Conflict – Who Gets the Child?

February 17, 2012

A man and his young wife were in divorce court, but the custody of their children posed a problem. The mother leaped to her feet and protested to the judge that since she brought the children into this world, she should retain custody of them.   Share this:

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Stepchild in Divorce

February 14, 2012

Today TaxMama® hears from Susan in the TaxQuips Forum with a divorce question for Valentine’s Day. “What happens, taxwise, to the relationship of stepchildren when the parents divorce and the stepchild stays with the stepparent? Do they go back to just being the girlfriend’s kid again? I hear about stepparents adopting their spouse’s children. Is [...]

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Child Chips In

February 6, 2012

Today TaxMama® hears from Susan in the TaxQuips Forum with a well-reasoned question. “This concerns a mentally disabled 20-year-old living at home. She just started receiving money from her father’s pension, instead of Social Security Disability. At what point does contributing to the household become income. I contend that as long as you are the [...]

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Child Support Payment

January 29, 2012

  Today TaxMama® hears from Danny in the Tax Quips Forum with this question. “My kids stay with their mother from Sunday noon until Thursday noon; then stay with me from Thursday noon until Sunday noon. I pay $140 monthly in child support. Can I claim them in my taxes?” Share this:

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IRS Reminds Parents of Ten Tax Benefits

January 27, 2012

Your kids can be helpful at tax time. That doesn’t mean they’ll sort your tax receipts or refill your coffee, but those charming children may help you qualify for some valuable tax benefits. Here are 10 things the IRS wants parents to consider when filing their taxes this year. Share this:

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Nursing Home Costs

January 11, 2012

 Today TaxMama hears from Susan in the TaxQuips Forum with an ever more common  situation. “My dad (age 88) is in a nursing home because my mom can no longer care for him. I wanted to know which nursing home expenses are considered medical expenses.”   Share this:

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What is my Refund?

January 9, 2012

Today TaxMama hears from Alex in the TaxQuips Forum who is confused. “I’m wondering what my refund would be if I claimed exempt status for about half of 2011.I’m a full-time student, filing as single, with a gross income of about $10,000. I tried doing some of my taxes on TurboTax, but it said my [...]

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Divorce Rip-off

December 14, 2011

Today TaxMama hears from Kathy in the TaxQuips Forum who is in despair. Let me summarize her problem – and you can read the details, here. Her husband’s ex-wife keeps claiming their children on her joint tax return with her new husband, even though the divorce agreement says Kathy’s husband gets the children. Kathy and [...]

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In 2012, Many Tax Benefits Increase Due to Inflation Adjustments

October 21, 2011

WASHINGTON — For tax year 2012, personal exemptions and standard deductions will rise and tax brackets will widen due to inflation, the Internal Revenue Service announced today. By law, the dollar amounts for a variety of tax provisions, affecting virtually every taxpayer, must be revised each year to keep pace with inflation. New dollar amounts [...]

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