In: Accounting
The Individual taxable entity is the most common when filing taxes. It is very important that taxpayers know which filing status they should use each year.
Explain why your filing status is important when completing an individual tax return.
List some of the repercussions of incorrectly determining your proper filing status.
State the distinction between above-the-line and below-the-line deductions.
Filing status is important when completing an individual tax return. This is because filing status has a direct bearing on the tax benefits that an individual will receive. The filing status also impacts the amount of standard deduction and finally the amount of taxes that are paid by an individual. One can file as single, married filing jointly, married filing separately, head of household and qualifying widow(er) with dependent child.
Some of the repercussions of incorrectly determining the proper filing status are that you may increase your tax liability as a result of incorrectly determining the proper filing status. Incorrectly determining the proper filing status may distort the number of deductions available to you, credits and exemptions that you can claim. All this might increase your tax liability.
Above the line deductions are less restrictive in nature than below the line deductions. Above the line deductions help in directly offsetting the income that one reports. This is not possible with below the line deductions. Generally above the line deductions include contributions that are made towards health savings and individual retirement accounts. Below the line deductions include personal and dependent exemptions but these are not affected by AGI. The most important difference is that above the line deductions reduce an individual’s AGI. However below the line deductions does not reduce an individual’s AGI.