Tax Planning in the U.S.

    Whether you're filing your tax return or doing more long-term tax planning, we're here to help. Find overviews of tax concepts, deductions, credits, and tax planning strategies, learn how to prepare your tax return, and get reviews of the best tax prep programs.
    A young taxpayer calculates her income and deductions.
    What Is the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)?
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    How to File Taxes in Your 20s
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    Where Do Your Social Security and Medicare Taxes Go?
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    What Is Personal Property Tax?
    what to know about trump's tax plan
    How Trump's Tax Reform Plan Affects You
    Image shows one person giving a gift to another, standing in front of a stack of money. Text reads: "What counts as a 'gift'? IRS considers a 'gift' any transfer of cash or property in which the donor doesn't receive something of equal value in return. Not all gifts are taxable; example: making a loan to a friend without charging him interest (and then forgiving the loan)"
    Who Pays the Gift Tax, and How Much Is It?
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    How to File IRS Form 4868
    Image shows a woman sitting at three computer monitors showing various charts and data. Text reads: “What is a capital gains tax? The capital gains tax is a government fee on the profit made from selling certain types of assets, including stock investments or real estate property. A capital gain is calculated as the total sale price minus the original cost of an asset. Tax only comes due once you sell your investment.”
    What Is the Capital Gains Tax?
    Dice spelling out the word "TAX" sitting on top of a tax return
    What Is IRS Form 1041?
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    A Guide to Death, Estate, and Inheritance Taxes
    A taxpayer calculates his effective tax rate.
    What Is an Effective Tax Rate?
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    What Is Fair Market Value?
    Doing Taxes
    Do You Need to Pay the Alternative Minimum Tax?
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    Key Differences Between Tenants by the Entirety and JTWROS
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    What Is a Tax Liability?
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    Tax Credit vs. Deduction
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    What Is a Business Entity?
    Man worried about an IRS tax levy from his paycheck
    Yes, the IRS Can Collect Tax Debts From Your Bank Account
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    What Is IRS Form 709?
    Personal Financial Help with Financial Advisor
    How to Use IRS Free File
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    How Much Does the Average American Pay in Taxes?
    Couple working on taxes
    IRS Form 8379 for Injured Spouse Relief—Do You Qualify?
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    Here Are the Rules on Reporting Foreign Gifts and Inheritances
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    What Is a Tax Deed?
    Close up of hands filling in tax form
    The Difference Between Pre-Tax and After-Tax Investment Accounts
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    What Is a Consumption Tax?
    Sad senior woman talking to a female lawyer
    How the Federal Estate Exemptions Changed From 1997 to 2021
    A couple working on their monthly expenses together in the kitchen
    Taxing Earned Income vs. Unearned Income
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    Duties and Responsibilities of a Guardian or Conservator
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    Do Native Americans Pay Taxes?
    what is a tax year? a tax year is the calendar year in which income taxes were withheld or the year for which an income tax return is being filed. begins january 1 and goes through december 31. the government will need to know what you earned for the above dates
    What Is a "Tax Year" and How to Best Prepare
    Mature Hispanic woman (50s) advising senior Hispanic woman (70s)
    Do You Need to File Federal Estate Tax Form 706?
    Man giving woman a gift on sofa
    Gift Tax Rate Changes and Exemptions, Plus What You Will Pay
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    Will You Have to Pay a GST Tax in 2018? If So, How Much?
    Woman opening a gift
    The Annual Gift Tax Exclusion — How Much Can You Give?
    A woman with dreadlocks sits at a kitchen table, doing her income tax on a laptop
    Breakdown of Who Pays the Most—and Least—in Taxes
    Financial planning like a pro
    How Selling Stocks Impacts Your Tax Bill
    Mature couple reviewing receipts for income taxes
    What Is Adjusted Gross Income?
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    How Much of a Tax Deduction Can You Claim for Charitable Gifts?
    A woman prepares taxes on a laptop computer, with a pile of tax documents she has gathered strewn across a desk.
    What Documents Do I Need to File My Taxes?
    An investor looks over tax lien certificates in her city.
    What Is a Tax Lien Certificate?
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    Learn the Basics of Electronic Filing for Income Taxes
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    How Saving for Retirement Can Reduce Your Taxes
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    Find Out If Your Inheritance Is Subject to State Taxes
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    What Is IRS Form 1099-C?
    A lesbian couple smile at one another as they sit in their bright kitchen debating how long to keep tax records while looking at a laptop.
    How Long Should You Keep Tax Returns?
    Parents and baby seated on a sofa in a new home surrounded by packing boxes
    What Is a First-Time Homebuyer?
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    What Is IRS Form 1099-MISC?
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    Do You Have to Pay Taxes on Your Scholarship Money? Maybe.
    Woman signing tax form
    Want To Buy Stocks? Here's How It Will Affect Your Taxes
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    What Is the Self-Employed Contributions Act (SECA) Tax?
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    The SECURE Act: A New Tax Law That Benefits Retirees
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    What Is Carried Interest?
    Shot of a senior couple meeting up with a financial advisor
    What Is Form 1041 for Revocable Living Trusts?
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    The Best Nanny Payroll Services for 2021
    Portrait of senior Indian couple sitting at sofa with gift box smiling happily. Indian family living lifestyle at home.
    The Gift Tax Applies to Spouses Only Under These Circumstances
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    The Pease limitation: How It Worked and Why It Was Repealed
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    Here Are the Different Taxes That Are Due After Someone's Death
    down-payment gift guidelines: the amount of down-payment funds that can be gifted depends on the type of mortgage loan, a credit score of 580 or above means you're eligible for an FHA loan with a 3.5% down payment, a credit score of below 580 means you'll need to put at least 10% down, if you decide to put down 20% or more on an FHA loan, then the entire down payment can be gifted, a credit score between 580 and 619 means that 3.5% of the down payment must come from your own house
    Do You Know How to Document That Mortgage Down-Payment Gift?
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    Are Financial Planning or Investment Management Fees Deductible?