Ong & Company Blog

ObamaCare Surtax Basics

Richard Ong / March 25, 2017 /

Tax Planning

The Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) is a unique tax provision, introduced in 2013 to help pay for the Affordable Care Act (ACA). While the NIIT may be the focus of future congressional action, the ...

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Miscellaneous Tax Deductions

Richard Ong / March 19, 2017 /

Tax Deductions

Most tax-deductible expenses fall into a specific category. For instance, you can usually claim mortgage interest and charitable contributions as itemized deductions on Schedule A of your Form 1040. ...

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Deducting Volunteer Expenses

Richard Ong / March 11, 2017 /

Tax Deductions

Although you can't deduct the value of time and energy spent on charitable endeavors, you can often write off unreimbursed expenses incurred while performing charitable duties. Here are some of the ...

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Last Minute 2016 Tax Deductions

Richard Ong / March 05, 2017 /

Tax Deductions

Are you facing a tax liability on your 2016 return or looking for a bigger tax refund? There's little you can do now to reduce the tax, but there's at least a couple options that may be available to ...

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Deduct Your Moving Expenses

Richard Ong / February 25, 2017 /

Tax Deductions

It's not unusual to pull up stakes after you land a new job. If your new employer does not reimburse you for your moving expenses, you may still be able to deduct them on your tax return. To qualify, ...

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Avoid Double Dipping 529 Plan Withdrawals and Education Credits

Richard Ong / February 20, 2017 /

Education Savings

It is fairly common knowledge that Congress has given us several ways to reduce our income tax bills when it comes to saving for and paying for college - both for ourselves and our children and grand ...

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Deducting Interest Expense

Richard Ong / February 18, 2017 /

Tax Deductions

Can you deduct interest expenses on your 2016 tax return? It depends. Generally, the tax law requires you to allocate interest payments under a complex set of rules. The tax results vary, based on ...

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Deducting Casualty or Theft Losses

Richard Ong / February 11, 2017 /

Tax Deductions

No one enjoys picking up the pieces after a natural disaster or when some other calamity destroys personal property like a home or car. But at least you may be in line for some tax relief. If you ...

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Deduct Sales tax or State Income tax?

Richard Ong / February 04, 2017 /

Tax Deductions

When you itemize your deductions, you can deduct either state and local income taxes or general state and local sales taxes on your 2016 tax return. But you can't have it both ways — it's one or the ...

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Exchange Properties to Defer Tax on Gain

Richard Ong / January 29, 2017 /

Tax Planning

If you own real estate that has appreciated in value, you may owe a sizeable capital gains tax when you sell. But tax law provides a way to postpone the tax. Here's how: Instead of a sale, you can ...

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