Laws were passed a couple of years ago that permanently set the federal tax exclusion amount on estates at $5,000,000. The law also stipulated the exclusion amount should be indexed for inflation each year. The exclusion amount for 2014 is $5,340,000. This means there is no federal estates taxes if the deceased has an estate less than $5,340,000 and no federal estate tax return needs to be filed.

Many taxpayers overlook this possible filing status when deciding how to file their tax returns. This is epically true among recently divorced couples when there is a still dependent child in the home. While filing as Head of Household will lower your taxes vs. filing as “Single”, you must follow the IRS guidelines to avoid inquiry or audits.

The Internal Revenue Service releases deductible mileage rates each year. In case you haven’t heard, the 2014 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes:

Last week we looked at the new 3.8% Medicare Surtax that was ushered in as a result of the ObamaCare tax package that was passed in 2010.

Over a year ago in TTW#174, we provided an overview of the tax changes in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) which will impact your 2013 tax return. This is part one of a two part series that will take a look at three key changes in the tax code this year.

If you were legally married on 12/31/13, the IRS considers you married for the entire year of 2013.