Are you, your spouse or a dependent heading off to college?  If so, here’s a quick tip from the IRS:  some of the costs you pay for higher education can save you money at tax time.  Here are several important facts you should know about education tax credits:   

• American Opportunity Tax Credit.  The AOTC can be up to $2,500 annually for an eligible student.  This credit applies for the first four years of higher education.  Forty percent of the AOTC is refundable.  That means that you may be able to get up to $1,000 of the credit as a refund, even if you don’t owe any taxes.
• Lifetime Learning Credit.  With the LLC, you may be able to claim a tax credit of up to $2,000 on your federal tax return.  There is no limit on the number of years you can claim this credit for an eligible student.
• One credit per student.  You can claim only one type of education credit per student on your federal tax return each      year.  If more than one student qualifies for a credit in the same year, you can claim a different credit for each student.  For example, you can claim the AOTC for one student and claim the LLC for the other student.
• Qualified expenses.  You may include qualified expenses to figure your credit.  This may include amounts you pay for tuition, fees and other related expenses for an eligible student. Refer to IRS.gov for more about the additional rules that apply to each credit.
• Eligible educational institutions.  Eligible schools are those that offer education beyond high school.  This includes most colleges and universities.  Vocational schools or other post-secondary schools may also qualify.
• Form 1098-T.  In most cases, you should receive Form 1098-T, Tuition Statement, from your school.  This form reports your qualified expenses to the IRS and to you.  You may notice that the amount shown on the form is different than the amount you actually paid.  That’s because some of your related costs may not appear on Form 1098-T.  For example, the cost of your textbooks may not appear on the form, but you still may be able to claim your textbook costs as part of the credit.  Remember, you can only claim an education credit for the qualified expenses that you paid in that same tax year.
• Nonresident alien.  If you are in the U.S. on an F-1 student visa, you usually file your federal tax return as a nonresident alien.  You can’t claim an education credit if you were a nonresident alien for any part of the tax year unless you elect to be treated as a resident alien for federal tax purposes.  To learn more about these rules see Publication 519, U.S. Tax Guide for Aliens.
• Income limits.  These credits are subject to income limitations and may be reduced or eliminated, based on your income.

If you move because of your job, you may be able to deduct the cost of the move on your tax return.  You may be able to deduct your costs if you move to start a new job or to work at the same job in a new location.  The IRS offers the following tips about moving expenses and your tax return.

In order to deduct moving expenses, your move must meet three requirements:

1.  The move must closely relate to the start of work.  Generally, you can consider moving expenses within one year of the date you start work at a new job location.  Additional rules apply to this requirement.

2.  Your move must meet the distance test.  Your new main job location must be at least 50 miles farther from your old home than your previous job location.  For example, if your old job was three miles from your old home, your new job must be at least 53 miles from your old home.

3.  You must meet the time test.  After the move, you must work full-time at your new job for at least 39 weeks the first year.  If you’re self-employed, you must meet this test and work full-time for a total of at least 78 weeks during the first two years at the new job site.  If your income tax return is due before you've met this test, you can still deduct moving expenses if you expect to meet it.

See Publication 521, Moving Expenses, for more information about these rules.  It’s available on IRS.gov or by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).

If you can claim this deduction, here are a few more tips from the IRS: 

• Travel.  You can deduct transportation and lodging expenses for yourself and household members while moving from your old home to your new home.  You cannot deduct your travel meal costs.
• Household goods and utilities.  You can deduct the cost of packing, crating and shipping your things.  You may be able to include the cost of storing and insuring these items while in transit.  You can deduct the cost of connecting or disconnecting utilities.
• Nondeductible expenses.  You cannot deduct as moving expenses any part of the purchase price of your new home, the cost of selling a home or the cost of entering into or breaking a lease.  See Publication 521 for a complete list.
• Reimbursed expenses.  If your employer later pays you for the cost of a move that you deducted on your tax return, you may need to include the payment as income.  You report any taxable amount on your tax return in the year you get the payment.
• Address Change.  When you move, be sure to update your address with the IRS and the U.S. Post Office.  To notify the IRS file Form 8822, Change of Address.

Premium Tax Credit – Changes in Circumstances.   If you purchased health insurance coverage from the Health Insurance Marketplace, you may receive advance payment of the premium tax credit in 2014.  It is important that you report changes in circumstances, such as when you move to a new address, to your Marketplace.  Other changes that you should report include changes in your income, employment, family size, or eligibility for other coverage.  Advance credit payments provide premium assistance to help you pay for the insurance you buy through the Marketplace.  Reporting changes will help you get the proper type and amount of premium assistance so you can avoid getting too much or too little in advance.

Many people change their job in the summer.  If you look for a new job in the same line of work, you may be able to deduct some of your job hunting costs.

Here are some key tax facts you should know about if you search for a new job:

1. Same Occupation.  Your expenses must be for a job search in your current line of work.  You can’t deduct expenses for a job search in a new occupation.

• Résumé Costs.  You can deduct the cost of preparing and mailing your résumé.

• Travel Expenses.  If you travel to look for a new job, you may be able to deduct the cost of the trip.  To deduct the cost of the travel to and from the area, the trip must be mainly to look for a new job.  You may still be able to deduct some costs if looking for a job is not the main purpose of the trip.

1. Placement Agency.  You can deduct some job placement agency fees you pay to look for a job.

• First Job.  You can’t deduct job search expenses if you’re looking for a job for the first time.

• Work-Search Break.  You can’t deduct job search expenses if there was a long break between the end of your last job and the time you began looking for a new one.

• Reimbursed Costs.  Reimbursed expenses are not deductible.

• Schedule A.  You usually deduct your job search expenses on Schedule A, Itemized Deductions.  You’ll claim them as a miscellaneous deduction.  You can deduct the total miscellaneous deductions that are more than two percent of your adjusted gross income.

• Premium Tax Credit.  If you receive advance payment of the premium tax credit in 2014 it is important that you report changes in circumstances, such as changes in your income or family size, to your Health Insurance Marketplace. Advance payments of the premium tax credit provide financial assistance to help you pay for the insurance you buy through the Health Insurance Marketplace.  Reporting changes will help you get the proper type and amount of financial assistance so you can avoid getting too much or too little in advance.

Many people pay for the care of their child or other dependent while they’re at work.  The Child and Dependent Care Credit can reduce that cost.  Here are 10 facts from the IRS about this important tax credit:

1.  You may qualify for the credit if you paid someone to care for your child, dependent or spouse last year.

2.  The care you paid for must have been necessary so you could work or look for work.  This also applies to your spouse if you are married and filing jointly.

3.  The care must have been for ‘qualifying persons.’  A qualifying person can be your child under age 13.  They may also be a spouse or dependent who is physically or mentally incapable of self-care.  They must also have lived with you for more than half the year.

4.  You, and your spouse if you file jointly, must have earned income, such as wages from a job.  Special rules apply to a spouse who is a student or disabled.

5.  The payments for care can’t go to your spouse, the parent of your qualifying person or to someone you can claim as a dependent on your return.  Care payments also can’t go to your child under the age of 19, even if the child isn't your dependent.

6.  The credit is worth up to 35 percent of the qualifying costs for care, depending on your income.  The limit is $3,000 of your total cost for the care of one qualifying person.  If you pay for the care of two or more qualifying persons, you can claim up to $6,000 of your costs.

7.  If your employer provides dependent care benefits, special rules apply. For more see Form 2441, Child and Dependent Care Expenses.

8.  You must include the Social Security number of each qualifying person to claim the credit.

9.  You must include the name, address and identifying number of your care provider to claim the credit.  This is usually the Social Security number of an individual or the Employer Identification Number of a business.

10.  To claim the credit, attach Form 2441 to your tax return. If you use IRS e-file to prepare and file your return, the software will do this for you.

If you contribute to a retirement plan, like a 401(k) or an IRA, you may be eligible for the Saver’s Credit.  The Saver’s Credit can help you save for retirement and reduce the tax you owe.  Here are five facts from the IRS that you should know about this credit:

1.  The Saver’s Credit is the short name for the Retirement Savings Contribution Credit.  It can be worth up to $2,000 for married couples filing a joint return.  The credit is worth up to $1,000 for single taxpayers.

2.  Eligibility depends on your filing status and the amount of your yearly income. You may be eligible for the credit on your 2013 tax return if you’re:

     • Married filing separately or a single taxpayer with income up to $29,500

     • Head of household with income up to $44,250

     • Married filing jointly with income up to $59,000

3.  Other special rules that apply to the credit include:

     • You must be at least 18 years of age.

     • You can’t have been a full-time student in 2013.

     • You can’t be claimed as a dependent on another person’s tax return.

4.  You must have contributed to a 401(k) plan or similar workplace plan by the end of the year to claim this credit.  However, you can contribute to an IRA by the due date of your tax return and still have it count for 2013.  The due date for most people is April 15, 2014.

5.  File Form 8880, Credit for Qualified Retirement Savings Contributions, to claim the credit. Tax software will do this for you if you e-file.

The Saver’s Credit is in addition to other tax savings you can get if you set aside money for retirement.  For example, you may also be able to deduct your contributions to a traditional IRA.

The premium tax credit can help make purchasing health insurance coverage more affordable for people with moderate incomes.  To be eligible for the credit, you generally need to satisfy three rules. 

First, you need to get your health insurance coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace.  The open enrollment period to purchase health insurance coverage for 2014 through the Health Insurance Marketplace runs from October 1, 2013 through March 31, 2014.

Second, you need to have household income between one and four times the federal poverty line.  For a family of four for tax year 2014, that means income from $23,550 to $94,200.

Third, you can’t be eligible for other coverage, such as Medicare, Medicaid, or sufficiently generous employer-sponsored coverage.

If a  Marketplace determines that you’re likely to qualify for the tax credit at the time you enroll, you have two choices:  You can choose to have some or all of the estimated credit paid in advance directly to your insurance company to lower what you pay out-of-pocket for your monthly premiums during 2014.  Or, you can wait to get all of the credit when you file your 2014 tax return in 2015.

If you wait to get the credit, it will either increase your refund or lower your balance due.

If you choose to receive the credit in advance, changes in your income or family size will affect the credit that you are eligible to receive.  If the credit on your tax return you file in 2015 does not match the amount you have received in advance, you will have to repay any excess advance payment, or you may get a larger refund if you are entitled to more.  It is important to tell your Marketplace about changes in your income or family size as they happen during 2014 because these changes will affect the amount of your credit.

If you plan to claim a deduction for your medical expenses, there are some new rules this year that may affect your tax return. Here are eight things you should know about the medical and dental expense deduction:

1.  AGI threshold increase  Starting in 2013, the amount of allowable medical expenses you must exceed before you can claim a deduction is 10 percent of your adjusted gross income.  The threshold was 7.5 percent of AGI in prior years.

2.  Temporary exception for age 65  The AGI threshold is still 7.5 percent of your AGI if you or your spouse is age 65 or older.  This exception will apply through Dec. 31, 2016.

3.  You must itemize  You can only claim your medical and dental expenses if you itemize deductions on your federal tax return.  You can’t claim these expenses if you take the standard deduction.

4.  Paid in 2013  You can include only the expenses you paid in 2013.  If you paid by check, the day you mailed or delivered the check is usually considered the date of payment.

5.  Costs to include  You can include most medical or dental costs that you paid for yourself, your spouse and your dependents.  Some exceptions and special rules apply.  Any costs reimbursed by insurance or other sources don’t qualify for a deduction.

6.  Expenses that qualify  You can include the costs of diagnosing, treating, easing or preventing disease.  The cost of insurance premiums that you pay for policies that cover medical care qualifies, as does the cost of some long-term care insurance.  The cost of prescription drugs and insulin also qualify.  For more examples of costs you can deduct, see IRS Publication 502, Medical and Dental Expenses.

7.  Travel costs count  You may be able to claim the cost of travel for medical care.  This includes costs such as public transportation, ambulance service, tolls and parking fees.  If you use your car, you can deduct either the actual costs or the standard mileage rate for medical travel.  The rate is 24 cents per mile for 2013.

8.  No double benefit  You can’t claim a tax deduction for medical and dental expenses you paid with funds from your Health Savings Accounts or Flexible Spending Arrangements.  Amounts paid with funds from those plans are usually tax-free.

Your children may help you qualify for valuable tax benefits.  Here are eight tax benefits parents should look out for when filing their federal tax returns this year.

1.  Dependents  In most cases, you can claim your child as a dependent.  This applies even if your child was born anytime in 2013.  For more details, see Publication 501, Exemptions, Standard Deduction and Filing Information.

2.  Child Tax Credit  You may be able to claim the Child Tax Credit for each of your qualifying children under the age of 17 at the end of 2013.  The maximum credit is $1,000 per child.  If you get less than the full amount of the credit, you may be eligible for the Additional Child Tax Credit.  For more about both credits, see the instructions for Schedule 8812, Child Tax Credit, and Publication 972, Child Tax Credit.

3.  Child and Dependent Care Credit  You may be able to claim this credit if you paid someone to care for one or more qualifying persons.  Your dependent child or children under age 13 are among those who are qualified.  You must have paid for care so you could work or look for work. For more, see Publication 503, Child and Dependent Care Expenses.

4.  Earned Income Tax Credit  If you worked but earned less than $51,567 last year, you may qualify for EITC.  If you have three qualifying children, you may get up to $6,044 as EITC when you file and claim it on your tax return.  Use the EITC Assistant tool at IRS.gov to find out if you qualify or see Publication 596, Earned Income Tax Credit.

5.  Adoption Credit  You may be able to claim a tax credit for certain expenses you paid to adopt a child.  For details, see the instructions for Form 8839, Qualified Adoption Expenses.

6.  Higher education credits  If you paid for higher education for yourself or an immediate family member, you may qualify for either of two education tax credits.  Both the American Opportunity Credit and the Lifetime Learning Credit may reduce the amount of tax you owe.  If the American Opportunity Credit is more than the tax you owe, you could be eligible for a refund of up to $1,000.  See Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Education.

7. Student loan interest  You may be able to deduct interest you paid on a qualified student loan, even if you don’t itemize deductions on your tax return.  For more information, see Publication 970.

8.  Self-employed health insurance deduction  If you were self-employed and paid for health insurance, you may be able to deduct premiums you paid to cover your child under the Affordable Care Act.  It applies to children under age 27 at the end of the year, even if not your dependent. See Notice 2010-38 for information.  

Have you ever wondered if the Alternative Minimum Tax applies to you?  You may have to pay this tax if your income is above a certain amount.  The AMT attempts to ensure that some individuals who claim certain tax benefits pay a minimum amount of tax.

Here are some things from the IRS that you should know about AMT:

1.  You may have to pay the tax if your taxable income, plus certain adjustments, is more than the AMT exemption amount for your filing status.  If your income is below this amount, you usually will not owe AMT.

2.  The 2013 AMT exemption amounts for each filing status are:

• Single and Head of Household = $51,900

• Married Filing Joint and Qualifying Widow(er) = $80,800

• Married Filing Separate = $40,400

3.  The rules for AMT are more complex than the rules for regular income tax.  The best way to make it easy on yourself is to use IRS e-file to prepare and file your tax return.  E-file tax software will figure AMT for you if you owe it.

4. If you file a paper return, use the AMT Assistant tool on IRS.gov to find out if you may need to pay the tax.

5. If you owe AMT, you usually must file Form 6251, Alternative Minimum Tax – Individuals. Some taxpayers who owe AMT can file Form 1040A and use the AMT Worksheet in the instructions.

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today issued the 2014 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes.

Beginning on Jan. 1, 2014, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be:

• 56 cents per mile for business miles driven
• 23.5 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes
• 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations

The business, medical, and moving expense rates decrease one-half cent from the 2013 rates.  The charitable rate is based on statute.

The standard mileage rate for business is based on an annual study of the fixed and variable costs of operating an automobile. The rate for medical and moving purposes is based on the variable costs.

Taxpayers always have the option of calculating the actual costs of using their vehicle rather than using the standard mileage rates.

A taxpayer may not use the business standard mileage rate for a vehicle after using any depreciation method under the Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS) or after claiming a Section 179 deduction for that vehicle.  In addition, the business standard mileage rate cannot be used for more than four vehicles used simultaneously.

These and other requirements for a taxpayer to use a standard mileage rate to calculate the amount of a deductible business, moving, medical, or charitable expense are in Rev. Proc. 2010-51.  Notice 2013-80 contains the standard mileage rates, the amount a taxpayer must use in calculating reductions to basis for depreciation taken under the business standard mileage rate, and the maximum standard automobile cost that a taxpayer may use in computing the allowance under a fixed and variable rate plan.