Tax Breaks

Momentum is building for a tax code overhaul, and lower taxes on stock transactions could be doomed.

Several tax law changes went into effect this year. These moves can help keep your 2013 tax tab in check.

Deductions just got easier for self-employed taxpayers.

Filing your tax return is a once-a-year event but trimming your tax bill requires year-round attention.

Roll over an inherited 401(k), help your children earn a credit for retirement savings -- and rack up tax savings in the process.

Reduce the amount you owe to Uncle Sam by adjusting your withholding, switching to a Roth 401(k) and making IRA contributions sooner rather than later.

You can make a tax-free rollover from your IRA to a health savings account only once in your lifetime.

The traditional IRA is one of the best options in the retirement-savings toolbox. You can open a traditional IRA at a bank or a brokerage, and the universe ...

The cost of day camp for a kid under 13 qualifies for the child-care credit.

Remember, it’s not just how much you make but how much you keep. With these investments and strategies, you get to keep more.

Find out whether you qualify for this break and reduce your tax bill.

Here's how to figure the value of your shares.

Congress ties up loose ends, but high earners pay more.

If you've been putting off the onerous task of finishing your tax returns, these tactics will help you breathe easier.

A quick picture with your phone could be cheap insurance at audit time.

Here are twelve hot spots on your return that can raise the chances of scrutiny by the IRS.

Stash cash in a self-employed retirement account, be creative with your generosity and think twice about selling stock for a profit if you're subject to the AMT.

Take advantage of your flex account, save for college in a 529 plan and hire your children to lower your tax bill.

Years ago, the fellow who was running the IRS at the time told Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine that he figured millions of taxpayers overpaid their ...

A reader asks if she can use her FSA to help cover her grandsons' dental costs.

Those in a disaster area can choose when to deduct losses.

To be productive, make your workspace all business.

There's still time to make a 2012 IRA contribution and lower your tax bill.

Congress extended this tax break, which helps offset college costs, through 2017.

Time claiming Social Security benefits, keep careful records of medically necessary improvements to your home or car, and tote up out-of-pocket costs of doing good.

It's business as usual this tax season with federal tax rates and write-offs mostly unchanged from 2011.

Congress revived the $500 tax credit for both 2012 and 2013.

A simplified option available for 2013 tax returns requires fewer calculations and will save taxpayers time.

You can set aside more of your pay before taxes now to pay for mass transit.

Don't let a knowledge gap prevent you from taking advantage of these money-saving tax breaks.

Now that the payroll tax holiday has been sacrificed to the fiscal-cliff gods, taxpayers are left to their own devices to prevent a cut in take-home pay.

Kimberly Lankford shares her most popular advice of the year.

About two-thirds of the states offer an income-tax deduction for contributions to college-savings plans, but the rules vary.

We help you target the best and avoid the worst.

With various tax breaks scheduled to expire at year-end, would-be donors are scrambling to transfer assets.

The penalties can be stiff if you make one of these common IRA errors.

The rules are different for medical and dependent-care flexible spending accounts. Here's what you need to know.

Year-end tax planning is stressful under ordinary circumstances, and this year is anything but ordinary. Unless Congress reaches an agreement by December ...

When insurance is tapped out -- or not there -- Uncle Sam offers help to those hit by storms.

Caring for someone with a chronic illness can be expensive, but these tax-saving moves may help defray some of the costs.

Tax planning in a time of uncertainty is a challenge. But there are many tax-trimming strategies that should hold up no matter what happens.

If you share housing costs, can you split the tax breaks?

As dealers make room for next year's cars and trucks, look for discounts on 2012 models.

It pays to know how a state taxes retirement income, and whether the state offers any tax breaks to retirees.

An economy growing only slowly is especially vulnerable to shocks. And the coming months are chock-full of potential storms.

Tax breaks for the "rich" get a lot of attention, whether they permit major U.S. corporations to pay zero income tax or allow hedge-fund managers to ...

Take a look at these eight options and make sure you're not missing out.

Do you know how you compare with your fellow taxpayers when it comes to the income you make and the taxes you pay? We have the answer.

It pays to know how much you might pay in state and local taxes before you move.