Year End Tax Tips

Get Organized -
If you haven't done it already, start a file for your tax documents. As you receive W-2s, 1099s , 1099bs and 1098s, you will have a place to file them. Do you have kids in college or in child care? Do you have medical bills? Have you kept your receipts for charitable donations? If the donations were non-cash do you have a detailed list attached to your receipt? Are you keeping track of mileage for charitable work or miles driven to medical appointments? For a complete list of items see Tax Preparation Checklist on the Client Forms page of our website www.EvergreenPlanning.org.

Adjustments to state withholding -
If you expect to owe state income taxes when you file your return next year, ask your employer to increase withholding of state and local taxes. This can be done by filing Form G-4, Georgia Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate.
If you are self-employed or retired and are making quarterly estimated tax payments, be sure to pay the State fourth quarter estimated tax payments before year-end to pull the deduction of those taxes into 2009.

Adjustments to federal withholding -
If you face a penalty for underpayment of federal estimated tax, you may be able to eliminate or reduce it by increasing your withholding. In this connection, it should be stressed that the Making Work Pay Credit, which was enacted earlier this year, automatically lowered tax withholding rates for employees. However, you should especially review your withholding to ensure that enough tax is withheld if you hold multiple jobs, you and your spouse both work, or you can be claimed as dependent by another person.
If not enough tax or too much tax is being withheld, you should give your employer a new Form W-4, IRS Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate.
If you are receiving a pension, withholding can also be adjusted by sending Form W4-P, Withholding Certificate for Pension or Annuity Payments, to your pension payer.