State Income Tax Relief for Military Spouses In California

If you’re a member of the military, you understand all too well the many difficulties that come with serving your country. One of the more notable challenges is the impact of new permanent change of station (PCS) orders on you and your family. These often require you to move your entire life to a new location, sometimes with limited time to prepare.

On December 31, 2018, legislation was passed through the Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018 (VBTA) creating further opportunities to ease the financial burden that may accompany PCS orders to a new state. This new legislation expanded upon previous provisions under the Military Spouse Residency Relief Act of 2009 (MSRRA) relating to state income taxes.

One of the most significant expansions of this new law was to now allow spouses of active-duty military members to assume the state of residency of the servicemember for income tax purposes without having lived in the state. Read the rest of this entry »

Military Tax Break for Nebraska Residents

Nebraska offers a wonderful tax break opportunity for retired military members, and is one we commonly use with clients of our Omaha and Lincoln financial advisors.

Military retirees may be eligible to reduce Nebraska income taxes on their military retirement benefits by filing Form 1040N-MIL.

This tax break is available for retired military members who served active duty in any branch of the military, in the National Guard, or as Reservists. For families where both spouses are military members, a Form 1040N-MIL must be filed for each military retiree. Also important to note, Form 1040N-MIL must be filed within two years after the date of separation. Read the rest of this entry »

Callahan Financial Planning Opens San Francisco Financial Advisory Office

San Francisco – Callahan Financial Planning, a fee-only independent personal financial planning and investment management firm with offices throughout the Bay Area, has announced its latest expansion with the addition of a financial advisory office in San Francisco, CA.

“We see this as an incredible opportunity to provide our special fee-only advice to not just those in San Francisco, but also those throughout the peninsula in communities like San Mateo, Redwood City, Palo Alto, South San Francisco, Daly City, along with Oakland and Berkeley in the East Bay”, said Callahan Financial Planning’s Vice President of Financial Planning, Reuben Brauer, CFP®.

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Nebraska 4797N – Special Capital Gains Election for Tax-Free Stock Sales

The Nebraska Special Capital Gains/Extraordinary Dividend Election, elected and claimed on Form 4797N, can provide a substantial tax break for employees who acquire company stock over their years of employment. This election allows employees who own stock in their employer, or former employer, to exclude that stock’s capital gains income from their Nebraska taxable income under certain circumstances.

Nebraska Special Capital Gains Election 4797N can save taxes on capital gains from employee stock

More and more employers are offering stock purchase plans and stock-based compensation to their employees, which can make for an excellent opportunity to avoid state income tax on capital gains from the sale of a stock in Nebraska. Some questions to consider if you (or your company) might benefit from this rare opportunity in Nebraska tax law:

  • Does your employer offer an employee stock purchase program?
  • Do you receive employee stock grants from your employer?
  • Do you own stock in and work for your own company?
  • Did you know that Nebraska offers tax breaks for these situations?

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Tax Rates & Retirement Contribution Limits For Individuals & Married Filers in 2019

As we begin gathering up tax documents in anticipation of filing 2018 tax returns, it is also a good time to look ahead to our expected tax liability for 2019. Now is the perfect time to make any adjustments to withholding rates or retirement contributions for this year.blank

Each year, the IRS adjusts tax brackets to account for inflation. The following brackets took effect on January 1, 2019.

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Railroad Employees Save Taxes After Supreme Court Ruling

blankA recent Supreme Court ruling provides potential tax savings for railroad employees. Wisconsin Central Ltd. v. United States holds that stock-based compensation provided to railroad employees is exempt from federal employment taxes. According to the 5-4 ruling, for employees of railroad companies such as Union Pacific and BNSF, stock option income is not considered money remuneration under the Railroad Retirement Act (RRTA) and, therefore, not subject to payroll taxes.

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New U.S. Tax Law – New Tax Rates for Businesses in 2018

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The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) passed in December 2017 created sweeping new tax law changes. This article is about businesses and entities. For more information about changes to individual and family income taxation in 2018, see this article.

The following rates took effect January 1, 2018. Read the rest of this entry »

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