Is your vacation home a personal residence or a rental property? It sure matters to the IRS! The distinction has serious implications for how big your tax bill will be. IMPORTANT FACT: If you have a home that you rent out and use personally, you have an IRS-defined “vacation home.” According to the IRS, your vacation home is either a personal residence or a rental … [Read more...]
Passive income and losses
Sorted by Date
What’s the best choice for Vacation-Home Rental? Schedule C or E?
To get my complete, FREE articlewith all the details… Do you rent out a vacation home? If you do, when it comes tax planning you have to make a choice. Should you plan to use Schedule C or Schedule Eto claim your income and expenses? “It all depends.“ Schedule C is the smart choice if you show a tax-loss on your rental property. Schedule C lets you deduct … [Read more...]
Don’t Get Caught in the Self-Rental Trap
To get my complete, FREE articlewith all the details… Let’s say you own a building. Next, let’s say that you rent your building to your business. This arrangement, not unreasonably, is called a “self-rental.” But be aware… If you haven’t done any tax planning, your self-rental may actually turn into a self-rental trap! What exactly is the self-rental … [Read more...]
Both the IRS and CPA Are Wrong on a Rental Property Audit
To get my complete, FREE articlewith all the details… This is the story of a conflict between an IRS agent and a CPA. What were they arguing about? They were arm wrestling over a specific point of law… and guess what? They both were wrong! So what was the issue they were disputing? Before I tell you, here arethree key facts you need to know: Fact #1: In … [Read more...]
Why the court denied passive-loss deductions on rentals
To get my complete, FREE articlewith all the details… Do you own rental property that’s losing money? If you do, you’d better understand the IRS’s “passive loss” rules. You see, if you know the rules and follow them, you can maximize your rental profits. If you don’t you’re inviting an IRS audit. Ouch! Are you going to come out apassive-loss winner or a … [Read more...]