R and R Tax and Bookkeeping

Moving in 2016? Notify Your Marketplace about Your New Address

If you moved this year or are planning to move, you probably have a list of organizations to notify about your new address – like the U.S. Postal Service, utility companies and even the IRS. If you get health insurance coverage through a Health Insurance Marketplace, you should add one more important notification to your list: your Marketplace.

If you are receiving advance payments of the premium tax credit, it is particularly important that you report changes in circumstances, such as moving to a new address, to the Marketplace. There’s a simple reason. Reporting your move lets the Marketplace update the information used to determine your eligibility for a Marketplace plan, which may in turn affect the appropriate amount of advance payments of the premium tax credit that the government sends to your health insurer.

Reporting the changes promptly will help you get the proper type and amount of financial assistance. Getting too much premium assistance means you may owe additional money or get a smaller refund when you file your taxes. On the other hand, getting too little could mean missing out on monthly premium assistance that you deserve.

Other changes in circumstances that you should report to the Marketplace include:

an increase or decrease in your income, including lump sum payments like a lump sum payment of Social Security benefits
marriage or divorce
the birth or adoption of a child or other changes affecting the composition of your tax family
starting a job with health insurance
gaining or losing your eligibility for other health care coverage
Many of these changes in circumstances – including moving out of the area served by your current Marketplace plan – qualify you for a special enrollment period to change or get insurance through the Marketplace. In most cases, if you qualify for the special enrollment period, you will have sixty days to enroll following the change in circumstances. You can find information about special enrollment periods at HealthCare.gov.

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Five Tax Tips for Gambling Income and Losses
Report any gambling winnings as income on your tax return. Be sure you itemize to deduct gambling losses up to the amount of your winnings. If you are a casual gambler, these tax tips can help:

Gambling income. Income from gambling includes winnings from the lottery, horse racing and casinos. It also includes cash and non-cash prizes. You must report the fair market value of non-cash prizes like cars and trips.

Payer tax form. If you win, the payer may give you a Form W-2G, Certain Gambling Winnings. The payer also sends a copy of the W-2G to the IRS. The payer must issue the form based on the type of gambling, the amount you win and other factors. You’ll also get a form W-2G if the payer must withhold income tax from what you win.

How to report winnings. You normally report your winnings for the year on your tax return as “Other Income.” You must report all your gambling winnings as income. This is true even if you don’t get a Form W-2G.

How to deduct losses. You can deduct your gambling losses on Schedule A, Itemized Deductions. The total you can deduct, however, is limited to the amount of the gambling income you report on your return.

Keep gambling receipts. Keep records of your wins and losses. This means keeping items such as a gambling log or diary, receipts, statements or tickets.

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Moving Expenses Can Be Deductible

Did you move due to a change in your job or business location? If so, you may be able to deduct your moving expenses, except for meals. Here are the top tax tips for moving expenses.

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

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.

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.

You must meet the time test. After the move, you must work full-time at your new job for at least 39 weeks in 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 your 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.

Five Tax Tips about Hobbies that Earn Income
Millions of people enjoy hobbies. Hobbies can also be a source of income. Some of these types of hobbies include stamp or coin collecting, craft making and horse breeding. You must report any income you get from a hobby on your tax return. How you report the income from hobbies is different from how you report income from a business. There are special rules and limits for deductions you can claim for a hobby. Here are five basic tax tips you should know if you get income from your hobby:

Business versus Hobby.
There are nine factors to consider to determine if you are conducting business or participating in a hobby. Make sure to base your decision on all the facts and circumstances of your situation. Refer to Publication 535, Business Expenses, to learn more. You can also visit IRS.gov and type “not-for-profit” in the search box.

Allowable Hobby Deductions.
You may be able to deduct ordinary and necessary hobby expenses. An ordinary expense is one that is common and accepted for the activity. A necessary expense is one that is helpful or appropriate. See Publication 535 for more on these rules.

Limits on Expenses.
As a general rule, you can only deduct your hobby expenses up to the amount of your hobby income. If your expenses are more than your income, you have a loss from the activity. You can’t deduct that loss from your other income.

How to Deduct Expenses
You must itemize deductions on your tax return in order to deduct hobby expenses. Your costs may fall into three types of expenses. Special rules apply to each type. See Publication 535 for how you should report them on Schedule A, Itemized Deductions.

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