sign with tax write-off written and money

How Do Tax Write Offs Work?

When it comes to personal finance facts, your taxes can be a difficult topic. The tax season typically starts at the end of January, but the sooner you begin thinking about your tax write-offs, the better. If you manage to do everything the right way, you will lower the taxes you have to pay and save yourself hundreds or thousands of dollars.

If you’ve never dealt with tax write-offs, it could get confusing. This is where having a few good tips in hand can help you out. If you are doing your taxes, here are a few tips from Utah Title Loans, Inc. you need to know to find your tax write-offs.

What Is A Tax Write-Off?

A tax write-off – or a tax deduction – is a legitimate expense that you can claim as a deduction. This will lower your taxable income and help ensure you do not pay as much in taxes.

Tax write-offs are typically associated with corporations and businesses, but the self-employed and ‘regular’ individuals can benefit from them as well. It all depends on various things that can considered a real tax write-off.

How Do Tax Write-Offs Work?

Before filing your tax return, you would have to calculate all these write-offs, as the IRS will use your reported income minus the tax write-offs to determine how much you’ll be taxed. For example, let's say you have reported your income to be $60,000. The IRS will first apply the standard deduction to the sum – if your filing status is ‘single’ and you’re under 65, your standard deduction in the 2024 tax year will be $14,600.

Your taxable write-offs will also be subtracted from the sum, and the final number will be what the IRS will use to determine your tax bracket. The short example we used above might end up being either in the 12% tax bracket (between $11,001 and $44,725 income earned) or the 22% tax bracket (between $44,726 and $95,375). Now that you know how they work, all you have to do is know what things you can use as a tax write-off.

woman excited about her tax write-offs

What Tax Write-Offs Can You Claim?

You know how tax write-offs work, but just what can you claim on your own taxes? Just because you aren’t a big corporation or business doesn’t mean you can’t get any tax write-offs at all. There are still ways you can find these write-offs to save yourself some money on your taxes. In fact, there are two categories you may fall into that can get you some tax write-offs.

Here are the two categories so that you can decide which one you might fall into:

  • Self-Employed Individuals: If you are self-employed, you can find tax write-offs from your own business. Self-employment tax refers to the Social Security and Medicare taxes – which are obligatory for most self-employed individuals. You can deduct half of this tax from your net income. The cost of any workspace that you use on a regular basis can be dedicated as a home office expense. If your office occupies 20% of your house, a fifth of your electricity bill becomes deductible. If you use your vehicle for your business, you will have to calculate the percentage of driving you did and then calculate the deduction by finding the relevant percentage of the total amount you spent.
  • Regular Taxpayers: Finally, regular taxpayers can have tax write-offs. The interest you are paying for your mortgage can also be deducted from your taxes. You can deduct charitable contributions as long as they do not exceed 60% of your gross income. The medical and dental expenses that exceed 7.5% of your AGI can also be deducted. Finally, the contributions that you make to a retirement plan can give you a tax credit of 10%, 20%, or 50%

When Can A Loan Come In Handy?

Unfortunately, there have been plenty of cases when individuals were planning on spending a lower amount on taxes due to write-offs, but they ended up paying more. That is because there are some tax deductions that can be difficult to prove. You would have to keep collecting the necessary receipts and papers throughout the whole year, and even if you have the documents, you might still have to go through an IRS audit.

Even if you have spent more on your taxes, emergencies can still happen whether you have the money to handle them or not. If you have spent more than you expected on your taxes this year and you need extra cash to take care of an emergency expense, you can come to Utah Title Loans, Inc. for either a title loan, payday loan, or signature installment loan.

How Much Can You Get With Utah Title Loans, Inc.?

Whether you’d prefer to go for a title, payday, or signature installment loan, we at Utah Title Loans, Inc. will help ensure you get your hands on the money quickly if you are approved. If you own your car outright, you might qualify for a title loan and receive up to $15,000.

In case you’d like to pay the loan off with your next paycheck, you might decide to opt for a payday loan that will bring you up to $500. Finally, with an installment loan, you can get up to $1,500 without putting up collateral.

person doing calculations on taxes

Get Your Tax Write-Offs Recorded Right Away This Tax Season

Tax season can be a stressful period, especially when you’re trying to calculate any tax write-offs. This is why you should have these tips to help you understand how to make your tax write-offs work for you.

Ehen an emergency also hits you while you are trying to get your taxes organized, we at Utah Title Loans, Inc. are here to help. Remember, you can easily get one of our loans to get money quickly. To get a step closer to receiving the cash, fill out the inquiry form on our website right now.

 

Note: The content provided in this article is only for informational purposes, and you should contact your financial advisor about your specific financial situation.

Louis Tully

Louis Tully is a full-time finance writer offering financial expertise to everyday consumers. He understands the core values of finance and used his writing talents to share his own experiences with money to his readers. His articles teach how financial failures can easily become successes by making new habits and creating realistic goals.