If any of these things have happened to you, you may be in for a surprise regarding your taxes. Doing your taxes is necessary to estimate how much you will owe in taxes or how much you will receive in a tax refund at tax time. However, a few clear red signals can indicate that an unwanted tax surprise is heading your way, according to tax professionals. Please find out how to identify the warning signals and what you can do to prevent them from hurting your finances.

You discover in your mailbox a 1099-NEC form.

A 1099-NEC is used to report earnings from freelance work, money from a side gig, or income received as an independent contractor. If the total amount paid to you by your customers was at least $600, then it needs to be reported on that form, even though it's likely that no taxes were withheld. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and possibly even your state will be searching for that tax money from you by the April 15 deadline for filing your taxes.

The most effective technique to scope is to: According to Fletcher, the amount that should be reported as taxable income for this sort of work is not the gross revenue but rather the amount that should be regarded a profit from the work.

If you keep careful records of your receipts and any other information that pertains to the money your firm spends running its operations, you will be able to reduce your net income and, as a result, your overall tax liability. You will be able to reduce the amount of your income that is subject to taxation in the year 2020 if you make contributions to an IRA prior to the April 15 deadline for filing taxes.

1. You revised your W-4 form last year to request smaller paycheck withholdings.

In the year 2020, many people modified their W-4 forms in order to reduce the amount of tax that was withheld from their paychecks and raise the sum of money that they retained for themselves. 1 2

The most effective approach is to: This should be done quickly so that you have more time to arrange for any potential deficiencies in your tax return or unexpected tax payments. You may talk with a tax consultant or utilize a tax calculator. If required, you should make the appropriate adjustments to your W-4 form in order to prevent the same situation from occurring the following year. 3 4

3. The results of your investments in 2020 were favorable.

Donnellan wants you to be aware that your current tax status can be different from what you anticipate if the market increased the value of your portfolio or if you sold any interests in the previous year. She makes the assumption that there would soon be huge rises in the amount of capital gains. Because December 31 has already come and gone, it is possible that you no longer have many choices available to lessen the impact of those capital gains on your tax return. 12 3

4. You received an unemployment

The income from unemployment is not exempt from taxation. "That is going to be included in this." You will receive a form 1099-G in the mail indicating how much you received, and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and your state may require payment by April 15. 6 7

The most effective approach is to: You should be aware that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) offers payment options that enable you to make installments on your tax bill if you do not have the cash necessary to pay it in full by the deadline of April 15th.

If you are receiving unemployment benefits in the year 2021, the government has the right to withhold ten percent of each payment as an amount that is owing to the government as taxes from those benefits. This may help you avoid an unpleasant financial surprise when you file your taxes the following year. 7 8

How can I improve the amount of my tax return?

• Buy a purse. ...
• Prepare your automobile mileage. ...
• Check your occupation-specific tax guide for more information...
• Take into consideration the work-from-home claim method...
• Pay the costs of an investment property in advance...
• Take into account the costs associated with educating...
• Keep in mind the cost of union dues...
• Make a contribution to the pension fund.