Michael Gray, CPA's

Real Estate Tax Letter

Michael Gray, CPA's Real Estate Tax Letter

April 5, 2016

© 2016 by Michael C. Gray
ISSN 1930-0387

A monthly report focusing on tax issues for the homeowner and real estate investor.

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It's extension time.

If you want us to prepare your 2015 income tax returns and we haven't already received the information to do so, we will probably have to prepare extensions. Please call Dawn Siemer immediately on Mondays, Tuesdays or Thursdays at 408-918-3162 to make an appointment if a meeting is essential.

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April 18 is coming!

April 18, 2016 is the due date for 2015 calendar year individual income tax returns, fiduciary income tax returns and partnership income tax returns. You can usually apply for extensions of time to file the tax returns and there can be advantages for doing it, such as extending the time for making a contribution to a qualified retirement plan. Remember, the time is not extended for paying the income tax. Even if you are applying for an extension, you still need to make a good estimate of the tax.

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What if you don't have the money to pay the tax?

If you don't pay at least 90% of the tax by April 18, there is a potential penalty for filing the tax return late. That's 5% per month to a maximum of 25%. There are even more serious penalties that can sometimes apply.

If you don't have the money to pay the taxes, I recommend that you file as good of a tax return as you can by April 18 and "fine tune" it with an amended tax return later. This should help you avoid the penalty for filing a late income tax return.

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Remember that an estimated tax payment is also due.

The first 2016 estimated tax payment for individuals and most other calendar year entities is also due on April 18, 2016. The penalties for late payment of estimated taxes are computed as simple interest, currently at low interest rates.

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Remember the second California real estate tax payment is due April 11.

There is a nasty penalty for paying real estate taxes late, and the date slips past us because we're thinking about April 15. Why not make this payment now, so you don't forget it?

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Does your group need a speaker?

We are seeking opportunities to speak before groups. Topics include recent tax developments, tax issues relating to real estate, how estate planning has changed recently, tax issues relating to alternative investments using retirement accounts, and marketing topics such as "How I created a public access television show broadcast on eleven Bay Area stations." To make arrangements, call Michael Gray at 408-918-3161.

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Please share your good experiences with Michael Gray, CPA.

As you know, more and more people are going to the internet to find information about service providers. We hope you will share some good words about experiences that you have had with our firm<. Some of the sites where you can share your experiences include yelp.com and siliconvalley.citysearch.com.

We use Angie's List to assess whether we're doing a good job keeping valued customers like you happy. Please visitAngiesList.com/Review/4258970 in order to grade our quality of work and customer service.

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Financial Insider Weekly broadcast schedule for April and May.

Financial Insider Weekly is broadcast in San Jose and Campbell on Fridays at 9:30 p.m., Pacific Time. You can watch it on Comcast channel 15 for San Jose and Campbell. The show is broadcast as streaming video at the same time at www.creatvsj.org.

Here are the scheduled interviews for April and May:

April 1 and 8, William J. Mitchell, CPA, "I'm being audited by the IRS! Now what?"
April 15, William J. Mitchell, CPA, "Appealing your tax audit"
April 22 and 29, William J. Mitchell, "I owe the IRS! Now what?"
May 6, Greg Carpenter, business broker, "Buying a business"
May 13, Greg Carpenter, business broker, "Selling a business"
May 20 and 27, Bettie Baker Marshall, Attorney at Law, "Legal concerns when caring for an incapacitated friend or relative"

Financial Insider Weekly is also broadcast as follows:

Back episodes available at https://www.youtube.com/user/financialinsiderweek.

Let me know any ideas that you have for topics or guests. Guests will usually have to be located in or near the Silicon Valley in California.

Hope you can watch or record the show. Please tell your friends about it!

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Questions and Answers

Michael Gray regrets he can no longer personally answer email questions. He will answer selected questions in this newsletter.

Dear readers:

Many of your questions relate to the sale of a principal residence. We have an article at our web site, "Could your residence be the ultimate tax shelter?" (www.realestateinvestingtax.com/residence.shtml) where you should be able to find the answers to most of these questions.

Many other questions relate to short sales and foreclosures. See our article on that subject at www.realestateinvestingtax.com/shortsale.shtml.

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Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+!

If you enjoy Twitter, please follow me at www.twitter.com/michaelgraycpa. I would especially appreciate retweets of our messages announcing episodes of Financial Insider Weekly.

you can also follow me on other social media sites, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+.

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If you have employee stock options, have you subscribed to Michael Gray, CPA's Option Alert at no charge or obligation?

To learn more, visit stockoptionadvisors.com/subscribe.shtml

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Check out my blog.

I have also started a blog at michaelgraycpa.com. Check it out!

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Do you know about our other newsletters?

For general tax developments, tax planning ideas, business development ideas and book reviews, subscribe to Michael Gray, CPA's Tax & Business Insight at taxtrimmers.com/subscribe2.shtml.

Have employee stock options? Subscribe to our free newsletter, Michael Gray, CPA's Option Alert! To learn more, visit stockoptionadvisors.com/subscribe.shtml.

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Michael Gray, CPA
2482 Wooding Ct.
San Jose, CA 95128
(408) 918-3162
FAX: (408) 938-0610
Hours: 8am - 5pm PDT Monday - Friday

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