| Introduction: April Is the Cruelest Month |
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April showers, tax returns, and other gloomy stuff. |
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1 | (4) |
| Part 1: Ugh! Getting Started |
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5 | (52) |
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7 | (12) |
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Install it, start it, and learn the essential moves. |
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The Paper Chase: Gathering Your Records |
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19 | (12) |
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Dig through your files and shoeboxes for records and receipts. |
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Grabbing Financial Data You've Already Entered |
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31 | (12) |
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Avoid the drudge work by importing data from last year's return and from your personal finance program. |
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43 | (14) |
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Name, address, social security number, and other preliminary entries. |
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| Part 2: Inputting Your Income |
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57 | (88) |
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W-2s for Salaried Employees |
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59 | (12) |
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How much did you earn from your day job? |
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1099s for Interest, Investments, and Capital Gains |
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71 | (14) |
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Investment income, capital gains, and retirement income. |
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1099-MISCs and Schedule C (for the Self-Employed) |
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85 | (16) |
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For those who have joined the growing ranks of the self-employed. |
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Depreciating Your Old Stuff |
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101 | (8) |
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Calculate your losses for equipment that just isn't what it used to be. |
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Living Off the Land (Farming Can Be Taxing) |
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109 | (10) |
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The IRS meets Farmer Brown. |
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Rentals and Royalties for Landlords, Authors, and Inventors |
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119 | (12) |
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Calculate taxes on the money you made off the stuff you own. |
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What Else Constitutes Income? |
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131 | (14) |
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Tips, trades, partnerships, alimony, and other sources of quick cash. |
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| Part 3: Deductions, Credits, and Other Ways to Reduce Taxes |
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145 | (80) |
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Income Reduction Through Deductions |
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147 | (16) |
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How to beat the standard deduction by maximizing itemized deductions. |
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Additional Deductions You May Have Overlooked |
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163 | (10) |
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Read between the lines for additional (legal) deductions. |
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Getting a Tax Break with Retirement Investments |
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173 | (12) |
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Invest in your future and save taxes now! |
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More Income and Loss Via Stock and Property Transactions |
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185 | (12) |
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What to do when you make or lose money on a sale. |
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More Taxes (As If You Weren't Paying Enough) |
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197 | (14) |
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The nanny tax, the kiddie tax, and the sinister alternative minimum tax. |
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Making the Most of the IRS Tax Credits |
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211 | (14) |
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Chop taxes off the bottom line with tax credits. |
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| Part 4: Reviewing and Filing Your Tax Return |
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225 | (32) |
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Auditing and Reviewing Your Return with Turbo Tax |
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227 | (12) |
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Let Turbo Tax check your tax return and suggest additional savings. |
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Submitting Your Tax Return |
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239 | (10) |
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Print and send your return via modem or mail. |
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Paying Your State Income Taxes |
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249 | (8) |
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Your state of residency demands its cut, too. |
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| Part 5: After the Fact: Amendments, Audits, and Future Plans |
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257 | (36) |
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Oops, I Made Some Honest Mistakes |
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259 | (14) |
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How to handle errors and audits and avoid a lengthy jail term. |
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273 | (10) |
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Pay less taxes next year with these hot tax-saving strategies and tips. |
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Top 20 Tax Facts, Questions, and Answers |
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283 | (10) |
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Find answers to the most common tax questions. |
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| Appendix: State Tax Agencies: Addresses and Phone Numbers |
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293 | (6) |
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For those who didn't order the state version of Turbo Tax. |
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| Glossary of IRS Technobabble |
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299 | (14) |
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IRS terms and legalese in plain English. |
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| Index |
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313 | |