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| If you only paid rent for one month in 2014, you don't qualify to claim the renter's credit. |
| Beginning in taxable year 2010, persons who have entered into a same-sex marriage outside the State of California that is valid according to the laws of the jurisdiction in which the marriage was contracted must file their California income tax return using either the joint or separate filing status. Starting in 2013, this same rule or benefit also applies for federal tax returns. |
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If there is no difference between your federal and California income or deductions, do not file a Schedule CA (540). |
| Only file California Schedule CA if there are differences with California and federal deductions or income differences. Your federal return may be allowing or disallowing certain credit or deductions which California does not conform to. Remember that you only file California Schedule CA to make adjustments for nonconformity items on your federal tax return. There is a long list of items for which California does not conform to and therefore you must account for these nonconformity adjustment items on your California Schedule CA. |
| Many individuals can be your qualifying persons for the Child and Dependent Card Credit. A child who is under the age of 13 can qualify you for the dependent care credit. A dependent of the taxpayer who is physically or mentally unable to care for himself or herself can be a qualifying person. Furthermore, a spouse of the taxpayer who is physically or mentally unable to care for himself or herself can be a qualifying person for the dependent care credit. |
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Additionally, one of the requirements to qualify to claim the Child and Dependent Care Credit for California is that you pay for care or have paid for care in order for you and you spouse can work or can look for work. |
| California and federal coincide with many credit and tax rules. For example, both California and federal obligate you to timely pay 100% of your tax or you will be faced interest and penalty charges. On time filing for both entities is usually April 15th of every year. You can always pay later, but if you do, you must know that you will be responsible for interest and penalties on the unpaid amounts. |
| I think the Internal Revenue should enact a renter's credit just like California allows. For California, you qualify for the Nonrefundable Renter's Credit if you rented a property for more than half the year that was not exempt from California property tax in 2014. Rents are getting very high and many cannot afford to pay rent anymore. The Internal Revenue Service allows for mortgage interest deductions and it is only fair that this same benefit be allowed in form of a renter's credit for the ones who cannot qualify or who don't care to buy a home and pay a mortgage. |
| Slowly the IRS is coinciding with the state of California in tax rules. For the longest time, California has been allowing same sex couples to file their tax returns jointly. In California, all domestic partners are required to either file joint or separate tax returns under the new law. Now, under the federal new law, same sex couples can file jointly for federal tax purposes. Now the way same sex couples file for federal will just transfer over to California tax returns and adjustments or filing status are no longer needed in the California tax return. That sure makes every one's job easier. |
| Another credit to look into for California is the Credit for Dependent Parent. You may not claim the Credit for Dependent Parent if you used the single, head of household, qualifying widow (er), or married/RDP filing jointly filing status. Claim this credit only if you were married at the end of 2014 and you used the married filing separately, qualifying widow(er) filing status. In order to claim this credit, you spouse must not have been a member of your household during the last six months of the year. Additionally, you must have furnished over |
| Copyright © 2015 [Hera's Income Tax School]. All Annual Federal Tax Refresher Course rights reserved. |
| Revised: 07/09/15 |
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