Differences between Tax Credits vs. Tax Deductions

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Tax Credits vs Tax Deductions? Differences and Benefits. You must have heard of the name ‘Tax Credits’ & ‘Tax Deductions’ while surfing tax advice or tax preparation on internet. Both tax credits & tax deductions can reduce your tax bill, but they work entirely different. Do you know the difference between a tax credit and a tax deduction? They are not similar and when it is about their comparison, tax credits are better than tax deductions which are good. Tax credits lower the tax liability of a taxpayer while tax deductions reduce the taxable income. To know all the things about tax credits vs. tax deductions with their differences and how they work in the IRS taxation system, read our complete post that answers all your common FAQs related to tax credits & tax deductions in USA.

What Is A Tax Deduction In USA?

A tax deduction is an expense that can be subtracted out from, the yearly income. Before the calculation of taxable income, tax deductions are taken into consideration. It means that tax deductions must be subtracted from the taxpayer’s income before calculating the tax bill.

What Is The Standard Deduction In USA?

The standard deduction is a set dollar amount, which is allowed by the IRS to subtract it from the income reported by the taxpayer. Most of the taxpayers are eligible for standard tax deductions. Any receipts or records are not required to be kept in a track to avail this write-off. However, few factors influence the amount of the standard deduction, which include:

Filing status of taxpayer.
Age of taxpayer (if applicable, then spouse’s age also).
Whether taxpayer or his/her spouse is blind.
Whether taxpayer can be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return.

We are listing the latest standard deduction amounts for 2019 tax year i.e. for those tax returns that are filed in 2020.

Filing Status Of Taxpayer	Standard Deduction Allowed
Single	$12,200
Married Filing Separately	$12,200
Married Filing Jointly	$24,400
Qualifying Widow(er)	$24,400
Head of Household	$18,350

An additional standard deduction amount of $1,300 is allowed to those taxpayers who are over age 65 and blind too. Conversely, a lower standard deduction is received by those taxpayers who can be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return.

What Is The Itemized Deduction In USA?

Itemized deductions are those particular deductions that can be written off by the taxpayers if they are not claiming standard deduction. There are two options in which it is better to itemize your deductions. First is when total deductions exceeds standard deduction amount and the second is when the taxpayer does not qualify for the standard deduction. Itemizing the deductions is a little bit tricky and complicated; Black Ink can help you in taking itemized deductions from the IRS. Call us now so we can help you in keeping the detailed records of the expenses that can be claimed on your tax return.

What Are The Examples Of Itemized Deductions?

There are many itemized deductions that can be claimed. We are making a list of examples of itemized deductions in the United States that are permissible by the IRS to maximize your itemized deductions:

Business Travel Expenses.
Education Expenses That Are Related To Work.
Disaster, Casualty & Theft Loss.
Home Mortgage Interest.
Health Savings Account (HSA) Contributions.
Business Use of Personal Car or Home.
Medical and Dental Expenses.
Charitable Giving Expenses and Contributions.
Deductible Local, State, and Foreign Income Taxes.
Investment Interest Expense.

What Are The Benefits Of Tax Deductions?

The main benefit of tax deductions is to write off certain expenses on the amount of taxable income. Tuition and healthcare fees, retirement contributions, self-employed losses, etc are the expenses that can be claimed as tax deductions on the total amount of your income which is taxable. It means that if the taxpayer does not need to pay taxes on that specific income on which he spent, invested or lost by claiming a deduction.

What Is A Tax Credit In USA?

A tax credit is a dollar-for-dollar amount that can be subtracted from tax bill once the taxpayer calculated how much he/she owe for income tax.

What Are The Types Of Tax Credit In USA?

Basically, there are two types of tax credits in USA, which include refundable & non-refundable tax credits. This classification is made on the basis of their nature and how they work different in the favor of taxpayers. There is one more type of tax credit which is called partially refundable credit, for e.g. American Opportunity Credit that facilitates taxpayers with up to 40% of the credit as tax payment.

What Tax Credits Do I Qualify For In USA?

We are making a list of examples of tax credits in the United States, that are permissible by the IRS and you can take these tax credits after fulfilling certain criteria:

Adoption Tax Credit.
Child and Dependent Care Credit.
Foreign Tax Credit.
Saver’s Tax Credit.
Lifetime Learning Tax Credit.
Retirement Savings Contribution Credit.
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).
American Opportunity Tax Credit.
Child Tax Credit.
Premium Tax Credit.
Residential Energy Tax Credit
Plug-In Electric-Drive Motor Vehicle Credit.

What Are Refundable Tax Credits In USA?

Refundable tax credits are those that can be received in the refund amount. Taxpayers can receive the remaining portion in their refund if the amount of credit is greater than the amount of owed taxes. Examples of refundable tax credit include Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), American Opportunity Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Premium Tax Credit, etc.

What Are Non-Refundable Tax Credits In USA?

Non-refundable tax credit is the type of tax credit that brings the tax bill down to $0. However, any remaining credit does not come back in the tax refund. Examples of non-refundable tax credit include Adoption Tax Credit, Child and Dependent Care Credit, Adoption Expense Credit, Foreign Tax Credit, Lifetime Learning Tax Credit, Retirement Savings Contribution Credit, etc.

How Does A Tax Credit Work In USA?

It is a type of tax incentive which helps in the reduction of total tax bill. Unlike a tax deduction that reduces your taxable income, tax credits helps to subtract a particular amount of money from the amount of owed taxes, thus lower down the tax liability dollar-for-dollar.

Is A Tax Credit Or A Tax Deduction Better?

A tax credit is always better as compare to a tax deduction because tax credits work directly to lower your tax bill. A tax deduction works by lowering Adjusted Gross Income (AGI), therefore the tax deduction from the tax bill is directly related to tax bracket. Furthermore, refundable tax credits are better with larger benefit than non-refundable tax credits because the difference can be maintained if the claimed credit is more than that of total tax bill.

What Are The Benefits Of Tax Credits?

The benefits of tax credits in USA include reduction in the amount of tax bill as well as increase in the refund amount. Not only this, the IRS offers few miscellaneous tax credits that can be claimed even if there is no tax liability of the taxpayer. Obviously, it is very much beneficial for the taxpayers as they can qualify for a certain amount of refundable tax credits even if they don’t owe any taxes. If you want to discover and claim such amazing tax credits for you, request callback now and we can help you in increasing your refund amount. IRS credits & deductions for individuals & businesses are vast and we help our clients to claim all benefits that can help them to lower their owed taxes.

How Do I Maximize My Deductions And Credits?

Before filing your final returns to the IRS, it is always best to consider all the available itemized deductions that can be claimed by the taxpayer. At this step, it is recommended that the taxpayer should consider that whether taking the standard deduction or itemizing your deductions provides the biggest reduction in the overall tax bill amount. After applying for tax deductions, the next step is to apply for the tax credits for which the taxpayer is eligible. It is applicable on the taxable income. If the taxpayers follow this procedure, they can claim maximum and all available tax credits & tax deductions in the United States and do not miss any chance to reduce their tax bill. If you are still confused in finding for which tax credits & deductions you are eligible for, book a free appointment with Black Ink to make the most of credits & deductions.

Is There Any Maximum Limit For Claiming Tax Credits & Deductions?

There is no overall limit on itemized deductions for the tax years between 2018 and December 31, 2025. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 repealed prior limitations that applied to upper-income taxpayers in the United States. However, on certain deductions, individual limitations are applicable, for e.g. medical and dental expenses. Up to 60% of Adjusted Gross Income can be deducted up for charitable contributions. 20%, 30% and 50% limitations are applied in certain cases. Taxpayers are capped at certain maximums while claiming dependent credits or Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). For e.g. in 2019, taxpayers are limited to a $3,526 credit for one qualifying child. In case of Foreign Tax Credit, the amount qualified by the taxpayer is a fraction comprising the tax paid to non-U.S. tax entities divided by the total amount owed the IRS and entities abroad.

How to Claim Tax Credits & Tax Deductions in USA?

Black Ink, best tax preparation & accounting services provider near you in USA, can help you in claiming the maximum number of tax credits and tax deductions. We have clients in different economical sectors and they are gaining the benefit of all eligible credits and deductions to reduce their tax bill efficiently. We also update our clients about miscellaneous credits and deductions provided by the IRS to facilitate them and saving bigger on refunds. Few examples include per diem rates for business travelers, IRS special 02 credits for women-owned businesses, small business tax deductions, expense deductions for meal & entertainment, carbon capture credit, and much more. Our tax professionals at Black Ink help each client in calculating the tax liability appropriately on the basis of the tax credits and tax deductions they are eligible for. We also help the clients to find and evaluate all possible tax breaks that can reduce their tax bill. B availing maximum credits and deductions, we help our clients to get the maximum refunds, guaranteed. Avail our tax preparation services and save bigger on tax bill by claiming tax credits and tax deductions. So that was all you needed to know about Tax Credits vs Tax Deductions.