Tax time is just around the corner. Wouldn’t a healthy tax refund come in handy? 好吧, 以下是你现在可以采取的步骤，当你在一年的第一年之后提交时，可以增加你的退税.
- Itemize your deductions.
如果以单身或已婚身份单独报税，则标准扣除额为12,400美元. 如果你已婚并共同报税，那么标准扣除额是24,800美元. 与其追踪收据和纳税申报表，还不如申报，这样你就可以逐条列出你的扣除项目. 但是，如果你是一个拥有大量抵押贷款的房主，那么分项列出可能是值得的, gave money and “stuff” to charity, or paid points when you took out your mortgage. If you are an educator, 你最多可以扣除250美元的学校用品，即使你不列出扣除项目. 马上开始收集信息，这样你就能在交税的时候准备好一切.
- Claim education expenses.
If you are paying college expenses for yourself, your spouse or a child, two education credits can help defray those costs, 美国机会税收抵免(AOTC)和终身学习抵免(LLC). AOTC是一个部分可偿还的信贷，为100%的第一个$2,000 of education expenses you pay and 25% of the next $2,000. 终身学习学分(LLC)是第一个10,000美元教育费用的20%. 一旦你的收入超过9万美元，有限责任公司的收入超过6.8万美元，AOTC就会被取消. There are other differences as well, 因此，在决定申请哪个学分时，请仔细权衡. Start gathering the data you’ll need to claim the deduction, 考虑提前支付学费或其他费用，以获得尽可能多的学分.
- Claim credit for your “full house”.
If your adult children, 他们的另一半和朋友来和你住在一起, 如果你抚养的非子女家属的收入低于4美元，你可能有资格申请500美元的税收抵免,300. 你可以为你赡养的父母报销，即使他们不和你住在一起. 在你的税务档案里贴一张便条(你确实有税务档案，不是吗?) reminding you to look into claiming these credits at tax time.
- Contribute to tax-deductible retirement accounts.
这是一种为你的未来存钱和提高你的退税的方法. 如果你的收入低于65,000美元，你也可能有资格获得储蓄者税收抵免. That’s three different benefits from the same action. Make contributions to your 401(k) by the end of the year. 尽管你要在报税截止日期前向个人退休账户存钱, if you are claiming the Saver’s Tax Credit, do that by year end as well.
- Deduct worthless investments.
If you have any investment that went belly-up, sell it before the end of the year and claim a tax loss. 如果有人欠你的钱，你无法收回，你也可以声称这是坏账扣除. 写一份债务描述，包括债务人的名字, the amount and the date the debt was due, and any relationship between you and the debtor. 描述你为讨债所做的努力，以及为什么你认为债务现在毫无价值.
Here’s a bonus tip: File your tax return on time. You won’t get a tax refund until you file your tax return. 但实际上, 即使你不需要报税，因为你的收入很低, 无论如何，请提交申请，以要求退还所扣缴的税款和您有权获得的任何可退还的抵税额. 如果你等了两年以上才报税，国税局将不会给你退款.
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本文中的信息仅用于一般教育目的，不打算提供具体的建议或建议. 在采取行动之前，请与适当的专业人士讨论您的具体情况.
