Deduct Everything!

Table of Contents to DEDUCT EVERYTHING!: Hundreds of Tax Tips, Legal Write-Offs, Credits, and Loopholes by Tracy Byrnes, MBA, CDFAAuthor’s Note Introduction CHAPTER ONE The Great Reset: Navigating the OBBBA Tax Landscape . . . . . .. . . 1 TIP 1 Standard Deduction: Higher and Permanent (IRC 63(c)) . . 2 TIP 2 SALT Deduction: A New Cap, a New Clock (IRC 164) . . . 4 TIP 3 Personal Tax Rates: Still Lower, Still Favoring  High Earners (IRC 1) . . . . . . . 4 TIP 4 Advisor Fees Aren’t Deductible—And Charitable Deductions Now Start After a “Floor” . . . . . . . 5 TIP 5 Child Tax Credit: More Families Qualify, More Refundable Cash (IRC 24) . . . . . . . . 5 TIP 6 Estate and Gift Tax: Stability Instead of Panic (IRC 2010(c); Treasury Regulation 20.2010-1(c)) . 6 TIP 7 Business Owners: Cleaner Rules, Bigger QSBS Wins (IRC 199A and 1202) . . . . . . . 8 TIP 8 Above-the-Line Deductions (2026–2028 Only) . . . . . . . . . 10 TIP 9 The Mandatory Roth Catch-Up Rule: A Short-Term Hit for a Long-Term Win (IRC 219, 401) . . . .. . . . 11 TIP 10 IRS Digital Documentation Rules (IRC 6001, 6201) . . . . 12 CHAPTER TWO From Cribs to Canes: How the OBBBA Unlocks Tax Breaks for Kids, Workers, and Retirees 13 TIP 11 Track Your Overtime Carefully—Only the Premium Is Deductible . . . . . . . 13 TIP 12 You May Deduct Up to $12,500 (Single) or $25,000 (Married Filing Jointly) . . . . . . . . 14 TIP 13 Your MAGI Affects Your Deduction . . . .. . . . . 14 TIP 14 Keep Pay Stubs and Overtime Records Until Reporting Rules Are Final . . . . 15 TIP 15 Remember: You Still Owe FICA Taxes on All Overtime . . . 15 TIP 16 Prepare to Track Only the Overtime Premium (the “Half”) . 15 TIP 17 Understand the Two-Year W-2 Reporting Transition . . . . . 16 TIP 18 Do Not Reclassify Compensation: Beware of Anti-Abuse Rules . . . . . . . .  . . 17 TIP 19 Train HR and Payroll Teams Early . . . . . . . . . . 17 TIP 20 Understand That States May Not Follow Federal Rules . . . 17 TIP 21 Supercharged Senior Deduction (the New $6,000 Bonus) . 18 TIP 22 More Social Security Benefits Stay Tax-Free (the End of a 40-Year Problem) . . . . . .  . . . 19 TIP 23 Permanent 7.5% Medical Expense Threshold . . . . . . . . . . . 20 TIP 24 The New RMD Standard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 TIP 25 Bigger Catch-Up Contributions for Ages 60–68 . . . . . . . . 22 TIP 26 Expanded Saver’s Credit for Seniors Who “Un-Retire” . . . . 23 TIP 27 Expanded Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) (IRC § 408(d)(8)) . . . . . . . 25 TIP 28 Credits for Caregiving and Aging-in-Place Financial Support . . . . . . . . . . . 26 TIP 29 Higher Deductions for Long-Term Care Insurance Premiums . . . . . . . . . . 28 TIP 30 Maximize Annual Contributions ($5,000 Limit) . . . . . . . . 32 TIP 31 Look for a Potential Employer Match (Up to $2,500) . . . . 33 TIP 32 Prepare for Taxable Withdrawals After Age 18 . . . . . . . . . . 33 TIP 33 Expect Low-Cost, Index-Based Investments Only—No Stock Picking, No Crypto . . . . . . 33 TIP 34 Don’t Miss the Dell Foundation’s $250 Seed Money (for Older Kids) . . . . . . . . 34 CHAPTER THREE Gratitude with a Garnish: How to Keep More of Your Tips Under the OBBBA . . . . . . . 39 Tip 35 Keep a Daily Tip Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 TIP 36 Report Cash Tips to Your Employer Monthly . . . . . . . . . . 40 TIP 37 New: Claim the $25,000 Tip Deduction (2025–2028) . . . 41 TIP 38 Tips Are Still Subject to FICA (Always Have Been) . . . . . . 43 TIP 39 For Tip Pools, Only Report Your Net Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 TIP 40 Understand “Uncollected FICA” on Your W-2 . . . . . . . . . 44 TIP 41 Report All Tips on Your 1040 (Even Noncash) . . . . . . . . . . 44 TIP 42 Pay Self-Employment Tax on Unreported Tips . . . . . . . . . . 45 TIP 43 Verify Allocated Tips on Your W-2 . . . . .  . . . 45 TIP 44 Self-Employed Workers Can Claim the $25,000 Tip Deduction . . . . . . .. . 46 TIP 45 Electronic Tips (Venmo, Zelle, CashApp) Are Fully Taxable . . . . . . . . 46 TIP 46 IRS Tip Monitoring Is Increasing Under OBBBA . . . . . . . 47 TIP 47 Service Charges Are Not Tips . . . . . . . . . . 47 TIP 48 States May Not Follow the Federal Deduction . . . . . . . . . . 48 TIP 49 Keep Separate Logs if You Work Multiple Jobs . . . . . . . . . . 48 CHAPTER FOUR The Family Fortune: 20 Ways to Build a Tax-Smart Legacy for Your Inner Circle . . 51 TIP 50 Child Tax Credit .  . . . . . . . . 52 TIP 51 Child and Dependent Care (CDC) Credit . . . . .  . . 52 TIP 52 Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) . . . . . . . . 52 TIP 53 Adoption Credit . . . .  . . . . 53 TIP 54 The American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC) . .  . . . . . 53 TIP 55 The Lifetime Learning Credit (LLC) . . . . . . . 53 TIP 56 Deduct Student Loan Interest . . . . . . . . 54 TIP 57 Deduct Medical Expenses for Dependents . . . . . . . 54 TIP 58 Deduct Charitable Driving Mileage . . . . . . . . . 55 TIP 59 Use That Dependent Care Account with Your Flexible Spending Account (FSA) . . . . . . . . . . 55 TIP 60 Beef Up Your Health Savings Account (HSA)—It’s a Triple Tax Advantage Tool . . . . . . . . . . . 55 TIP 61 Take Advantage of the Newborn Savings Account (One Big Beautiful Bill Act Update) . . . . .. . 56 Tip 62 Save for College (and Way More) with a 529 Plan . . . . . . . 56 TIP 63 Use 529 Funds for Student Loan Repayment . . . . . . . 56 TIP 64 Put Your Kids on the Payroll . . . . . . . . . 57 TIP 65 Fund a Roth IRA for Your Child—The Ultimate Head Start . . . . . . . . . . 57 TIP 66 Use the Annual Gift Tax Exclusion . . . . . . . . . . 57 TIP 67 Understand the “Kiddie Tax” Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 TIP 68 File as Head of Household (HOH) if You Qualify . . . . . . . 58 TIP 69 Check for Qualifying Widow(er) Status . . . . . . . . . 58 CHAPTER FIVE The Shelter Strategy: Maximizing Your Home as a Tax Shield Under the OBBBA . 61 TIP 70 Exploit the Expanded SALT Deduction (OBBBA Update) 62 TIP 71 Deduct Mortgage Interest . . . .. . . . . 62 TIP 72 Don’t Forget to Use the $1 Million Limit on Grandfathered Loans . . . . . . . . . . 62 TIP 73 Use HELOC Interest for Home Improvement Only . . . . . 63 TIP 74 Deduct Property Taxes Paid . . . . . . . . . . . 63 TIP 75 Deduct Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) Premiums Again (Starting 2026) . . . . . . . . . 63 TIP 76 Deduct Mortgage Points on Purchase . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 TIP 77 Deduct Property Taxes Paid at Closing . . . . . .. . . . . . 64 TIP 78 Amortize Refinance Points over the Loan Life . . . . . . . . . . 64 TIP 79 Fully Deduct Prior Refi Points on Sale/Payoff . . . . . . . . . . 65 TIP 80 Add Most Closing Costs to Your Home’s Basis . . . . . . . . . . 65 TIP 81 Deduct Interest Paid Before Closing . . . . .  . . . 65 TIP 82 Deduct EV Charger Installation Costs (Alternative Fuel Refueling Property Credit) . . . . . . . 65 TIP 83 Maximize the Home Sale Exclusion to Minimize Your Capital Gains at Sale . . . . . . . . . 66 TIP 84 Claim a Partial Home Sale Exclusion . . . .  . . . . . . 67 TIP 85 Keep Receipts to Increase Your Home’s “Basis” . . . . . . . . . . 67 TIP 86 Deduct Medically Necessary Home Improvements (Itemized Deduction) . . . . . . . . . . 68 TIP 87 Convert a Rental to a Primary Residence (for Exclusion) . . 68 CHAPTER SIX The Rental Playbook: Tax Hacks to Turn Your Property into a Wealth-Building Machine . .  71 TIP 88 Use the 14-Day Rental Loophole (IRC § 280A) . . . . . . . . . 72 TIP 89 Deduct All “Ordinary and Necessary” Expenses (IRC § 162) . . . . . .  . . . . 72 TIP 90 Use Schedule C for Active Airbnb Hosting (IRC § 1402) . 73 TIP 91 Use Schedule E for Long-Term Rentals (IRC § 469) . . . . . 73 TIP 92 Separate Taxes for Business Use (IRC § 164) . . . . . . . . . . . 74 TIP 93 Build Wealth Using Depreciation: The “Phantom Deduction” (IRC § 167) . . . .. . . . . 74 TIP 94 Deduct Costs of Attracting Guests (IRC § 162) . . . . . . . . . 75 TIP 95 Deduct Travel Expenses for Rental Business (IRC § 162) . . 75 TIP 96 Move Personal Home Deductions to Your Rental (IRC § 280A) . . . . . . . . 76 TIP 97 Account for Escrow Taxes on HUD-1 (IRC § 164) . . . . . . 77 TIP 98 Issue Form 1099-MISC for Service Providers (IRC § 6041) . . . . . . . . . 77 TIP 99 But—You Can Avoid Issuing 1099-MISC with Credit Card Payments (IRC § 6050W) . . . . . . . . 78 TIP 100 Deduct Interest on Time-Shares (IRC § 163) . . . . . . . . . . . 79 TIP 101 Depreciate Qualified Improvements (IRC § 168) . . . . . . . . 79 TIP 102 Deduct Interest to Private Lenders (IRC § 6050H) . . . . . . 80 TIP 103 Prove Your Profit Motive (IRC § 183) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 TIP 104 Understand Local Hotel/Lodging Taxes (State/Local Law) . . 81 TIP 105 Deposit Refinance Funds into a Business Account (IRC § 163) . . . . . . . 81 TIP 106 Report Unpaid Interest from Loans (IRC § 446) . . . . . . . . 82 TIP 107 Understand Passive Activity Loss Limitations (IRC § 469) . . 82 CHAPTER SEVEN The Strategic Giver: How to Donate Like a Philanthropist and Save Like a Pro . . . 85 TIP 108 Itemize to Deduct (Still the Gatekeeper) . . . . . . . 85 TIP 109 Use the “Bunching” Strategy . . . . . . 86 TIP 110 Verify the Charity’s Status . . . . . . . . . 86 TIP 111 Keep Proper Documentation . . . . . . 86 TIP 112 Cash Donations: The Simplest and Cleanest Charitable Deduction . . . . . . 87 TIP 113 Clothing and Household Goods: Condition and Valuation Matter . . . . . . . . . 88 TIP 114 Vehicle Donations: Special Rules, Lower Expectations . . . . 89 TIP 115 Deduct Only the Net Gift . . . . . . . 90 TIP 116 Don’t Donate “Losers” . . . . . . . . 90 TIP 117 Donate “Winners” (Appreciated Stock) . . . .  . . . . . . 90 TIP 118 Understand the AGI Deduction Limits . . . . . . 91 TIP 119 Carry Forward Excess Gifts . . . . . . . . 91 TIP 120 Use a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) . . . . . . 91 TIP 121 The Power of Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs) . . . . . 92 TIP 122 Charitable Remainder Trusts (CRTs) . . . .. . . . . . 94 TIP 123 CRAT Vs. CRUT: Two Ways a CRT Can Pay You . . . . . . . 95 CHAPTER EIGHT The Hustle Shield: Self-Employed Tax Strategies to Protect Your Profits . . . . 99 TIP 124 Deduct Business Meals at 50% . . . . . . . . . . 100 TIP 125 Separate Meal Costs from Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . 100 TIP 126 Deduct Meals for Transportation Workers at 80% . . . . . . 100 TIP 127 Deduct Business Mileage (Standard Rate) . . . . . . . . . 101 TIP 128 Deduct Parking and Tolls Separately . . . . . . . 102 TIP 129 Deduct Business Taxes Without a Cap . . . . . . . 102 TIP 130 Deduct All Ordinary and Necessary Expenses . . . . . . . . . 102 TIP 131 Deduct Business Travel Expenses . . . . . . . . . . 103 TIP 132 Deduct Employee Safety Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 TIP 133 Deduct a Portion of the Self-Employment Tax . . . . . . . . . 103 TIP 134 Use the Optional Method for Social Security Credits . . . . 104 TIP 135 Claim the 20% Qualified Business Income (QBI) Deduction . . . . . . . . . . 104 TIP 136 Understand the MAGI Limits for the QBI Deduction . . . 105 TIP 137 Consider Becoming a C Corporation (C Corp) . . . . . . . . 105 TIP 138 Pay Yourself a Reasonable Salary (S Corporation Strategy) 106 TIP 139 Use the Cash Method of Accounting . . . . . . . . . 106 Tip 140 Maximize Section 179 Expensing . . . . . . . . . 107 TIP 141 Include Used Property for Bonus Depreciation . . . . . . . . 107 TIP 142 Consider an Office-in-Home Deduction . . . . . . . . . . . 108 TIP 143 Take Advantage of the De Minimis Safe Harbor (DMSH) Rule . . . . . . . . . . 108 TIP 144 You Can’t Have Access to an Employer Plan . . . . . . . . . . 110 TIP 145 Your Deduction Is Limited to Your Earned Income . . . . . 110 CHAPTER NINE The Investor’s Edge: Mastering Capital Gains, Crypto, and the Stealth “NIIT” Tax . . . . 111 TIP 146 Try to Hold Investments Long Term . . . . . . . . . . 112 TIP 147 Practice Tax-Loss Harvesting . . . . . . . . . . 113 Tip 148 Manage Your Tax Bracket for Capital Gains . .  . . . . 114 TIP 149 Donate Appreciated Assets to Charity . . . . . . . . . . . 114 TIP 150 Follow the Wash Sale Rule (IRC §1091) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 TIP 151 Use the Crypto Wash Sale Loophole—While It Lasts . . . . 116 TIP 152 Defer Tax on Mining and Staking . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 TIP 153 Take Advantage of the De Minimis Exemption—If It Passes . . . . . . . . . 117 TIP 154 Try to Hold Crypto for over a Year . . . . . . . . 117 CHAPTER TEN Retirement and Wealth: Mandatory Roth and Long-Term Savings . . . . . . . . . . 119 TIP 155 Maximize Contributions to Retirement Plans . . . . . . . . . 119 TIP 156 Contribute to a Roth IRA—If You Can . . . . . . . . . 121 TIP 157 Take Advantage of the Backdoor Roth . . . . . . . . 122 TIP 158 Prioritize Roth Accounts for the Young’uns . . . . . . . . 122 TIP 159 Avoid IRA Early Withdrawal Penalties . . . . . . . . . 123 TIP 160 Repay 401(k) Loans When You Leave a Job . . . . .  . . . . 123 TIP 161 Consider a Roth Conversion in Low-Income Years . . . . . 123 TIP 162 Use IRA Funds for Charitable Giving (Qualified Charitable Distributions) . . . . . . . . . . . 124 TIP 163 Take Advantage of Higher Estate and Gift Tax Exclusions 124 TIP 164 Lower Your MAGI with Smart Contributions . . . . . . . . . 126 TIP 165 Use Roth Accounts Strategically . . . . . . . . . . . 126 TIP 166 Use Tax-Loss Harvesting . . . . . . . . . . . 127 TIP 167 Consider Municipal Bonds . . . . . . . . . 127 TIP 168 Don’t Deduct Investment Fees or Tax Prep Costs . . . . . . . 129 TIP 169 Avoid Paying IRA Fees Out of Pocket . . . . . . . . . . 129 TIP 170 Same with Those Management Fees for Private Funds . . . 130 TIP 171 Don’t Miss Rollover Deadlines . . . . . . . . . . 130 TIP 172 And Finally, a Roth Conversion Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 CHAPTER ELEVEN Triple Threat: Turning Your Health Savings Account into a Retirement Powerhouse .131 Tip 173 The Power of the Triple Tax Advantage of Health Savings Accounts . . . . . . . . . . 131 CHAPTER TWELVE The Fast Lane Mastering the Road Rules for Maximum Auto Deductions . . 135 TIP 174 Start with Total Miles—No Fake Reverse-Odometer Tricks . . 136 TIP 175 Log Business Trips Like You’re Planning the Perfect Skip Day . . . . . . . 136 TIP 176 Standard Mileage Vs. Actual Expenses—You Get to Choose . . . . . . . . . 136 TIP 177 Checklist to Pick a Method . . . . . . . . 137 TIP 178 Luxury Car Depreciation Has Limits—Apologies to the Ferrari Owners . . . . . . . 138 TIP 179 Want a Big Deduction? Think SUV, Not Ferrari . . . . . . . 139 TIP 180 A Home Office Turns Every Trip into a Business Trip . . . 139 TIP 181 Rideshare Drivers Are Businesses—Even if It’s a Side Gig . . 140 TIP 182 Yes, Even Cash Tips Count . . . . . . 140 TIP 183 Advertising Wrap? You’ve Turned Your Car into a Business Asset . . . . . . . . . 141 TIP 184 Parking and Tolls—The Little Deductions That Add Up . 141 TIP 185 Charitable Mileage—Doing Good Still Gets 14 Cents per Mile . . . . . . . . . 142 TIP 186 Charitable Parking and Tolls—Also Deductible . . . . . . . . 142 TIP 187 Medical Mileage. Sometimes Necessary, Sometimes Deductible . . . . . . 143 TIP 188 Moving Expenses? Nope. . . . . . . . . 143 TIP 189 Standard Mileage Includes Depreciation—Don’t Forget This . . . . . . . . 143 TIP 190 Personal Property Taxes May Be Deductible—If They Qualify . . . . . . . 144 TIP 191 Buying Vs. Leasing? Run the Numbers . . . . . . . . . 144 TIP 192 Employer Reimbursements Mean No Double Dipping . . 144 CHAPTER THIRTEEN Wait ... You Tried to Deduct What?: Debunking the Wildest Tax Myths in the Book 147 TIP 193 “My Dog Is My Security System—So He’s a Business Expense.” . . . . . . . . 148 TIP 194 “I Can Deduct My Wedding Because I Networked There.” . . . . . . . . . 148 TIP 195 “My Vacation Was a Business Trip Because I Talked About Work.” . . . . . . . . . . . 149 TIP 196 “I Bought Clothes for Work, So Therefore I Can Write Them Off.” . . . . . . . . . 149 TIP 197 “I Can Write Off My Kids Because They Help Me on TikTok.” . . . . . . . . . 149 TIP 198 “My Boat Is for Client Entertainment.” . . . . . . . . . . . 150 TIP 199 “I Can Deduct My Divorce Attorney. It’s My Future Financial Planning!” . . . . . . . 150 TIP 200 “I Can Write Off My House Because I Host Friends Who Talk About Business.” . . . . . . . . 151 TIP 201 “My Gym Membership Is a Health Deduction.” . . . . . . . 151 TIP 202 “I Can Write Off My Dating App Subscriptions. They’re Client Research.” . . . . . . . . 152 TIP 203 “My Tattoo Is Advertising. It Has My Company Logo.” . . 152 TIP 204 “My Pool Is a Medical Expense Because It Reduces My Stress.” . . . . . . . . . 152 TIP 205 “I Lost Money on Crypto, so I Don’t Need to Report It.” . . . . . . . 153 TIP 206 “The IRS Doesn’t Care About Side Cash.” . . . . . . . . 153 TIP 207 “My Vacation Rental Losses Don’t Matter Because It’s Just a Hobby.” . . . . . . . 154 TIP 208 “I Don’t Need Receipts. The IRS Trusts Me.” . . . . . . . . . . 154 TIP 209 “If I Owe Less Than $1,000, They Won’t Care.” . . . . . . . . 154 TIP 210 “I Don’t Have to File if I Didn’t Make Much Money.” . . . 155 TIP 211 “If I Get Audited, I’ll Just Say My Accountant Did It.” . . 155 TIP 212 “The IRS Won’t Notice. I’m Too Small.” . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 CHAPTER FOURTEEN The Great Extension: Mastering April Deadline & Uncle Sam’s Good Side ...157 TIP 213 File Electronically. It’s Faster, Safer, and Smarter . . . . . . . . 158 TIP 214 Uncle Sam Needs to Hear from You by April 15 . . . . . . . 158 TIP 215 Even if You Can’t Pay Your Tax Bill—File Anyway! . . . . . 159 TIP 216 Now, Even if You Extend, You Still Have to Pay What You Owe . . . . . . . 159 TIP 217 If You Owe, Make Your Payment Online . . . . . . . . . 160 TIP 218 Set Up an IRS Payment Plan if You Can’t Pay in Full . . . . 160 TIP 219 Short-Term Payment Extensions—The 180-Day Grace Period . . . . . . 161 TIP 220 Paying with a Credit Card: Good Idea or Bad One? . . . . . 161 TIP 221 Track Your Refund (or Payment) . . . . . . . . . 162 TIP 222 All Refunds Aren’t Instant—Even When You E-File . . . . . 162 TIP 223 How to Fix a Mistake: Form 1040-X . . . . . . . . 162 TIP 224 Don’t Forget to Amend Your State Return Too . . . . . . . . . 163 TIP 225 The IRS Does Forgive Penalties—Sometimes . . . . . . . . . . 163 TIP 226 How IRS Interest Really Works—And Why the Penalty Adds Up So Fast . . . . . . . . 163 TIP 227 Ignoring IRS Letters Doesn’t Make Them Go Away . . . . . 164 TIP 228 Create an IRS Online Account—It’s Your Digital Tax Dashboard . . . . . . . . . 164 TIP 229 Get an IRS Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN)—Especially if You’ve Ever Been Hacked . . . . . . 165 TIP 230 Know What “Injured Spouse” Means . . . . . . . . 166 TIP 231 Same with “Innocent Spouse” . . . . . . . 167 TIP 232 And My Quick Public Service Announcement . . . . . . . . 168 TIP 233 Keep Your Tax Records—But Not Forever . . . . . . . 169 TIP 234 Celebrate Responsibly—And Then Make a Note to Start Earlier Next Year . . . . . . . . 169 CHAPTER FIFTEEN The Goodfellas Guide to the IRS: Surviving an Audit Without Losing Your Cool . . . . . 171 TIP 235 Reporting Round Numbers (aka “The $500 Rule”) . . . . . 172 TIP 236 Large Deductions Compared with Your Income . . . . . . . . 172 TIP 237 Unreported 1099 Income . . . . . . . . 172 TIP 238 Claiming 100% Business Use of a Vehicle . . . . . . . 173 TIP 239 Excessive Meal and Entertainment Deductions . . . . . . 173 TIP 240 Home Office Abuse . . . . . . . . . 174 TIP 241 Cash-Heavy Businesses . . . . . . . . . . 174 TIP 242 Claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Incorrectly . . . . . . . . 174 TIP 243 Amending Returns Every Year . . . . . . . . . 175 TIP 244 “Hobby” Businesses with Years of Losses . . . . . . . . 175 TIP 245 Don’t Panic—An Audit Isn’t an Indictment . . . . . . . . . . . 176 TIP 246 Know What Kind of Audit You’re Dealing With . . . . . . . 177 TIP 247 Respond Before the Deadline—Or Fuggedaboutit . . . . . . 177 TIP 248 Bring Receipts—Literally . . . . . . . . . . . 177 TIP 249 Get a Professional—Your Consigliere . . . . . . . . . . . 178 TIP 250 Don’t Volunteer Extra Information . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 TIP 251 Get Everything in Writing—No Backroom Deals . . . . . . 179 TIP 252 You Can Appeal. Don’t Let One Agent Be Judge and Jury . . . . . . . . 179 TIP 253 Fix Whatever Triggered the Audit . . . . . . . . 180 TIP 254 Celebrate the Win—Even if You Owe Money . . . . . . . . . 180 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . 181 APPENDIX A Recordkeeping That Actually Saves You Money . . . . . . 185 APPENDIX B DIY Versus Hiring a Tax Pro . . . . . . . . 189 APPENDIX C I Need a Tax Pro . . . . . . . . . 193 APPENDIX D Think About State Taxes Before You Move . . . . . . 197 Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . 203 Index . . . . . . . . 205 About the Author . . . . . . . 217