State Representatives John Becker and David Leland are sponsoring a bi-partisan bill to eliminate the 'marriage penalty' in Ohio.

Married Ohioans have to figure out every year what filing status they are going to use — married filing separately or married filing jointly. Often the best option for the couple on their federal return is not the same as it would be on their state return. Because Ohio forces couples to file with the same status on both state and federal returns, they could be hit with what some call a marriage penalty for filing jointly. Filing jointly on their federal return could net them a break on taxes, but here in Ohio it pushes them into a tax bracket that forces them to pay more than if they filed separate returns.

It's that time of year again . . . back to school!  This is a good time to learn about tax benefits that can help offset qualifying education costs. Here is information about two tax credits available to those who pay higher education costs for themselves, a spouse or a dependent.

The American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC)

The AOTC is worth a maximum benefit up to $2,500 per eligible student. It is only available for the first four years at an eligible educational or vocational school for students pursuing a degree or other recognized education credential. Eligible taxpayers can get up to $1,000 of the credit as a refund, even if they do not owe any tax.

There are lots of things to consider when divorcing or separating, and it is a difficult time emotionally and financially for most people. Big changes are taking place in your life, and you should be aware of how these changes may affect your taxes.

Here are some things you should know about alimony, child support, IRA's, and name changes:

Are you planning to rent out your residential property or vacation home?  If so, there are many things you need to consider other than the logistics of cleaning, maintenance, and service to the renter.

Receiving money for the use of a dwelling also used as your personal residence generally requires reporting the rental income on your tax return. Certain expenses related to renting your property become deductible to reduce the total amount of rental income that's subject to tax.

Miscellaneous deductions are tax deductions that generally don’t fit into a particular tax category.  They can help reduce taxable income and the amount of taxes owed. 

For example, some employees can deduct certain work expenses like uniforms as miscellaneous deductions.  To do that, they must itemize their deductions instead of taking the standard deduction. 

Here are several tips about miscellaneous deductions:  

Ohio, along with other states, will require driver’s license information for the primary taxpayer and spouse (if Married Filing Jointly) beginning in tax year 2016.

This new requirement is in an effort to combat stolen-identity tax fraud.

Taxpayers will be asked to provide the information from their driver’s license or state issued identification card. For taxpayers who do not have a driver’s license or state ID card, they will have the option to indicate such and still be allowed to e-file.

The Internal Revenue Service today wrapped up its annual "Dirty Dozen" list of tax scams. Taxpayers need to guard against any ploys to steal their personal information, scam them out of money or talk them into engaging in questionable behavior with their taxes.

During the past year, as part of the Security Summit initiative, the IRS partnered with states and the tax industry to enhance coordination and create a more secure system for taxpayers. Participants now regularly share details of fraudulent schemes detected so both industry and government can provide increased protection. Many enhancements are invisible to taxpayers.

Taxpayers are encouraged to review the list in a special section on IRS.gov and be on the lookout for these scams. Many of these con games peak during filing season as people prepare their tax returns or hire someone to do so. The IRS this week also renewed a consumer alert for e-mail schemes after seeing an approximate 400 percent surge in phishing and malware incidents so far this tax season. (IR-2016-28)

Here is a recap of this year's "Dirty Dozen" scams:

You will receive Form 1095-B - which is a new form this year – from your health insurance provider if you had insurance for you or your family members. The term “health insurance providers” includes insurance companies, some self-insured employers, and government agencies that run Medicare, Medicaid or CHIP.

You are likely to get more than one form if: You had coverage from more than one provider, you changed coverage or employers during the year, or if different members of your family received coverage from different providers.

Did you receive form 1095-A and are wondering what to do with it?

Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement, provides you with information about your health care coverage if you or someone in your family enrolled in coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace. Most individuals did not enroll in Marketplace coverage and will not receive this form.

The Marketplace may send you more than one Form 1095-A if any of these apply: Members of your household were not all enrolled in the same health plan, you updated your family information during the year, you switched plans during the year, or you had family members enrolled in different states.  The form is not new, but some people may receive it for the first time this year.

All income is taxable unless a law specifically states that it isn’t.  Taxable income includes money you earn, like wages and tips. It also includes bartering, an exchange of property or services. The fair market value of property or services received is normally taxable.

Some types of income are not taxable except under certain conditions, including: