To qualify for an Obamacare tax credit, you have to estimate your household income for the following year in your application. You can base this amount on your most recently filed tax return, taking into account any changes you expect for the following year. When you fill out your application, you must use your “modified adjusted gross income” (MAGI).
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For the great majority of self-employed individuals, their MAGI is the same as their adjusted gross income (AGI), which is shown on line 37 of your IRS Form 1040. (If you use the shorter Form 1040EZ, your AGI is on line 4.)
Jan 03, 2020 Gambling winnings are fully taxable and you must report the income on your tax return. Gambling income includes but isn't limited to winnings from lotteries, raffles, horse races, and casinos. It includes cash winnings and the fair market value of prizes, such as cars and trips.
Your MAGI consists of all your income minus certain deductions.
What You Add
To determine your MAGI, first add together all the following amounts:
- wages, salaries, tips
- net income from any self-employment or business (generally the amount of money you take in from your business minus your business expenses)
- taxable interest
- taxable amount of pension, annuity, or IRA distributions
- all Social Security benefits, including disability payments
- tax-exempt interest (for example, from government bonds)
- capital gains
- unemployment compensation
- foreign earned income & housing expenses for Americans living abroad (calculated on IRS Form 2555)
- ordinary dividends
- alimony received
- rental real estate, royalties, partnerships, S corporations, trusts, etc.
- taxable refunds, credits, or offsets of state and local income taxes, and
- other income such as prizes, awards, and gambling winnings.
You need not include: Supplemental Security Income, child support, food stamps, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), gifts, workers compensation, Veteran’s disability payments, cash withdrawals from savings, qualified withdrawals from Roth IRAs or proceeds from loans (like student loans, home equity loans, or bank loans).
What You Subtract
To determine your final MAGI amount, subtract the following from your above total:
- certain self-employed expenses (deductible part of self-employment taxes; SEP, SIMPLE, and qualified plan contributions; self-employed health insurance deduction)
- student loan interest deduction
- educator expenses
- IRA deduction
- deductible moving expenses
- penalty on early withdrawal of savings
- health savings account deduction
- alimony paid
- domestic production activities deduction, and
- certain business expenses of reservists, performing artists, and fee-basis government officials.
When you file your tax return the following year, you have to reconcile the MAGI you actually earned with the amount of credits you received. If you earned more than you listed on your application, you may have to pay all or part of your credit payments back to the federal government. On the other hand, if you earned substantially less, you may be entitled to additional credits.
Discovering you have a winning lottery ticket is thrilling, especially if you hit the big jackpot. However, you won’t be able to keep the entire amount. Under federal law, lottery winnings are taxable, just like the income you earn at your job. You must report all gambling winnings on your federal tax return, and many states also demand a piece of your good luck.
Uncle Sam Always Gets His Cut
If your lottery prize exceeds $5,000, the lottery agency must report your winnings to the Internal Revenue Service. The agency will need your Social Security Number to complete IRS Form W-2G. It will give you a copy and send the original -- and 25 percent of your winnings -- to the IRS. The W-2G will show how much federal withholding the lottery agency deducted from your pay-out. You must report your lottery prize as income on your federal tax return, but you can claim the federal taxes withheld from your pay-out as a tax payment.
The Truth Behind Line 21
Even if your lottery prize is less than $5,000, but more than $600, you're expected to report it on your federal tax return. There's even a line for gambling winnings, Line 21 in fact, on Form 1040. This means if you have gambling winnings, you can't use either of the two simpler individual federal income tax forms, Form 1040A or Form 1040EZ.
No Proof of Loss Equals No Deduction
It's possible to deduct gambling losses, but only if you've got the proper paperwork. The IRS wants to see every receipt, ticket and whatever else reflects your total wins and losses before it'll give thumbs up on a deduction. Even then you can only deduct gambling losses up to the amount of your winnings. For example, if you spent $250 on lottery tickets and won $200, $200 is as much as you can claim as a loss on line 28 of Schedule A.
The Deduction Dilemma
Claiming your gambling losses as itemized deductions will increase your tax refund or reduce the taxes you owe. However, if the total of all your itemized deductions is less than the standard deduction that the IRS allows all taxpayers to claim, don't itemize. Use the standard deduction because it will lower your taxes.
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About the Author
Grygor Scott has written professionally since 1991, with a focus on law, government, food and travel. His work has appeared in 'New York Resident' and on several websites. The author of more than 20 nonfiction books, Scott graduated with honors from the University of North Carolina School of Law.