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Important Information On Tax Preparation Hawaii

By Harold Wagner


Imagine living in a paradise surrounded by rugged landscapes, blue waters, and white sands. Living in Hawaii is heavenly, but it may come at a steep price especially when you consider the tax preparation Hawaii processes. If you want to live in this veritable paradise, you will need to be prepared to file state income tax returns as well as federal tax returns.

The island happens to have one of the most complex tax systems in the United States. The fact that the system has a total of twelve income tax brackets further helps to compound the situation for any person looking to file their returns. Another factor to take into account is that the tax rates can run as high as eleven percent, depending on your prevailing tax bracket.

Taxes within the state are regulated by a single department. The Hawaii Department of Taxation has offices spread out in different counties in the state to make it easier for residents to file their returns. All taxes, including but not limited to income tax, property tax, and general excise tax are filed with this particular department.

Compared to other states, Hawaii residents have some wiggle room when it comes to filing state returns. Once the Federal Tax Day has passed by, residents have until April 22 to ensure that they have submitted their tax returns. If for some reason a person is unable to file by this day, they can always contact the department and request for an extension.

It is important to note that the extension is not without its downsides. Just because you have asked for an extension and been granted one is not to mean that the state will not charge you a penalty for being late. It will charge a penalty and charge an interest for the amount you owe. The interest is charged on a per month basis until the outstanding amount is cleared.

The filing statuses applied by the state are the same as those applied when filing state returns. Basically, what you will see in your federal returns is the same thing you can expect to see in the state returns. It will feature information such as head of household, single, married filing separately, married filing single, and qualifying widow or widower with dependent kids.

As mentioned earlier, the state has a progressive tax in place. It currently has a total of twelve tax brackets which are based on your filing status and taxable income. The two combined can complicate the preparation process making it necessary to consult an expert in this area. The tax rates generally range from 1.4 percent to 11 percent. The latter is only applied for people in the highest tax bracket.

Persons looking to file their returns can do so online through the available e-portal. Alternatively, you can have a professional file the returns on your behalf. The Department of Taxation has recommended software for use in its website. The software will help you establish how much money you need to pay based on your earnings.




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