Flipping Real Estate and Paying Taxes
Many people from all over the country have been flipping houses for years, wanting to cash in on the gold mine.
The reality, however, is that whenever you do something that makes profit, you likely have to pay taxes on it - even when it is involving real estate.
Taxes do have to be paid on any profit you make from flipping a house.
The taxes owed will vary from state to state, so it is important to research this so you have an idea of the percentage you will need to take out.
Flipping real estate can be a lot about numbers, and you want to find a project that will allow for decent profits while still paying your taxes.
It is very important to pay these taxes so that the IRS does not catch up to you and you end up paying interest and penalties for years to come.
Usually the taxes paid in flipping real estate will be a self-employment tax or capital gains.
Self-employment taxes can be and will likely be as high as business taxes.
Flipping too many houses and too quickly will end up classifying it as your job or business; therefore, the high tax rates will then have to start being paid.
Individuals who do not know what they are getting into when flipping real estate may end up owing a lot of taxes and not having the money if they spend their profits on another home.
Most can expect to pay anywhere from 15% to 35% interest on the profits.
If $100,000 was profited from a flip, then be prepared to give the IRS up to $35,000 of that.
There are a few ways to save on the taxes that have to be paid when flipping real estate.
One way is to hang onto the property for over a year.
This way you are only paying capital gain taxes on it.
Another option is to move into the house.
Establish it as your primary residence and live there for two years.
After this you can sell it, and any profits up to $250,000 can not be taxed.
However, if you were to make $300,000 in profits, then be ready to pay tax on $50,000 of that.
This is the best way to keep as much of the profit as possible.
Most house flippers do not want to move every two years, as they want a fast turn-around and to sell it.
The bottom line is that taxes do have to be paid on all of the profits made from a real estate flip.
This is the only way to do it honestly and keep the eyes of the IRS off of you.
A good house flipper understands this and takes into account the taxes that will have to be paid when he or she is looking at a property to potentially flip.
Find out what your state requirements will be as far as the percentage that will need to be paid, and keep that information in mind when it is time to price the house to sell.