Any tax Pro's here? need advice ASAP

[okiaristo]

I need some help and we dont have a H&R block in okinawa.. i need help with claiming a child. i was divorced a few years ago and have a son with my ex. due to her living in england and me in japan i have not seen him all year (the deployment didnt help either) but she has claimed him for the EIC but it is my year (per divorce dicree) to claim him. my income tax has been rejected becuse she has already filed with his SS#. what can i do? the dicree is legally inforceable right?

[GKLCPA]

I'm assuming that you're filing electronically. You'll need to file manually and include the dependent. The IRS will send you a letter describing the problem with someone else claiming the dependent and requesting that you prove that you're entitled to the deduction. Your proof for the valid claim of the dependent will be your divorce decree establishing that this year is the year you get to claim your son. You'll prevail, it will just take longer.

[tytgs300]

not to be funny but
i've lost alot of money at the casino this yr
would this fall in the work-related or looking for work expenses, a subcategory of itemized deductions ?

[GKLCPA]

Originally Posted by tytgs300

not to be funny but
i've lost alot of money at the casino this yr
would this fall in the work-related or looking for work expenses, a subcategory of itemized deductions ?

Although I'm a CPA, I ain't trying to give out a lot of tax advice here. Also, you should be wary generally of information you might get over the web.

Generally, the code allows you to deduct gambling losses only to the extent of gambling winnings. For example, let's assume you lost $ 20,000 and won
$ 5,000, you can only deduct losses equal to the amount won; in this instance $ 5,000.

I've had at least one professional gambler who would routinely win $ 50,000+ every year, but lost at least twice that. She didn't pay any taxes on her winnings due to this particular provision, but the economic hit taken was pretty substantial.

They don't have the gambling game set up for anyone to be profitable except for the gaming houses. Better off investing in a business in my opinion.