sonny-dev/inters-qdu huggingface dataset:
Query: Is there any US bank that does not charge for incoming wire transfers?

Relevant passages:
 <=SEP=> There are banks and credit unions that don't charge fee for incoming wire transfer. You most likely won't get that from big brick and mortar banks like BofA, Citi but if you are doing it regularly, using another bank that offers it free would save you a lot. Since ACH are free, you can transfer money between those banks to your regular bank (e.g. BofA) for free. There would be delay involved in this process due to additional ACH. You could also use one these banks as your primary bank to avoid that delay. Credit unions are also generally fee friendly and many would offer free incoming wire transfer. However you are limited to what is available to you as all of them would have some membership criteria.

 <=SEP=> Schwab High Yield Investor Checking does not charge for incoming wires.

 <=SEP=> Being into Business since years and having clients worldwide I receive a lot of payments via wire transfers. Some in business and some in personal checking accounts. I have never been charged by my bank for any incoming wire. And by the way I bank with HSBC and BoA in the US. Actually the charges on the account depends on the type of account you are opening/holding with the bank. With a tight competition in the finance and banking industry you can always demand the bank for the services you want and the pricing you want. The best thing to do is ask your bank if they can wave those incoming wire charges for you and if not you have a whole bunch of options.

 <=SEP=> Yes, a business account at Chase bank offers free incoming wire transfer fees when you keep a minimum balance of over 100k. It's the only one I have found.
Query: As a Sole Proprietor, will “employer” Solo 401k contributions count towards gross income?

Relevant passages:
 <=SEP=> "This seems to depend on what kind of corporation you have set up. If you're set up as a sole proprietor, then the Solo 401k contributions, whether employee or employer, will be deducted from your gross income.  Thus they don't reduce it. If you're set up as an S-Corp, then the employer contributions, similar to large employer contributions, will be deducted from wages, and won't show up in Box 1 on your W-2, so they would reduce your gross income.  (Note, employee contributions also would go away from Box 1, but would still be in Box 3 and 5 for FICA/payroll tax purposes). This is nicely discussed in detail here. The IRS page that discusses this in more (harder to understand) detail is here. Separately, I think a discussion of ""Gross Income"" is merited, as it has a special definition for sole proprietorships. The IRS defines it in publication 501 as: Gross income.    Gross income is all income you receive in the form of money, goods, property, and services that is not exempt from tax. If you are married and live with your spouse in a community property state, half of any income defined by state law as community income may be considered yours. For a list of community property states, see Community property states under Married Filing Separately, later. Self-employed persons.    If you are self-employed in a business that provides services (where products are not a factor), your gross income from that business is the gross receipts. If you are self-employed in a business involving manufacturing, merchandising, or mining, your gross income from that business is the total sales minus the cost of goods sold. In either case, you must add any income from investments and from incidental or outside operations or sources. So I think that regardless of 401(k) contributions, your gross income is your gross receipts (if you're a contractor, it's probably the total listed on your 1099(s))."
Query: Clarification on student expenses - To file the tax for the next year

Relevant passages:
 <=SEP=> Assuming here that you're talking about deducting your tuition as a below the line deduction as a business expense or similar, then it depends. Per 1.162-5, if the education: Then it qualifies as a legitimate business expense and is deductible.  If not - if you're going to school for a different career, such as someone employed as a waiter but going to school to get a degree in nursing, or someone employed as a teacher getting a law degree - then it's not; you'd have to qualify under one of the other (simpler, but lesser) credits. Read more on this topic at Tax topic 513. Note that the other most commonly applicable deduction - the above the line Tuition and Fees deduction - expired in 2016 and is not applicable (yet?) in 2017, and further would not require most of what you describe as it only counts tuition and fees paid directly to the institution and required as a condition of attendance, so books, parking, etc. don't count.
Query: UK sole trader who often buys products/services on behalf of clients – do I deduct from declared income or claim as allowable expenses?

Relevant passages:
 <=SEP=> Assuming you buy the services and products beforehand and then provide them to your clients. Should the cost of these products and services be deducted from my declared income or do I include them and then claim them as allowable expenses? You arrive at your final income after accounting for your incomings and outgoings ?  regularly buys products and services on behalf of clients These are your expenses. invoice them for these costs after These are your earnings. These are not exactly allowable expenses, but more as the cost of doing your business, so it will be deducted from your earnings. There will be other business expenses which you need to deduct from your earnings and then you arrive at your income/profit. So before you arrive at your income all allowable expenses have been deducted. include on my invoices to clients  VAT if you charge VAT. Any charges you require them to pay i.e. credit card charges etc. You don't need to inform clients about any costs you incur for doing your business unless required by law. If you are unsure about something browse the gov.uk website or obtain the services of an accountant. Accounting issues might be costly on your pocket if mistakes are committed.
Query: Which colors can one use to fill out a check in the US?

Relevant passages:
 <=SEP=> "Keep in mind that many checks are being cashed via scanner or photo. These can be home based, business based or ATM based systems. The key requirement is that the software has to be able to distinguish the ""written"" parts from the background parts. If the image doesn't have enough contrast for the edge detection to work, the check can't be easily processed. In that case a human looks at the image and decodes the image and processes the transaction. The image is not in color.  Many businesses scan the check and hand the original back to you after having the Point of Sale system process the image. Post 2001 the checks in the united states are no longer moved through the banking system, only their images. With the roll out of these image based systems, in the future almost no physical checks will be seen by banks. Therefore the actual ink color is not important, only the result."
Query: Paypal website donations without being a charity

Relevant passages:
 <=SEP=> Yes, Paypal has such a button you can use, but to be clear, the money you receive is taxable income. Your website is providing 'value' to the readers, and while they may feel they are making a gift to you, it's earned income as far as the IRS is concerned.  (This assumes you are in the US, you may wish to add a tag to indicate your country)

 <=SEP=> Yes, PayPal allows you to add a donate button to your website. You're responsible for any tax record-keeping related to income from the donate button.

 <=SEP=> An answer from PayPal stated that donations may be turned on only for Business PayPal accounts that are verified for its non-profit status. Such PayPal Business account must be opened in the name of non-profit organization (not a single person) and go through verification process. One must provide the following information: That would mean that one cannot ask for donations as a private person, at least in Croatia, and probably in Europe.
Query: Where to find the 5 or 10 year returns for a mutual fund?

Relevant passages:
 <=SEP=> Yahoo's primary business isn't providing mutual fund performance data.  They aim to be convenient, but often leave something to be desired in terms of completeness. Try Morningstar instead.  Their mission is investment research. Here's a link to Morningstar's data for the fund you specified.  If you scroll down, you'll see:
Query: Advantage of credit union or local community bank over larger nationwide banks such as BOA, Chase, etc.?

Relevant passages:
 <=SEP=> Banks, the big ones, have shareholders and the board to answer to.  Credit Unions have members and the board to answer to.  You become a member by joining a CU. Banks' prime objective is profit maximization, a credit union's prime objective is members' welfare.   Personal experience: I didn't mind that the banks charge fees, what was frustrating was keeping up with the policy changes.  Have X amount to avoid Y fees.  Once you fulfill that, do something else to avoid some other fees.  You miss one notice and you'll pay dearly!  This constant jumping of hoops was enough to switch. Not saying CUs don't change rules, but in my opinion, not as frequently as big banks.  On fee, for instance, my overdraft with my CU is $5.  With BofA it was something like $35 before regulations put a cap on such ridiculous fees.

 <=SEP=> Don't switch just because you hear people panicking on the talk shows. Banks are competitive business and won't start charging for using debit cards too fast. If and when they decide to do such a thing after all - then start shopping and see who doesn't catch up with the fees and still provides the services you want for the price you're willing to pay.

 <=SEP=> Fees mostly.  BOA, for example, just announced $5/month for for all debit cards.  Chase has foreign transaction fees, mostly hidden. BOA once famously raised interest rates on credit card holders to 28%, legally.  Also, some people do not like patronizing a bank with CEOs that bankrupt the company and then get multi-million dollar golden parachutes. Finally some people have a problem with banks or institutions that suspend accounts based on political or unproven legal proceedings (ala Wikileaks and BOA).  Credit unions are less like to be involved in this sort of activity since they are not privately traded, and as such they are not ruled by shareholders who demand bottom line results at all costs.
Query: Can vet / veterinary bills be considered deductions (tax-deductible) for Income Tax purposes [Canada]?

Relevant passages:
 <=SEP=> No. Medical bills for yourself or your human companions may be: Canada Revenue Seeing-eye dogs and the like also get special treatment Nice Doggie There are pet medical insurance policies; but as they are often priced like human policies, they might exclude your animal if it has a pre-existing condition. Good Luck Scott

 <=SEP=> "In the US service animals are treated like durable medical equipment from a tax POV, and some expenses can be deducted. Likewise, expenses associated with working animals are business or hobby expenses than can be deducted to a certain extent.  But pets, no. Legally they are ""chattels"" -- property that can move. Generally speaking, you can't deduct the cost of maintaining your belongings."
Query: How would I go about selling the stock of a privately held company?

Relevant passages:
 <=SEP=> "The easiest way to find a buyer should be to ask the company to connect you to some of their other shareholders. I imagine they are much more likely to take those shares off you than a random investor on the street. Otherwise, well, talk to people. At a golf club, maybe? :) Valuation is not going to be very straightforward. Basically you'll get whatever someone is willing to pay. That's what FMV means when there's no real ""market"". Realistically, the price is mainly going to be based on divididend history and the company's assets, discounted for risk and liquidity (you're currently feeling the reason for the latter discount)."

 <=SEP=> SecondMarket attempts to add liquidity to privately held companies. You may be able to find a buyer there, but this is still incredibly illiquid due to accredited investor regulations constricting businesses from catering to the 99%. As around 1% of the United States population qualifies as an accredited investor.
Query: Can I pay taxes using bill pay from my on-line checking account?

Relevant passages:
 <=SEP=> I wouldn't do this. There is a chance that your check could get lost/misdirected/misapplied, etc.  Then you would need to deal with the huge bureaucracy to try to get it fixed while interest and penalties pile up.   What you can do is have the IRS withdraw the money themselves by providing the rounting number and account number of your bank.  This should work whether is it a traditional brick and mortar bank or an online bank.

 <=SEP=> I can't speak for the US, but I've completed direct tax payments via my online bank account (for business and personal) in two countries (South Africa and the UK).  I find it easier and with a better record that the transaction took place than any of the other methods available (including going directly into a tax office to pay by cheque). Mail can go missing. Queueing in their offices takes hours and the result can still be misfiled (by them).  Ditto allowing them to do a pay run on your account - they can make a mistake and you'll have difficulty proving it.  A payment via my bank account gives me an electronic record and I can ensure all the details are correct myself. In addition, in the UK, paying online gives you a good few months extra grace to pay.  Even in South Africa, online payments are given a few weeks grace over physical payments.  Their recognising that you paying electronically saves them processing time.

 <=SEP=> And if you need to pay business taxes outside of the regular US 1040 form, you can use the IRS' Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS). Basically, you enroll your bank accounts, and you can make estimated, penalty, etc. payments. The site can be found here.
Query: What tax software automatically determines the best filing status, etc?

Relevant passages:
 <=SEP=> "Rob - I'm sorry your first visit here has been unpleasant.  What you are asking for is beyond the capability of most software. If you look at Fairmark.com, you find the standard deduction for married filing joint is $12,200 in 2012, and $12,400 in 2013. I offer this anecdote to share a 'deduction' story - The first year I did my MIL's taxes, I had to explain that she didn't   have enough deductions to itemize. Every year since, she hands me a   file full of paper substantiating medical deductions that don't exceed   7.5% of her income. In turn, I give her two folders back, one with the 5 or so documents I needed, and the rest labeled ""trash"". Fewer than 30% of filers itemize. And a good portion of those that do, have no question that's the right thing to do. e.g. my property tax is more than the $12K, so anything else I have that's a deduction adds right to the number.  It's really just those people who are at the edge that are likely frustrated. I wrote an article regarding Standard Deduction vs Itemizing, in which I describe a method of pulling in one's deductible expenses into Odd years, reducing the number in Even years, to allow a bi-annual itemization. If this is your situation, you'll find the concept interesting.  You also ask about filing status. Think on this for a minute. After pulling in our W2s (TurboTax imports the data right from ADP), I do the same for our stock info. The stock info, and all Schedule A deductions aren't assigned a name. So any effort to split them in search of savings by using Married Filing Separate, would first require splitting these up. TurboTax has a 'what-if' worksheet for this function, but when the 'marriage penalty' was lifted years ago, the change in status had no value. Items that phaseout over certain income levels are often lost to the separate filer anyway. When I got married, I found my real estate losses each year could not be taken, they accumulated until I either sold, or until our income dropped when the Mrs retired.  So, while is respect your desire for these magic dials within the software, I think it's fair to say they would provide little value to most people.  If this thread stays open, I'd be curious if anyone can cite an example where filing separately actually benefits the couple."
Query: What are the risks & rewards of being a self-employed independent contractor / consultant vs. being a permanent employee?

Relevant passages:
 <=SEP=> When I worked for myself it was bad because But Ultimately I gave up my business and went to work for a school teaching, and through a series of other jobs ended up in a very stable reliable trustworthy job.  When I was younger the variable paycheck didn't outweigh the freedom.  Now that I am a dad I only think about having insurance and a secure job. The other option to consider is having a regular job, and then doing a little side work for yourself.  You get all the benefits of both (and all the detractions)

 <=SEP=> In the current economy there is no upside to working for yourself.  Get in a salaried position as soon as you can, and sacrifice to whatever gods you worship that you don't get made redundant. If you're already working for yourself, and wouldn't give it up for anything, hire someone, and get them off the street.
Query: Personal Tax Return software for Linux?

Relevant passages:
 <=SEP=> TurboTax online works via Firefox (i.e. it is a cloud-based service.) I don't think any downloaded software is available directly for Linux.

 <=SEP=> "I used H&R Block this year 2013 to do my 2012 taxes and it was a snap!  Ubuntu 12.10 with Firefox 20 and everything worked great!  Although it is not listed as one of the ""supported"" platforms, Firefox breezed through the application without any problems.  I used the deluxe version of H&R to calculate my mortgage and home business deductions, but I would guess any of the H&R versions work."
Query: To whom should I report fraud on both of my credit cards?

Relevant passages:
 <=SEP=> First thing to do when you notice a credit card fraud is to call the respective banks who issues the credit card and most banks immediately (as far as my experience goes - twice) they will cancel the credit card and issue a new card with different number. Your credit card account will remain the same, no effect on credit score as the account is still active, its just the credit card number is changed. If you are more concerned about Identity Theft, there are two further options you can pursue. Place a Fraud Alert : Ask 1 of the 3 credit reporting companies to put   a fraud alert on your credit report. They must tell the other 2   companies. An initial fraud alert can make it harder for an identity   thief to open more accounts in your name. The alert lasts 90 days but   you can renew it. - as per Federal Trade Commission Credit Freeze : If you’re concerned about identity theft, those reported mega-data breaches, or someone gaining access to your credit   report without your permission, you might consider placing a credit   freeze on your report. - as per Federal Trade Commission

 <=SEP=> You need to run a virus scan on your computers to make sure you do not have a key-logger program running on either.  I would also think about designating one old computer to only access your bank accounts and not do anything but that.   If your computer is infected then every time you login your credit cards can be compromised.
Query: What exchange rate does El Al use when converting final payment amount to shekels?

Relevant passages:
 <=SEP=> "The rate for ""checks and transfers"" is set by each bank multiple times during the day based on the market. It is as opposed to the rate for ""cash/banknotes"", also set by each bank, and the ""representative rate"" (שער היציג) set by the Bank of Israel. These rates can be found on the websites of most banks. Here is Bank Hapoalim and Bank Leumi. The question is which bank's rate will be used. It might be the bank that issued your card, El Al's bank, or the credit card company (ie Poalim for Isracard or Leumi for CAL). You will need to call El Al to verify, but since these are market rates, they shouldn't be too different."

 <=SEP=> In older days the merchants and their merchant banks[or service providers] would take funds in their currency. Say in this case USD. When the charge hits the issuer bank, the merchant and merchant bank gets there USD and were happy. The user would get charged in local currency Shekel in this case. The rate applied by his bank [and card provider, Visa/Master also take a cut] is the standard shelf rate to individuals.   When business growing and banking becoming more sophisticated, lots of Merchant Banks and Merchants have created a new business, if you offer Shekel to all users then you have lots of Shekel that you can convert into USD. So in this model, the Merchant makes some more profit from Fx spread, the Merchant Bank makes good money in Fx. Your Bank [and card network] loose out. You stand to gain because you potentially get a better rate. All this theory is good. But the rates are moving and its quite difficult to find out if the rates offered directly by EI AI would be better than those offered by your bank. I have no experience in this example, but I have tried this with large shops, buy 2 items one charge in GBP and other in local currency around 2-3 times spread over a year. The difference in rate was close to identical, at times better or worse in range of .02%
Query: F1 student and eBay selling tax

Relevant passages:
 <=SEP=> "If you have income - it should appear on your tax return. If you are a non-resident, that would be 1040NR, with the eBay income appearing on line 21. Since this is unrelated to your studies, this income will not be covered by the tax treaties for most countries, and you'll pay full taxes on it. Keep in mind that the IRS may decide that you're actually having a business, in which case you'll be required to attach Schedule C to your tax return and maybe pay additional taxes (mainly self-employment). Also, the USCIS may decide that you're actually having a business, regardless of how the IRS sees it, in which case you may have issues with your green card. For low income from occasional sales, you shouldn't have any issues. But if it is something systematic that you spend significant time on and earn significant amounts of money - you may get into trouble. What's ""systematic"" and how much is ""significant"" is up to a lawyer to tell you."