• Can You Write Off Gambling Losses On Your Taxes Received
• How Do You Claim Gambling Losses On Your Taxes

The IRS views winnings from gambling as taxable income, but did you know that you’re allowed to deduct gambling losses, too? While losing money at a casino or the racetrack does not by itself relieve your tax burden, it can reduce taxes owed for your other winnings, ultimately saving you money.

How to know if you can deduct your gambling losses

Gambling losses. Did you have significant gambling losses during the year? You may be able to deduct them on Schedule A along with your other itemized deductions. Just remember that you also need to include your gambling winnings as part of your income for the year. Child tax credit (CTC). So if you had $10,000 worth of gambling winnings, you could use your $6,000 to reduce that so you only pay tax on $4,000. Similarly, if you had $5,000 of winnings and $6,000 of losses, you could only deducted the $5000 to zero out your winnings. If you don't have any winnings, you can't deduct any losses.

1. Every year they get taxes from people in which gambling income is shrinked down almost to nothing and the losses are skyrocketed. The IRS has a simple rule for gambling losses; you can only claim.
2. Gambling losses are indeed tax deductible, but only to the extent of your winnings. Find out more about reporting gambling losses on your tax return. Gambling losses are indeed tax deductible, but only to the extent of your winnings and requires you to report all the money you win as taxable income on your return.
3. If you have gambling losses, you write them off as 'other miscellaneous deductions' on line 28 of Schedule A, where they get combined with your other itemized deductions to reduce your taxable income.

Gambling loss deductions save you money by reducing your taxable income. But there’s a trick to this—you can’t claim gambling losses that exceed your winnings, as losses are inextricably linked to your winnings for tax purposes. If you have no winnings to claim, you can’t deduct your losses.

As an example, let’s say that in a given year you went gambling twice, winning $6,000 in one instance, but losing $8,000 in another. In this case, you can only deduct $6,000 from that $8,000 loss. The remaining $2,000 in losses can’t be carried forward or written off. Conversely, if you won more than you lost, you’d owe taxes on the difference between your winnings and losses as “other income”—but at least those taxes would be reduced.

Can You Write Off Gambling Losses On Your Taxes Received

(If you’re a full-time, professional gambler the requirements are different: you will report your earnings like they have resulted from a business, as self-employed income).

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How to claim gambling losses

Deductible gambling losses can result from online casinos, poker games, sports betting, lotteries, prize draws, horse and dog racing, and even your office fantasy sports pool. To report any of these gambling losses, you’ll be required to itemize your deductions. This makes sense if the total of all your itemized deductions exceeds the standard deduction ($12,400 for taxpayers who are single or are filing separately from their spouse). If you claim the standard deduction, you don’t get the opportunity to reduce taxes for winnings owed by deducting gambling losses.

Keep in mind that you must be able to substantiate any losses you’re claiming, which means you’ll need to keep records of your gambling.

Track your winnings and losses

You can’t just say “I lost a bunch of money gambling” to the IRS. They require you to provide records of your winnings and losses to back your claim. Therefore, you should keep track of:

• the date and time of your gambling session
• the type of gambling
• the name and location of the gambling venue
• the people you gambled with
• how much you bet, won and lost

You should also keep credit cards statements, payout slips, receipts, tickets, bank withdrawal records, and statements of actual winnings. Other documentation can include:

• Form W-2G (typically given or mailed to you by casinos after a big payout)
• Form 5754 (a form for when you’re part of a group that earns money through gambling; you might see one of these if you and your co-workers are cashing in a winning lottery ticket)

How Do You Claim Gambling Losses On Your Taxes

Do you or someone you know need help with a gambling problem? Call the National Problem Gambling Helpline Network (1-800-522-4700).