Increased income tax refund: tips on the topic

Every year, you already know what you have to do to get the refund. Declaring income tax (IR) is a challenge at times: organizing the accounts, seeing what needs to be included, among other tasks, can make everything frustrating. But, there are ways to make IR lighter. With care, you can make the charges smaller and even increase the amount you will receive.

The collection of IR arises from the need to verify the amounts that people owe or have owed in excess of what was expected. Thus, both earnings and expenses are shown to the Federal Revenue Service, whose role is to make an adjustment to the amount of tax paid. The change, carried out annually, is made at the beginning of the year.

Afterwards, the value that the government obtains from taxes has an investment in society. In theory, this amount goes to areas such as education, security and also goes to economic measures, such as job creation. Still, some feel a pain in their pocket when having to deal with IR. In this article, you will see how income tax can be reduced.

Restituição; tela com o sistema da Receita Federal
It is possible that people will be able to declare taxes with less weight in their accounts. Photo: Reproduction.

Refund: how to see expenses with the possibility of deduction

Are there ways to declare tax without going against the law and, at the same time, pay less income tax? Yes. Health expenses, for example, are one of the amounts that can make the tax due to the Federal Revenue lower. In addition simplified declaration it can also offer relief, with a reduction in 20% of the total amount to be paid to the public coffers and, as a result, the refund becomes greater.

The deduction of expenses generally only takes place in full statement. Therefore, if you consume several types of services or products that can be deducted, the full version is viable. This way, you need to think: “what was spent and can be deducted it's bigger What is the total income tax I owe?” If so, gather all proof of deductible expenses and declare in full. Check out some of these expenses below:

restituição
Some expenses can reduce the bills you need to pay to IR. Photo: Viver de Contabilidade (Facebook)/Reproduction.

Another way to reduce income tax is by paying tax in addition to what you already owe. Therefore, the IRS is obliged to return the amount that was spent in excess of what you already owed, and this amount will be deposited into the account you use. Therefore, you must pay attention to the return schedule, as it is made in batches determined by the government.

How to reduce IR from specific expenses

As shown before, people are entitled to discounts on their income tax for some types of expenses, earning more from the refund. Private pension, rent, health expenses are some of them. However, in certain cases, if the expense is not directly related to a service, such as notebook purchases or sporting activities, it cannot be deducted from the tax.

With the retirement own, it is possible to reduce the cost of IR. In private pensions, people contribute and receive an amount, which then pays out and is paid in monthly installments or, if the person prefers, the amounts are received in full. However, the tax discount is only possible if the pension is in the Free Benefit Generating Plan (PGBL) category and not with the Free Benefit Generating Life (VGBL) modality. Having chosen to deduct with the PGBL, the amount that can be returned to the person increases, but as long as the amount is up to 12% of the entire year's income.

In contrast, education has other rules. Only spending on the different levels of education (infant, elementary, secondary, higher education, etc.) is guaranteed to leave the tribute smaller. Courses and arts, dance, sports classes, among others, cannot reduce the total amount of income tax due.

In relation to health, consultations with doctors generally ease the bills. That is, going to the dentist, the physiotherapist, the speech therapist, or any doctor of any specialty will make the total amount that will be paid to the IRS smaller. But DNA tests, medication costs or even going to the nutritionist do not have the same effect.

Extra: see how to reduce income tax with property rental

If you have houses, apartments, commercial spaces, office areas and similar areas that are rentable, be aware. It is also possible to reduce income tax with this type of fixed income. One of the possibilities to obtain a reduction is to rely on the property commission, which is responsible for the rented place. This is guaranteed to be valid, as the profit counts as the amount received from the rent

Furthermore, fees such as Urban Property and Territorial Property Tax (IPTU) and condominium taxes are also guaranteed to reduce the final bill and increase the refund. To do this, enter these expenses as “payments made”.

Finally, there is also a reduction if you are a spouse. Couples who share rent can reduce income tax by declaring tax separately. Furthermore, in property sales, the discount is allowed, with a rate of 15% on the profit.

About the author

Jefferson Tafarel

Finance journalist for Dicade.com.

Reviewed by

Glenda Ribeiro