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The Daily Insight

What can I do to reduce the amount of taxes owed?

Author

Emma Jordan

Published Mar 27, 2026

As of right now, here are 15 ways to reduce how much you owe for the 2020 tax year:

  1. Contribute to a Retirement Account.
  2. Open a Health Savings Account.
  3. Use Your Side Hustle to Claim Business Deductions.
  4. Claim a Home Office Deduction.
  5. Write Off Business Travel Expenses, Even While on Vacation.

15 Legal Secrets to Reducing Your Taxes

  1. Contribute to a Retirement Account.
  2. Open a Health Savings Account.
  3. Use Your Side Hustle to Claim Business Deductions.
  4. Claim a Home Office Deduction.
  5. Write Off Business Travel Expenses, Even While on Vacation.
  6. Deduct Half of Your Self-Employment Taxes.
  7. Get a Credit for Higher Education.

Are there any ways to reduce your taxes?

If you take advantage of your employer’s match, you can increase your retirement contributions without being taxed on them. Some benefits such as purchasing a reduced-cost bus pass are not tax deductible. You can check with your human resources officer to make sure the ones you are considering are tax deductible.

How does taking a tax deduction reduce your tax bill?

Claim all the deductions you can. As you know, a tax deduction shrinks your tax bill by shrinking your taxable income. If, for example, you earn $70,000 and take a $5,000 deduction, your taxable income will shrink by $5,000, letting you avoid being taxed on that $5,000. If you’re in a 24% tax bracket, that could save you $1,200.

How does reducing tax taken from your pay cheque work?

This is known as tax deductions at source. Your employer then sends this tax on your behalf to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). If you regularly get a tax refund from the CRA, this is no cause for celebration. You may be having too much tax withheld at source. Reducing the tax withheld will increase your net take-home pay. 1.

How are taxes taken out of your paycheck?

Amount of Taxes Taken From a Paycheck 1 Identification. The Internal Revenue Service administers federal income tax rules. 2 Dependent Amount. Each dependent or allowance you claim on the W-4 gives an amount, which lowers the amount of your pay subject to withholding. 3 Tax Withholding. 4 State Requirement. 5 Considerations. …