Month: December 2019

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Family & Education tax planning 

Watch the Family and Education Tax Planning video here.

 

Family & Education

While the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 has reduced or eliminated many tax breaks for the next several years, most child and education-related breaks remain intact or even enhanced.

Child Credit 

For each child under age 17, you may be able to claim a $2,000 credit.  This credit phases out for higher-income taxpayers, but the income ranges are much higher than before the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.   If your dependent child is age 17 or older or if you have a dependent elderly parent, a $500 family credit is available, also subject to income-based phase out.

Tax credits reduce your tax bill dollar for dollar, so for many taxpayers, these expanded credits will make up for losing the dependency exemptions.

Education Credits

If you have children in college now or are currently in school yourself, you may be eligible for the American Opportunity Credit.  The maximum credit, per student, is $2,500 per year for the first four years of postsecondary education. Again, this credit is subject to income-based phaseouts, but if your income is too high for you to qualify, your child might be eligible.

 

Be sure you and your family take advantage of available credits and other tax-saving opportunities to make saving taxes a family tradition.

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The SECURE Act

In addition to a year-end funding bill, lawmakers finalized the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act. The retirement bill includes expansion of the automatic contribution to savings plans to 15% of employee pay, allows some part-time employees to participate in 401(k) plans and raises the age limit for IRA contributions from age 70½ to 72.

Also included in the retirement package are provisions aimed at Gold Star families, eliminating an unintended tax on children and spouses of deceased military family members. As with the funding bill, the Senate is expected to pass and the president to sign the bill by the end of the week.

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Individual Deductions and Updates

Watch the Individual Deductions and Updates video here. 
What’s happening with deductions in 2019?
The standard deduction for separate filers is $12,200 and for joint filers, it’s $24,400. Itemized deductions are more beneficial if taxpayers ‘bunch’ deductions into one year. The itemized deductions that may be able to be shifted from year-to-year are real estate taxes, state income tax estimates. This bunching strategy needs to be discussed with your tax advisor to most benefit.
Some expenses are limited or no longer tax-deductible
Let’s discuss what expenses are limited or no longer tax-deductible. State and local tax deduction, including sales tax, property tax, and state income tax, is limited to $10,000. Home office expenses and unreimbursed business expenses are no longer deductible if you are a W-2 employee. Personal casualty and theft losses are only allowed if it arises due to an event officially declared a federal disaster area. Finally, work-related moving expenses are not deductible, except for members of the Armed Forces.
Medical Savings and Spending Accounts – Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Accounts
Health Savings Accounts also known as HSA’s are available to participants in qualified high-deductible health plans. You can contribute pre-tax income up to $3,500 for self-only coverage or $7,000 for family coverage into an employer-sponsored HSA account. HSAs can bear interest or be invested, growing tax-deferred similar to an IRA. Withdrawals for qualified medical expenses are tax-free, and you can carry over a balance from year to year, allowing the account to grow.
Flexible Spending Accounts, also known as FSA’s, can be funded with $2,700 pretax income in an employer-sponsored account but have limitations on what can be rolled over to the following year based on the employer plan. The plan pays or reimburses you for qualified medical expenses. What you don’t use by calendar year’s end, you generally lose.

 

Contact your CPA to discuss these deductions in more depth.
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Estate and Gift Tax Planning

Watch the gift and estate tax planning video here.
Estate Planning
Because the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has put estate and gift tax exemptions at record-high levels, fewer taxpayers are worrying about these taxes. But the high exemptions currently are available only through 2025 and Congress could pass legislation that reduces the limits sooner. So whether or not you’d be subject to estate tax at the current exemptions, it’s a good idea to consider if you can seize opportunities to potentially lock in tax savings today.
Estate Tax
While the TCJA keeps the estate tax rate at 40%, it has doubled the lifetime exemption base amount from $5 million to $10 million. The inflation-adjusted amount for 2019 is $11.4 million.
Gift tax
The gift tax continues to follow the estate tax, so the gift tax exemption also has increased under TCJA. You can exclude certain gifts of up to $15,000 per recipient in 2019 or $30,000 per recipient if your spouse elects to split the gift with you, without depleting any of your lifetime gift and estate tax exemption.
Choose gifts wisely.
Donations to qualified charities aren’t subject to gift tax, as well as tuition and medical expenses paid directly to the provider. Consider both estate and income tax consequences and the economic aspects of any gifts you’d like to make. To minimize estate tax, gift property with the greatest future appreciation potential. To minimize your beneficiary’s income tax, gift property that hasn’t appreciated significantly while you’ve owned it. To minimize your own income tax, don’t gift property that’s declined in value. Instead, consider selling the property, taking the tax loss and then gifting the tax proceeds. Have questions? Please contact us at ATA.
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Tax planning for your investment portfolio

 

Watch planning for your investment portfolio video here.

Recent changes to ordinary income tax rates and tax brackets affect the tax you pay on investments.  Your long term capital gains rate can be as much as 20 percentage points lower than your ordinary income tax rate, which make long-term gains more attractive. 

If you’ve sold investments this year, and have substantial gains, then you may want to review your portfolio for unrealized losses and consider selling them before year end to offset your gains.  

Income investments 

Some types of investments produce income in the form of dividends or interest. Here are some tax consequences to consider: 

Qualified dividends are taxed at the favorable long-term capital gains tax rate rather than at your higher ordinary-income tax rate.

Interest income generally is taxed at ordinary-income rates. So stocks that pay qualified dividends may be more attractive taxwise than other income investments, such as CDs and taxable bonds. 

Capital Losses

If net losses exceed net gains, you can only deduct up to $3,000 of the losses per year.  You carry forward the excess losses until they are used.

Although tax considerations are important, don’t let them control your investment decisions. You need to consider your goals, risk tolerance, fees, and other factors related to buying and selling securities.

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Business Tax Planning

Tax season is approaching, which means for business owners that tax planning is taking place. Continue reading or view the 2019 business tax planning video for tips.  
 
Depreciation:
For business owners who own equipment and heavy-duty vehicles please keep in mind that up to $1,020,000 of qualified fixed asset additions can be expensed in 2020 under Section 179, including equipment, furniture, roofs, HVAC equipment, and security systems. Also, the first $18,000 of vehicles with a towing capacity of 6,000 pounds or less and the first $25,000 of vehicles with a towing capacity exceeding 6,000 pounds are eligible to be expensed under Section 179.
Also, bonus depreciation of up to 100% will be allowed on equipment, furniture, and software placed in service during 2020. In addition, up to $18,000 of bonus depreciation is allowed on new passenger vehicles purchased in 2020. Careful tax planning can help you maximize your depreciation deductions in 2020.  Contact your ATA tax professional to assist you in maximizing this tax benefit.
Section 199A Deduction:
Owners of partnerships, LLCs, S-Corporations, and sole proprietorships could be eligible for a deduction of up to 20% of qualified business income.  It reduces taxable income whether or not you itemize deductions. Anyone with taxable income of $321,400 or less ($160,700 if single) is entitled to the full 20% deduction, and those with taxable income of up to $421,400 ($210,700 if single) are entitled to the deduction, subject to limitations.  Contact your ATA tax professional to see if your business is eligible for this tax benefit.
Employee Benefits:
In this economy, attracting and retaining your best employees is essential to your business. One way to accomplish this goal is through offering them a variety of tax-friendly benefits.  If you provide your employees with a qualified high-deductible health plan (HDHP), consider offering them Health Savings Accounts or Flexible Spending Accounts. If you have employees that incur daycare expenses, consider offering Flexible Spending Accounts for child and dependent care expenses.  Contact your ATA tax professional if you would like to discuss implementing these benefits in your company.