What is Your Taxpayer Filing Status?

For tax purposes, December 31 means more than New Year’s Eve celebrations. It affects your taxpayer filing status . . . the filing status box that will be checked on your tax return for the year. When you file your return, you do so with one of five filing statuses, which depend in part on whether you’re married or unmarried on December 31. More than one filing status may apply, and you can use the one that saves the most tax. It’s also possible that your status options could change during the year. Here are the filing statuses and who can claim them: Single. This status is generally used if you’re unmarried, divorced or legally separated under a divorce or separate maintenance decree governed by state law. ...

Using an ABLE Account to Save for a Disabled Family Member

There’s a tax-advantaged way for people to save for the needs of family members with disabilities — without having them lose eligibility for government benefits to which they’re entitled. It can be done using an ABLE account to save.  An Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) account, which is a tax-free account that can be used for disability-related expenses. Eligibility ABLE accounts can be created by eligible individuals to support themselves, by family members to support their dependents, or by guardians for the benefit of the individuals for whom they’re responsible. Eligible individuals must be blind or disabled — and must have become so before turning age 26. They also must be entitled to benefits under the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) programs....

IRA Charitable Donations

Are you charitably minded and have a significant amount of money in an IRA? If you’re age 70½ or older, and don’t need the money from required minimum distributions, you may benefit by giving these amounts to charity.  They're called Qualified IRA Charitable Distributions (QCDs). IRA distribution basics A popular way to transfer IRA assets to charity is through a tax provision that allows IRA owners who are 70½ or older to give up to $100,000 per year of their IRA distributions to charity. These distributions are called qualified charitable distributions, or QCDs. The money given to charity counts toward the donor’s required minimum distributions (RMDs), but doesn’t increase the donor’s adjusted gross income or generate a tax bill. So while QCDs are exempt from federal income taxes,...

Using Your 401(k) Plan to Save

You can reduce taxes and save for retirement by contributing to a tax-advantaged retirement plan. If your employer offers a 401k or Roth 401k plan, contributing to it is a taxwise way to build a nest egg. If you’re not already contributing the maximum allowed, consider increasing your contribution rate between now and year end. Because of tax-deferred compounding (tax-free in the case of Roth accounts), boosting contributions sooner rather than later can have a significant impact on the size of your nest egg at retirement. With a 401k, an employee elects to have a certain amount of pay deferred and contributed by an employer on his or her behalf to the plan. The contribution limit for 2019 is $19,000. Employees age 50 or older by year...

3 Last Minute Tips that May Help Trim Your Tax Bill

If you’re starting to fret about your 2019 tax bill, there’s good news — you may still have time to trim your tax bill for 2019. Three strategies are available that may help you cut your taxes before year-end, including: 1. Accelerate deductions/defer income Certain tax deductions are claimed for the year of payment, such as the mortgage interest deduction. So, if you make your January 2020 payment this month, you can deduct the interest portion on your 2019 tax return (assuming you itemize). Pushing income into the new year also will reduce your taxable income. If you’re expecting a bonus at work, for example, and you don’t want the income this year, ask if your employer can hold off on paying it until January. If you’re self-employed,...

Avoid the Wash Sale Rule When Selling Securities

If you’re planning to sell assets at a loss to offset gains that have been realized during the year, it’s important to be aware of, and avoid the wash sale rule. Avoid the wash sale rule: How the rule works Under this rule, if you sell stock or securities for a loss and buy substantially identical stock or securities back within the 30-day period before or after the sale date, the loss can’t be claimed for tax purposes. The rule is designed to prevent taxpayers from using the tax benefit of a loss without parting with ownership in any significant way. Note that the rule applies to a 30-day period before or after the sale date to prevent “buying the stock back” before it’s even sold. (If...

Beware Tax-Related Scams

“Thousands of people have lost millions of dollars and their personal information to tax scams,” according to the IRS. Criminals can contact victims through regular mail, telephone calls and email messages. Beware tax-related scams by being aware of these two scams the tax agency has seen in recent months. Fake property liens. A tax bill is sent from a fictional government agency in the mail. The fake agency may have a legitimate sounding name such as the Bureau of Tax Enforcement. The bill is accompanied by a letter threatening an IRS lien or levy based on bogus overdue taxes. (A levy is a legal seizure of property to satisfy a tax debt. A lien is a legal claim against your property to secure payment of...

Gift Tax Exclusion Rules are Advantageous

As we head toward the gift-giving season, you may be considering giving gifts of cash or securities to your loved ones. The gift tax exclusion rules are advantageous as they give taxpayers the ability to  transfer substantial amounts free of gift taxes to their children and others each year. The amount is adjusted for inflation annually. For 2019, the exclusion is $15,000. The exclusion covers gifts that you make to each person, each year. Therefore, if you have three children, you can transfer a total of $45,000 to them this year (and next year) free of federal gift taxes. If the only gifts made during the year are excluded in this way, there’s no need to file a federal gift tax return. If annual gifts exceed...

When is Tax Due on Series EE Savings Bonds?

You may have Series EE savings bonds that were bought many years ago. Perhaps you store them in a file cabinet or safe deposit box and rarely think about them. You may wonder how the interest you earn on EE bonds is taxed. And if they reach final maturity, you may need to take action to ensure there’s no loss of interest or unanticipated tax consequences. Series EE Savings Bonds: Interest Deferral Series EE Bonds dated May 2005 and after earn a fixed rate of interest. Bonds purchased between May 1997 and April 30, 2005, earn a variable market-based rate of return. Paper Series EE bonds were sold at half their face value. For example, if you own a $50 bond, you paid $25 for it. The...

Tax Credits for College Costs

We all know the cost of college is expensive. The latest figures from the College Board show that the average annual cost of tuition and fees was $10,230 for in-state students at public four-year universities — and $35,830 for students at private not-for-profit four-year institutions. These amounts don’t include room and board, books, supplies, transportation and other expenses that a student may incur.  If only there were tax credits for college costs. Two tax credits Fortunately, the federal government offers two sizable tax credits for college costs that you may be able to claim: The American Opportunity credit. This tax break generally provides the biggest benefit to most taxpayers. The American Opportunity credit provides a maximum benefit of $2,500. That is, you may qualify for a...