Tax Cuts and Jobs Act: Key Provisions
For individual taxpayers, most Tax Cuts and Jobs Act provisions will apply only for 2018 through 2025. But they’ll generally have a big impact during that time.
401(k) Contribution Limit Increases for 2018
The contribution limits for a couple of types of tax-advantaged retirement plans have gone up for 2018. How much should you contribute?
Year-End Charitable Giving in 2017
The charitable donation deduction hasn’t been proposed for elimination or reduction under tax reform, but there still are reasons to maximize charitable giving this year. Just be sure to follow the rules.
Softening the Blow of Higher Taxes on Trust Income
This year, trusts are subject to the 39.6% ordinary-income rate and the 20% capital gains rate to the extent their taxable income exceeds $12,150. And the 3.8% net investment income tax applies to undistributed net investment income to the extent that a trust’s...Three Potential Tax Traps When Donating Real Estate to Charity
If you’re considering donating a property to charity, here are some possible tax traps you should be aware of: If you donate real estate to a public charity, you generally can deduct the property’s fair market value. But if you donate it to a private foundation, your...Paying Part of your Grandchild’s College Tuition Could save Gift and Estate Taxes
Now’s the time of year when many young adults are heading back to college — or to enter their first year of higher education. If you have a grandchild enrolled in college this fall and you’re concerned about gift and estate taxes, you may want to consider paying some...Have you Misclassified Employees as Independent Contractors?
An employer enjoys several advantages when it classifies a worker as an independent contractor rather than as an employee. For example, it isn’t required to pay payroll taxes, withhold taxes, pay benefits or comply with most wage and hour laws. However, there’s...Why you need to know the value of your assets
With the gift and estate tax exemptions currently at $5.34 million, you might think that estate valuations are less important. But even if you believe that your estate’s value is under the exemption amount, it’s still important to know the value of your assets. First,...Time for an estate plan checkup
Now that we’re in the new year, it’s time for an estate plan checkup. Why? First, various exclusion, exemption and deduction amounts are adjusted for inflation and can change from year to year, so it’s a good idea to see if they warrant any updates to your estate...Are you meeting the ACA’s additional Medicare tax withholding requirements?
Are you meeting the ACA’s additional Medicare tax withholding requirements? Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), beginning in 2013, taxpayers with FICA wages over $200,000 per year ($250,000 for joint filers and $125,000 for married filing separately) had to pay an additional 0.9% Medicare tax on the excess earnings.