Income Tax Plannning
Ms. Jones has an exceptional ability to analyze financial information and help you save tax dollars with effective tax planning. Here are just some of many suggestions that can be made for clients,
Tax Planning Individuals
- Increase the amount you set aside for next year in your employer's health flexible spending account (FSA) if you set aside too little for this year.
- Realize losses on stock while substantially preserving your investment position. There are several ways this can be done. For example, you can sell the original holding, then buy back the same securities at least 31 days later.
- Increase your withholding if you are facing a penalty for underpayment of federal estimated tax. Doing so may reduce or eliminate the penalty.
- Make energy saving improvements to your main home, such as putting in extra insulation or installing energy saving windows or buying and installing an energy efficient furnace, and qualify for a tax credit.
- Take required minimum distributions (RMDs) from your IRA or 401(k) plan (or other employer-sponsored retired plan) if you have reached age 70-½. Failure to take a required withdrawal can result in a penalty of 50% of the amount of the RMD not withdrawn. If you turned age 70-1/2 in 2022, you can delay the first required distribution to 2023, but if you do, you will have to take a double distribution in 2023—the amount required for 2022 plus the amount required for 2023. Think twice before delaying 2022 distributions to 2023—bunching income into 2023 might push you into a higher tax bracket or have a detrimental impact on various income tax deductions that are reduced at higher income levels. However, it could be beneficial to take both distributions in 2023 if you will be in a substantially lower bracket that year, for example, because you plan to retire late this year.
- If you are age 70-1/2 or older, own IRAs and are thinking of making a charitable gift, consider arranging for the gift to be made directly by the IRA trustee. Such a transfer, if made before year-end, can achieve important tax savings.
- Make annual exclusion gifts before year-end to save gift tax (and estate tax). You can give $16,000 in 2022 and $17,000 in 2023 to an unlimited number of individuals free of gift tax. However, you can't carry over unused exclusions from one year to the next. The transfers also may save family income taxes where income-earning property is given to family members in lower income tax brackets who are not subject to the kiddie tax.
Tax Planning Business Owners
- Businesses should consider making expenditures that qualify for the business property expensing option. For tax years beginning in 2022, the expensing limit is $1,800,000 and the investment ceiling limit is $2,700,000. And a limited amount of expensing may be claimed for qualified real property.
- Businesses also should consider making expenditures that qualify for 100% bonus first year depreciation if bought and placed in service this year. This 100% first-year writeoff for bonus depreciation are set to begin phasing down in 2023. Beginning 1/1/2023, bonus will shift from 100% to 80%, and the rate will continue to decline by 20% annually through 2027. Thus, enterprises planning to purchase new depreciable property this year or the next should try to accelerate their buying plans, if doing so makes sound business sense.
- If you are self-employed and haven't done so yet, set up a self-employed retirement plan.
- Depending on your particular situation, you may also want to consider deferring a debt-cancellation event until 2023, and disposing of a passive activity to allow you to deduct suspended losses.
- If you own an interest in a partnership or S corporation you may need to increase your basis in the entity so you can deduct a loss from it for this year.
These are just a few of the tax planning suggestions that Ms. Jones might suggest for you or your business so that you can save taxes. If you would like to schedule a consultation so that Ms. Jones can tailor a particular plan that will work best for you please contact our office.
