Tax Planning Flashcards
The Tax Formula
Income - exclusion = Gross income
Gross income - above the line deductions= AGI
AGI - below the line deductions (itemized or standard deductions = Taxable income
TI * Rate rate = Gross Tax
GT - tax credits = Final Tax Due
FTD - prepayments = Net tax payable or refund due
Exclusions
Sources of income that are omitted from the tax base and tax law treats as non-taxable
Above the Line Deductions
Educators Expenses- up to $300 per individual
Business expenses for government employees, reservists who travel more than 100 miles to perform duties and performing artists
HSA- after tax contributions
Moving expenses- active duty military
Retirement contributions for self employed
Health insurance premiums
Traditional IRA contributions
Student loan interest, up to $2,500
HSA Contributions
Must have a HDHP to contribute
Not be claimed as a dependent
Not be over 65
Not be covered by medicare
Maximum contributions
$3,850 - single
$7,750 - MFJ
+$1,000 if over the age of 55
Self Employment Tax
Applies to employer’s Part of FICA
Net SE profit * .9235
.9% of medicare tax is not deductible
2023- 50% of self employment tax is tax deductible
SEP Tax deductions
Lesser of:
$66,000
25% of Self Eployment earnings
(Net SE - SE tax ) * .20
Simple IRA Tax Deduction
Deduction for both employer and employee contributions
$15,5000
50+ - additional $3,500
3% match is also deductible
Alimony Tax Deduction
2018 and before- deductible to payor
Gross income to recipient
2019 to present - not deductible to payor
Not included in gross income to recipient
Self-Employed Health Insurance
Coverage for self, spouse and dependents
Limited to self employment income
Not deductible if other health insurance coverage was available
100% of premiums deductible
Traditional IRA Contribution deductions
Full deductible below phase out ranges
File single - 73-83k if covered by a workplace plan
MFJ - 116-136k when individual making contributions is covered by a workplace plan
218-228 k when individual is not covered by workplace plan but spouse is
MFS- 0-10k
Contribution limit is $6,500 plus $1,000 if 50 or older
Above vs Below the line deductions
Above the line deductions are typically preferred since they lower AGI allowing you to qualify for other programs and deductions
Itemized Deductions
Below the line deductions
Only itemize if it is greater then the standard deduction (Single/MFS $13,850, HoH $20,800 MFJ- $27,700)
or they must because they are MFS and spouse is itemizing
When Itemizing Helps
Large uninsured medical/dental event
Mortgage interest or real property taxes are high
Large “other itemized deductions”
Large uninsured casualty or theft losses from a federally declared disaster
Made large contributions to a qualified charity
List of itemized deductions
Medical expesnses in excess of 7.5% of AGI
State and Local taxes ($10,000 limit)
Interest paid on 1st and 2nd homes, up to $750,000 of debt
Charity- Cash up to 60% AGI
Casualty and Theft losses- must be federally declared
lessor of FMV or Basis -Insurance PMTS - $100 deductible (in excess of 10% of AGI)
Standard Deduction
Single - 13,850
HoH 20,800
(+ 1,850 if 65+, blind or both or both above)
MFS- 13,850
MFJ - 27,700
QW - 27,700
(+ 1,500 if 65+, blind or both or all above)
Marginal Tax Rate vs. Average Tax Rate
Marginal tax rate is the amount of tax you will pay on the next dollar earned
Average tax rate is the overall share of income paid in taxes
ATR= Total tax paid/Total income
Marginal tax rate is always higher
Tax Credit
Lower Tax due
Adjusted after tax due is calculated
Reduced tax due on a dollar to dollar basis
Benefits all taxpayers the same regardless of marginal tax rate
Tax Credit Classification
Refundable
Non-Refundable
Refundable Taxes
If a tax credit exceeds liability excess is refunded to the taxpayer
i.e. Earned income, additional child tax credit, American opportunity, and Premium tax credits
Non-Refundable Tax credits
May only be used to offset liability
i.e. child and dependent care credit, child tax credit, retirement savings contributions, lifetime learning credit
Tax Filing Status
Single
Married Filing Jointly
Married Filing Separately
Qualifying Window(er) with a dependent child
Head of Household- must be unmarried, pays at least 1/2 of housing cost and qualifying child lives with you at least 1/2 the year
Estimated Tax Payments
Use form 1040-ES
To avoid penalty you must either pay 90% of this years liability or 100% of last years (AGI must be less then 150K)
No penalty is imposed if current years tax is less then $1,000 or had no tax liability last year
Estimated Tax Payment Due Dates
Payment Period Due Dates
Jan 1-Mar 31 Apr 15
Apr 1-May 31 Jun 15
June 1-Aug 31 Sept 15
Sept 1-Dec 31 Jan 15
Tax Penalties for
Not filing a return on time
Not paying any taxes owed on time and in the right way
Not preparing an accurate return
Not providing accurate information on your return
Tax Penalties and How Much
Negligence- 20% to the amount deficient
Fraud- 75% to the amount deficient
Frivolous return- $5,000
Failure to file- 5% of unpaid taxes each month for a maximum of 5 months (minimum of $485 if 60 days or more late)
Failure to pay- 0.5% up to 25%
Failure to file and failure to pay together max out at 5% for the first 5 months
Tax Penalties for Tax Preparers
$55
Failure to furnish a copy to tax payer
Failure to sign return
Failure to furnish ID number
Failure to retain a copy or list
Failure to file correct information on return
Failure to be diligent in determining eligibility for certain tax benefits $560 per failure
Tax Entities: Limited Liability
S-Corp- yes for all shareholders
C-Corp - Yes for all shareholders
Partnerships- No except limited partners from partnership debts
LLC- Yes, always
Sole proprietorship- None
Tax Entities: Number of owners allowed
Sole - 1
Partnership at least 2
S-Corp- Maximum of 100 (members of a family may count as 1)
C-Corp- No restrictions
LLC- No restrictions
Tax Entities: Class of Ownership Interest
Sole- None. only 1 owner
S-Corp- 1- but voting and non-voting shares permitted
C-Corp- Multiple classes permitted
LLC- Multiple classes permitted
Partnership - Multiple classes permitted
Tax Entities: Level of Income Tax
Sole- 1
Partnership - 1
LLC- 1
S-Corp- Generally 1, some states tax corporation as well (double tax will result)
C-Corp - 2
Tax Entities: Deductiblity of Losses
C-Corp- No
Sole - Losses deducted on owners tax return
S-Corp- Yes, up to tax basis; not including any part of corporations debt
Partnership/LLC- Yes up to tax basis; includes allocable shares of debt for which they are liable
Tax Entities: Dissolution
Easiest
Sole Proprietorship
Partnership
LLC
S-Corp
C-Corp
Most Complex
Accounting Methods
Each taxpayer, individual or business, must use a consistent accounting method
The most common are the cash method and the accrual method
There is also a hybrid method
Cash Method
Recognizes expenses when they are actually paid and revenue when they are actually or constructively recieved