Roth Conversions Under the New Tax Law

Posted On December 2, 2018 By Scott Stratton, CFP(R), CFA In Retirement Planning, Tax Strategies /  

Everybody loves free stuff, and investing, we love the tax-free growth offered by a Roth IRA. 2018 may be a good year to convert part of your Traditional IRA to Roth IRA, using a Roth Conversion. In a Roth Conversion, you move money from your Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA by paying income taxes on this amount. After it’s in the Roth, it grows tax-free.

Why do this in 2018? The new tax cuts this year have a sunset and will expire after 2025. While I’d love for Washington to extend these tax cuts, with our annual deficits exploding and total debt growing at an unprecedented rate, it seems unavoidable that we will have to raise taxes in the future. I have no idea when this might happen, but as the law stands today, the new tax rates will go back up in 2026.

That gives us a window of 8 years to do Roth conversions at a lower tax rate. In 2018, you may have a number of funds which are down, such as Value, or International stocks, or Emerging Markets. Perhaps you want to keep those positions as part of your diversified portfolio in the hope that they will recover in the future.

Having a combination of both lower tax rates for 2018 and some positions being down, means that converting your shares of a mutual fund or ETF will cost less today than it might in the future. You do not have to convert your entire Traditional IRA, you can choose how much you want to move to your Roth.

Who is a good candidate for a Roth Conversion?

1. You have enough cash available to pay the taxes this year on the amount you want to convert. If you are in the 22% tax bracket and want to convert $15,000, that will cost you $3,300 in additional taxes. That’s painful, but it saves your from having to pay taxes later, when the account has perhaps grown to $30,000 or $45,000. Think of a conversion as the opportunity to pre-pay your taxes today rather than defer for later.

2. You will be in the same or higher tax bracket in retirement. Consider what income level you will have in retirement. If you are planning to work after age 70 1/2 or have a lot of passive income that will continue, it is entirely possible you will stay in the same tax bracket. If you are going to be in a lower tax bracket, you would probably be better off not doing the conversion and waiting to take withdrawals after you are retired.

3. You don’t want or need to take Required Minimum Distributions and/or you plan to leave your IRA to your kids who are in the same or higher tax bracket as you. In other words, if you don’t even need your IRA for retirement income, doing a Roth Conversion will allow this account will grow tax-free. There are no RMDs for a Roth IRA. A Roth passes tax-free to your heirs.

One exception: if you plan to leave your IRA to a charity, do NOT do a Roth Conversion. A charity would not pay any taxes on receiving your Traditional IRA, so you are wasting your money if you do a conversion and then leave the Roth to a charity.

The smartest way to do a Roth Conversion is to make sure you stay within your current tax bracket. If you are in the 24% bracket and have another $13,000 that you could earn without going into the next bracket, then make sure your conversion stays under this amount. That’s why we want to talk about conversions in 2018, so you can use the 8 year window of lower taxes to make smaller conversions.

2018 Marginal Tax Brackets (this is based on your taxable income, in other words, after your standard or itemized deductions.)

Single Married filing Jointly
10% $0-$9,525 $0-$19,050
12% $9,526-$38,700 $19,501-$77,400
22% $38,701-$82,500 $77,401-$165,000
24% $82,501-$157,500 $165,001-$315,000
32% $157,501-$200,000 $315,001-$400,000
35% $200,001-$500,000 $400,001-$600,000
37% $500,001 or more $600,001 or more

On top of these taxes, remember that there is an additional 3.8% Medicare Surtax on investment income over $200,000 single, or $250,000 married. While the conversion is treated as ordinary income, not investment income, a conversion could cause other investment income to become subject to the 3.8% tax if the conversion pushes your total income above the $200,000 or $250,000 thresholds.

You used to be able to undo a Roth Conversion if you changed your mind, or if the fund went down. This was called a Recharacterization. This is no longer allowed as of 2018 under the new tax law. Now, when you make a Roth Conversion, it is permanent. So make sure you do your homework first!

Thinking about a Conversion? Want to reduce your future taxes and give yourself a pool of tax-free funds? Let’s look at your anticipated tax liability under the new tax brackets and see what makes sense your your situation. Email or call for a free consultation.

Read More

Specified Service Professions and the QBI Deduction

Posted On September 11, 2018 By Scott Stratton, CFP(R), CFA In Tax Strategies /  

This year, there is a new 20% tax deduction for self-employed individuals and pass through entities, commonly called the QBI (Qualified Business Income) deduction, officially IRC Section 199A. While most people who file schedule C will be eligible for this deduction, high earners – those making over $157,500 single or $315,000 married – will see this deduction phased out to zero, if they are in a Specified Service Trade or Business (SSTB).

See: FAQs: New 20% Pass-Through Tax Deduction

Professions that are considered an SSTB include health, law, accounting, athletics, performing arts, and any company whose principal asset is the skill or reputation of one or more of its employees. That’s pretty broad.

Some business owners may have income that is from an SSTB and other income which is not. For example, consider an eye doctor who has a business manufacturing glasses. If she performs an eye exam, clearly she is working in an SSTB as a health professional. If she is manufacturing glasses, that might be a different industry.

This possibility of splitting up income into different streams has occupied many accountants this year, to enable business owners to qualify for the QBI deduction for their non-SSTB income. Since this is a brand new deduction for 2018, this is uncharted territory for taxpayers and financial professionals.

In August, the IRS posted new rules which will greatly limit your ability to carve off income away from an SSTB. Here are some of the details:

  • If an entity has revenue of under $25 million, and received 10% or more of its revenue from an SSTB, then the entire entity is considered an SSTB. If their revenue is over $25 million, the threshold is 5%
  • An endorsement (by a performing artist, for example), or use of your name, likeness, signature, trademark, voice, etc., shall not be considered a separate profession. If you are in an SSTB, an endorsement shall also be considered part of the SSTB.
  • 80/50 rule. If a company shares 50% or more ownership with an SSTB, and receives at least 80% of its revenue from that SSTB, it will be considered part of the SSTB. So, if our eye doctor who makes glasses only makes glasses for her own practice, then it will be considered part of her SSTB. If the manufacturing business has at least 21% in revenue from other buyers, then it could be considered a separate entity and qualify for the QBI deduction.

Business owners in the top tax bracket of 37% for 2018 (making over $500,000 single or $600,000 married), might be considering forming a C-corporation if they are running into issues with the SSTB. While a C-Corp is not eligible for the QBI deduction, the federal income tax rate for a C-Corp has been lowered to a flat 21% this year.

Of course, the challenge with a C-Corp is the potential for double taxation: the company pays 21% tax on its earnings, and then the dividend paid to the owner may be taxed again from 15% to 23.8% (including the 3.8% Medicare surtax on Net Investment Income.)

Still, there may be some benefits to a C-corp versus a pass-through entity, including the ability to retain profits, being able to deduct state and local taxes without the $10,000 cap, or the ability to deduct charitable donations without itemizing.

If you have questions about the QBI Deduction, the Specified Service Business definition, or other self-employment tax issues, we can help you understand the new rules. We want to help you keep as much of your money as possible, but you can’t wait until next April and then hope you can do something about 2018.

Read More

The New 2018 Kiddie Tax

Posted On August 8, 2018 By Scott Stratton, CFP(R), CFA In Tax Strategies /  

Last year’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) significantly changed the way your dependent children are taxed. Previously, they used to be taxed at their parent’s tax rate, but starting this year, their income could be taxed at the egregious “Trust and Estate” rate of 37% with as little as $12,501 in taxable income. With higher deductions, other children will pay less tax in 2018. Both changes give rise to additional planning strategies that parents will want to know before potentially getting a nasty surprise next April when they file their next tax return.

First, let’s define dependent child for IRS purposes. A dependent child includes any child under 18, an 18 year old who does not provide more than 50% of their own support from earned income, or a full-time student who is under age 24 and also does not not provide more than 50% of their own support from earned income. A child’s age for the tax year is the age they are on December 31.

There are different tax methodologies for earned income (wages, salary, tips, etc.) versus unearned income (interest, dividends, capital gains, etc.) under the Kiddie Tax.

First, some good news, for Earned Income, the standard deduction has been increased to $12,000 for 2018, which greatly increases the amount of income a child can earn income tax-free. Of course, they will still be subject to payroll taxes (Social Security and Medicare) on these earnings.

Strategy 1. For Self-Employed Parents: did you know that when you hire your dependent children, you do not have to pay or withhold payroll taxes (Social Security and Medicare) on their income. If you hire them, and have legitimate work for them to do, you could shift $12,000 from your high tax rate to their 0% tax rate. If they open a Traditional IRA and contribute $5,500, they could earn $17,500 tax-free. Just be aware that the IRS scrutinizes these arrangements, so be prepared to demonstrate that the work was done and the pay was “reasonable”. (Paying your kids $500 an hour to mow the lawn might be considered excessive.)

For Unearned Income, the Kiddie Tax is more complicated. The standard deduction for unearned income is only $1,050 (or their earned income plus $350 up to the $12,000 maximum). Above this amount, the next $2,100 is taxed at the child’s rate, and then any unearned income above this level is now taxed at the Trust and Estates rate. If a child has a significant UTMA, inherited IRA, or other investment account, this is where their taxes could soar in 2018, especially if they used to be taxed at their parent’s rate, say, of 22%. If their parents were in the highest tax bracket, there would be no change, but for middle class kids with investment income, they now could be taxed at a much higher rate than their parents!

Here are the 2018 Trust and Estates Tax Marginal Rates, which now apply to the Kiddie Tax:
10% on income from $0 to $2,550
24% from $2,551 to $9,150
35% from $9,151 to $12,500
37% over $12,501

Long-Term Capital Gains and Qualified Dividends will be taxed at:
0% if from $0 to $2,600
15% if from $2,601 to $12,700
20% if over $12,701

2. Children with under $1,050 in income do not need to file a tax return.

3. The first $4,700 in long-term capital gains are at the 0% rate (a $2,100 deduction followed by $2,600 at the zero rate). This is an opportunity to gift appreciated shares to a child and then they will not owe any tax on the first $4,700 in capital gains. If you are planning to support your kids and set up a fund for them, or pay for college, why should you pay these taxes if they can be avoided? We can establish a program to make use of this annual 0% exclusion.

4. If a child’s investment income is subject to the Kiddie Tax, and the portfolio is going to be used for college education, a 529 Plan can offer tax-free growth and withdrawals for qualified higher educational expenses. In these cases, 529 Plans have just become more valuable for their tax savings.

5. For some college aged kids, it may be better for the parents to stop listing them as a dependent if eligible. In the past, parents received a personal exemption for each child ($4,050 in 2017), but this was eliminated by the TCJA. It was replaced with an expanded child tax credit of $2,000 in 2018. However, the tax credit only applies to children under 17. Unless you are able to claim a college tax credit, it is possible you are not getting any tax benefits for your college kids over 17. In this case, not claiming them as a dependent, and having your child file their own tax return, may allow them to receive the full standard deduction, save them from the Kiddie Tax, and may even allow them to qualify for the college credit. You would need to verify with your tax professional that your child did in fact have enough earned income to be considered independent.

College financial aid doesn’t exactly follow the IRS guidelines for dependency, and they don’t even ask if a parent lists a child as a dependent or not. Instead, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), has its own form, Am I Dependent or Independent?, which looks at factors including age, degree program, military service, and marital status.

If you’ve got questions on how to best address the Kiddie Tax for your family, let’s talk.

Read More

9 Ways to Manage Capital Gains

Posted On April 7, 2018 By Scott Stratton, CFP(R), CFA In Tax Strategies /  

Investors want to rebalance or reduce their exposure to stocks without creating a large tax bill. We specialize in tax-efficient portfolio management and can help you minimize the taxes you will pay. Here are 9 ways to manage your investment taxes more effectively:

1. Use ETFs instead of Mutual Funds. ETFs typically have very little, and often zero, capital gains distributions. Actively managed mutual funds are presently sitting on very large embedded gains, which will be distributed on to shareholders as the managers trade those positions. Using ETFs gives you better control of when you choose to realize gains.

2. Donate appreciated securities to charity instead of cash. If you are already planning to give money to a charity, instead donate shares of a stock or fund which has appreciated. The charity will get the same amount of money and they will pay no capital gains on the sale. You will still get the same tax deduction (if you exceed the now higher standard deduction) plus you will avoid paying capital gains. Use the cash you were planning to donate to replenish your investment account. Same donation, lower taxes.

Consider funding a Donor Advised Fund and contributing enough for several years of charitable giving. If you give to a large number of charities, it may be easier to make one transfer of securities each year to the Donor Advised Fund, and then give to the charities from the Fund.

3. Give appreciated securities to kids in the zero percent capital gains bracket. Some taxpayers in the lower brackets actually pay a 0% capital gains rate. If your grown children are no longer dependents, and would qualify, they may be able to receive the shares and sell them tax-free. Just be sure to stay under the $15,000 annual gift tax exclusion per person. For 2018, the zero percent capital gains rate will apply to single taxpayers under $38,600 in income and married couples under $77,200.

4. Harvest losses annually. Those losses give you the opportunity to offset gains and rebalance your portfolio. Any unused losses will carry forward to future years without expiration. And you can also use $3,000 a year of losses to offset your ordinary income, which means that instead of just saving 15-20% in taxes you could be saving 37% or more.

5. Develop a Capital Gains Budget. It’s not all or nothing – you don’t have to sell 100% of a position. We can trim a little each year and stay within an annual capital gains target. We also can sell specific lots, meaning we can reduce a position and choose to sell shares with the highest or lowest cost basis.

6. Wait a year for long-term treatment. We try to avoid creating gains under 12 months. The long-term rate is 15% or 20%, but short-term gains are taxed as ordinary income.

7. Use your IRA. If you have a well diversified IRA, we can often rebalance in that account and not create a taxable event. While many investors put taxable bonds in IRAs and leave the equities in a taxable account, for taxpayers in a high bracket, you may prefer to buy tax-free municipal bonds in the taxable account and keep equities in the IRA.

8. Stop Reinvesting Distributions. If your position in a stock or fund has grown, don’t make it larger through reinvestment of dividends and distributions! Reinvesting takes away your choice of how to rebalance your portfolio with the cash flow you receive. However, please make sure you are doing something with your distributions in a timely manner and not letting them accumulate in cash.

9. Just take the Gains already! Don’t let a gain disappear because you don’t want to pay 15% in taxes. If you have a big winner, especially with an individual stock or a speculative investment like bitcoin, take your gains and move on. If we become too obsessed with taxes we run the risk of letting our investment returns suffer.

While most people are thinking about their 2017 taxes right now, reacting to what has already passed, we suggest looking ahead to 2018 and being proactive about managing your futuretax liabilities. Taxes can be a significant drag on performance. If you’re investing in a taxable account, we can give you peace of mind that you have a plan not only for financial security, but also to manage your capital gains as efficiently as possible.

Read More

What Are Quarterly Tax Payments?

Posted On March 31, 2018 By Scott Stratton, CFP(R), CFA In Tax Strategies /   1 Comment

The IRS requires that tax payers make timely tax payments, which for many self-employed people means having to make quarterly estimated tax payments throughout the year. Otherwise, you could be subject to penalties for the underpayment of taxes, even if you pay the whole sum in April. The rules for underpayment apply to all taxpayers, but if you are a W-2 employee, you could just adjust your payroll withholding and not need to make quarterly payments.

If your tax liability is more than $1,000 for the year, the IRS will consider you to have underpaid if the taxes withheld during the year are less than the smaller of:

1. 90% of your total taxes dues (including self-employment taxes, capital gains, etc.)
2. 100% of the previous year’s taxes paid.

However, for high income earners – those making over $150,000 (or $75,000 if married filing separately) – the threshold for #2 is 110% of the previous year’s taxes. Additionally, the IRS considers this on a quarterly basis: 22.5% per quarter for #1, and 25% per quarter for #2, or 27.5% if your income exceeds $150,000.

Many taxpayers will find it sufficient to make four equal payments throughout the year. If that’s the case, your deadlines are generally April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15. However, if your income varies substantially from quarter to quarter, or if your actual income ends up being lower than the previous year, you may want to adjust your quarterly estimated payments to reflect these changes.

You can estimate your quarterly tax payments using IRS form 1040-ES. Of course, your CPA or tax software should automatically be letting you know if you need to make estimated tax payments for the following year. You can mail in a check each quarter, or you may find it more convenient to make the payment electronically, via IRS.gov/payments.  For full information on quarterly estimated payments, see IRS Publication 505 Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax.

Please note that the estimated payments will fulfill the requirement of 100% of last years payment, or 90% of this year’s payment if that figure is lower. However, it is not required that you pay 100% of the current tax bill, so if your income is significantly higher this year, you could still owe a lot of taxes in April even after making quarterly estimated payments.

If you’re self-employed, you don’t need to be a tax expert, but you do need to understand some basics and to make sure you are getting correct advice. When you aren’t being paid as a W-2 employee, it is up to you to make sure you are setting money aside and making those tax payments throughout the year, so that next April you aren’t facing penalties on top of having a large, unexpected tax bill.

Read More

Roth Conversions Under the New Tax Law

Posted On March 10, 2018 By Scott Stratton, CFP(R), CFA In Tax Strategies /  

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) will impact Roth Conversions in 2018 and beyond in a number of significant ways for investors. Since I can hear the yawns already through my laptop, here’s why you should care: wouldn’t it be great to have your investment account growing tax-free? Once you are retired, which would you prefer: an account with $100,000 which you could access tax-free or one which will cost you $22,000 or more in taxes to use  your money? Taxes can take a huge bite out of your investment returns.

Quick refresher: A Roth IRA holds after-tax money and grows tax-free. A Conversion is when you take a Traditional IRA, 401(k), or similar account, pay the taxes on it today, and transfer it to your Roth IRA. While that does mean paying taxes now, any future growth in the account would be tax-free. When you withdraw the money from a Roth IRA in retirement, you pay no taxes.

The TCJA has both positive and negative impacts on doing a Roth Conversion:

1. Lower tax rates. Under the TCJA, most people will receive a 1-4% reduction in their marginal tax bracket. For example, the top bracket was 39.6% in 2017 and will be 37% in 2018. If you are in the top bracket, a Roth Conversion is cheaper by 2.6% today.

For a married couple, if your taxable income is under $77,400 you are now in the 12% tax bracket. Paying 12% to convert an IRA to a Roth would be a bargain, but the Conversion plus your taxable income would need to stay under $77,400 to remain in the 12% rate. With a $24,000 standard deduction, a married couple could make as much as $101,400 and be in the 12% bracket.

To add a sense of urgency, don’t forget that the new lower tax rates are only temporary. In 2026, the top rate goes back to 39.6%. I suppose Congress could extend the tax cuts, but no one knows what will happen in eight years. What we do know is that deficits will rise dramatically, which suggests to me the need to have higher taxes in the future.

2. Beneficiary’s Tax Rate. If your beneficiaries – children, grandchildren, or anyone – are in higher tax bracket than you, the tax bill may be lower for you to convert your IRA to a Roth than for the beneficiaries to inherit the IRA. With a Conversion, your heirs inherit your Roth IRA tax-free. Also, converting to a Roth means you do not have to pay any Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) starting at age 70 1/2, allowing your account to grow.

If you were planning to leave your Traditional IRA, perhaps in trust, to your young grandchildren, the TCJA will change how they are taxed. For children under age 18, or under age 24 if full-time students, they used to be taxed at their parent’s tax rate. Now for 2018, the “Kiddie Tax” will increase the tax on unearned income, such as IRA distributions, to the much worse tax rate of trusts, a 37% tax rate on income above $12,500.

3. The TCJA eliminated Recharacterizations. Previously, you could undo a Roth Conversion through a process called a Recharacterization. Why would you want to do that? Let’s say you converted $10,000 of a mutual fund from a Traditional to a Roth IRA in January; you would pay taxes on the $10,000 as income. Now, imagine that the account went down and was worth only $8,000 by November. You’d be pretty mad to pay taxes on $10,000 when your account was then only worth $8,000.

The Recharacterization would let you cancel your Roth Conversion if you didn’t like the outcome within that tax year. You could get a “Do-Over”. The TCJA eliminated Recharacterizations, so now if you do a Roth Conversion, you are stuck with it!

4. Back-Door Roth. Since 2010, there has been a type of Roth Conversion called a Back-Door Roth IRA. It allows high income investors who did not have any IRAs to fund a non-deductible Traditional IRA and then convert it to a Roth. It was a “Back Door” way to fund a Roth IRA if you made too much to qualify under the regular rules. There was discussion in Congress to eliminate the Back Door Roth IRA (as there has been for years), but in the final version of the TCJA, it is still allowed…for now.

So, should you convert your IRA to a Roth? If you are in a low tax bracket, 10% or 12% in 2018, I think it is worth consideration. If you are in a low tax bracket this year and anticipate your income rising substantially in future years, this would be a good year for a Conversion. You don’t have to convert your entire IRA. You could just convert a portion that would stay within your existing tax bracket. I suggest you use outside funds to pay the taxes, rather than the proceeds of the conversion.

If you are planning to leave your IRA to a charity, they can receive the funds without paying any income taxes and you should not do a Roth Conversion. In fact, if your estate plan includes donations to charity, the most tax-efficient solution is to make those donations from your Traditional IRA. Instead, leave your heirs money from taxable investment accounts; they can receive a step-up in cost basis and potentially owe little or no income taxes or capital gains.

If your IRA is invested in equities, converting when the market is at an all-time high is a risk. With the elimination of Recharacterizations, you don’t get a do-over if the stock market tanks after you do a conversion. It would be preferable to do a conversion is when your account is at a low point, such as in a Bear Market. Educate yourself now, and then in the future, if the market does go down by 25% or 30%, that would be an advantageous time to convert your investments to a tax-free Roth to enjoy the likely subsequent rebound.

In the mean time, if you have questions about Roth Conversions, or just choosing a Roth versus Traditional account for your 401(k), please send me a note. A Roth Conversion could possibly save you tens of thousands of dollars in retirement, which would definitely help elevate your lifestyle. It’s a big decision – often costing thousands of dollars in taxes today – so we have to make sure we are making a well-informed choice and have a thorough understanding of the costs and benefits.

Read More

FAQs: New 20% Pass Through Tax Deduction

Posted On February 17, 2018 By Scott Stratton, CFP(R), CFA In Financial Planning, Tax Strategies /   1 Comment

You’ve probably heard about the new 20% tax deduction for “Pass Through” entities under the  Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), and have wondered if you qualify. For those who are self-employed, here are the five FAQs:

1. Do I have to form a corporation in order to qualify for this benefit?
No. The good news is that you simply need to have Schedule C income, whether you are a sole proprietor (including 1099 independent contractor for someone else), or an LLC, Partnership, or S-Corporation.

2. How does it work?
If you report on Schedule C, your Qualified Business Income (QBI) may be eligible for this deduction of 20%, meaning that only 80% of your net income will be taxable. Only business income – and not investment income – will qualify for the deduction. Although we call this a deduction, please note that you do not have to “itemize”, the QBI deduction is a new type of below the line deduction to your taxable income. The deduction starts in the 2018 tax year; 2017 is under the old rules.

There are some restrictions on the deduction. For example, your deduction is limited to 20% of QBI or 20% of your household’s taxable ordinary income (i.e. after standard/itemized deductions and excluding capital gains), whichever is less. If 100% of your taxable income was considered QBI, your deduction might be for less than 20% of QBI. If you are owner of a S-corp, you will be expected to pay yourself an appropriate salary, and that income will not be eligible for the QBI. If you have guaranteed draws as an LLC, that income would also be excluded from the QBI deduction.

3. What is the Service business restriction?
In order to prevent a lot of doctors, lawyers, and other high earners from quitting as employees and coming back as contractors to claim the deduction, Congress excluded from this deduction “specified service businesses”, including those in health, law, accounting, performing arts, financial services, athletics, consulting, or any business which relies primarily on the “reputation or skill of 1 or more employees”. Vague enough for you? High earning self-employed people in one of these “specified service businesses” are not eligible for the 20% deduction.

4. Who is considered a high earner under the Specified Service restrictions?
If you are in a Specified Service business and your taxable income is below $157,500 single or $315,000 married, you are eligible for the full 20% deduction. The QBI deduction will then phaseout for income above this level over the next $50,000 single or $100,000 married. Professionals in a Specified Service making above $207,500 single or $415,000 married are excluded completely from the 20% QBI deduction.

5. Should I try to change my W-2 job into a 1099 job?
First of all, that may be impossible. Each employer is charged with correctly determining your status as an employee or independent contractor. These are not simply interchangeable categories. The IRS has a list of characteristics for being an employee versus an independent contractor. Primarily, if a company is able to dictate how you do your work, then you are an employee. It would not be appropriate for an employer to list one person as a W-2 and someone else doing the same work as a 1099.

Additionally, as a W-2 employee, you have many benefits. Your employer pays half of your Social Security and Medicare payroll tax (half is 7.65%). As an employee you may be eligible for benefits including health insurance, vacation, unemployment benefits, workers comp for injuries, and the right to unionize. You would have a lot to lose by not being an employee.

Even still, I expect we are going to see a lot of creative accounting in the years ahead for people trying to reclassify their employment from W-2 to pass-through status. Additionally, businesses which are going to be under the dreaded “specified services” list will be looking for ways to change their industry classification. We will continue to study this area looking for ways for our clients to take advantage of every benefit you can legally obtain.

This information is for educational purposes only and is not to be construed as individual financial advice. Contact your CPA or tax consultant for details on how the new law will impact your specific situation.
Read More

9 Ways to Reduce Taxes Without Itemizing

Posted On February 10, 2018 By Scott Stratton, CFP(R), CFA In Tax Strategies /  

If you used to itemize your tax deductions, chances are you will not be able to do so in 2018 under the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). While it sounds good that the standard deduction has been increased to $12,000 single and $24,000 married, many tax payers are lamenting that they no longer can deduct certain expenses from their taxes.

As of January 1, we’ve lost these deductions:

  • Miscellaneous Itemized Deductions, including all unreimbursed employee expenses, tax preparation fees, moving expenses for work, and investment management fees.
  • Interest payments on a Home Equity Loan
  • Property Tax and other state and local taxes are now capped at $10,000 towards your itemized deductions.

For a married couple, even if you have the full $10,000 in property tax expenses, you will need another $14,000 in mortgage interest and/or charitable donations before you reach the $24,000 standard deduction amount. Even if you do have $25,000 in deductible expenses, you would effectively be getting only $1,000 more in deductions than someone who spent zero.

Under the new law, people are no longer going to be able to say “it’s a great tax deduction” when buying an expensive home. When you take the standard deduction, you’re not getting any tax benefit from being a homeowner or having a mortgage.

So if you’ve lost your itemized tax deductions for 2018, can you you do anything to reduce your taxes? Thankfully, the answer is yes. I’m going to share with you 9 “above the line deductions” and Tax Credits you can use to lower your tax bill going forward.

Above The Line Deductions reduce your taxable income without having to itemize on Schedule A. All of these savings can be taken in addition to the standard deduction.

1. Increase your contributions to your 401(k) or employer retirement plan. For 2018, the contribution limits are increased to $18,500 and for those over age 50, $24,500. What a great way to build your net worth and make automatic investments towards your future.

2. Many people who think they are maximizing their 401(k) contributions don’t realize they or their spouse may be eligible for other retirement contributions. If you have any 1099 or self-employment income, you may be eligible to fund a SEP-IRA in addition to a 401(k) at your W-2 job. Spouses can be eligible for their own IRA contribution, even if they do not work outside of the home.

3. Health Savings Accounts are unique as the only account type where you make a pre-tax contribution and also get a tax-free withdrawal for qualified expenses. You can contribute to an HSA if you are enrolled in an eligible High Deductible Health Plan. There are no income restrictions on an HSA. For 2018, singles can contribute $3,450 to an HSA and those with a family plan can contribute $6,900. If you are 55 and over, you can make an additional $1,000 catch-up contribution.

4. Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) or “cafeteria plans” can be used for expenses such as child care, medical expenses, or commuting. These are often use it or lose it benefits, unlike an HSA, so plan ahead carefully. If your employer offers an FSA, participating will lower your taxable income.

5. The Student Loan Interest deduction remains an above-the-line deduction. This offers up to a $2,500 deduction for qualifying student loan interest payments, for those with an AGI below $65,000 single or $130,000 married filing jointly. This was removed from early versions of the TCJA but made it back into the final version.

Tax deductions reduce your taxable income, but Tax Credits are better because they reduce the amount of tax you owe. For example, if you are in the 24% tax bracket, a $1,000 deduction and a $240 Tax Credit would both reduce your taxes by $240.

Tax Credits should be automatically applied by your CPA or tax software. For example, if you have children, you should get the Child Tax Credit, if eligible. (Since it’s only February, there is still time to make a child for a 2018 tax credit!) If you are low income, still file a return, because you might qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit. But there are other tax credits where you might be eligible based on your actions during the year. Here are four Tax Credits:

6. The Saver’s Tax Credit helps lower income workers fund a retirement account such as an IRA. For 2018, the Savers Tax Credit is available to singles with income below $31,500 and married couples under $63,000. The credit ranges from 10% to 50% of your retirement contribution of up to $2,000. Note for married couples, if you qualify for the credit, it would be better to put $2,000 in both of your IRAs, and receive two credits, versus putting $4,000 in one IRA and only getting one credit. If you have a child over 18, who is not a dependent and not a full-time student, maybe you can help them fund a Roth IRA and they can get this Tax Credit. Read the details in my article The Saver’s Tax Credit.

7. Originally cut out of the House bill, the $7,500 Tax Credit for the purchase of an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle was reinstated in the final version of the TCJA signed into law. The credit is phased out after each manufacturer hits 200,000 vehicles sold, so if you were planning to add your name to the 450,000 people on the waitlist for a Tesla Model 3, forget about the Tax Credit. But there are many other cars and SUVs eligible for the credit which you can buy right now. There are no income limits on this credit, but please note that this one is not refundable. That means it can reduce your tax liability to zero, but you will not get a refund beyond zero. For example, if your total taxes owed is $5,200, you could get back $5,200, but not the full $7,500.

8. Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit. To help parents who work pay for daycare for a child under 13, you can claim a credit based on expenses of $3,000 (one child) or $6,000 (two or more children). Depending on your income, this is either a 20% or 35% credit, but there is no income cap.

9. New for 2018: The $500 Non-Child Dependent Tax Credit. If you have a dependent who does not qualify for the Child Tax Credit, such as an elderly parent or disabled adult child, you are now eligible for a $500 credit from 2018 through 2025.

Even with the loss of many itemized deductions, you can reduce your tax bill with these nine above the line deductions and Tax Credits. We are focused on how we can help you achieve Financial Security, whether that is through long-term, diversified investment strategies, by helping you save on taxes, or making sure you have enough money for as long as you live. Thanks for reading!

Read More

Self-Employed? Buy an SUV

Posted On January 23, 2018 By Scott Stratton, CFP(R), CFA In Tax Strategies /  

In the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), there are quite a few provisions which will help small business owners, whether you are an Independent Contractor (1099), a self-employed Sole Proprietor, or owner of an LLC or Corporation. One of the key provisions is the expansion of Section 179, which enables owners to expense certain items (take an immediate tax deduction) instead of depreciating those purchases over a longer number of years.

Section 179 has existed for many years, but Congress has continually changed the rules, setting caps on how much you can deduct. At the start of 2017, you could only take bonus depreciation of up to 50%. Under the TCJA, for 2018, bonus depreciation is increased to 100%, the cap increased from $520,000 to $1 million, and now you can also purchase used equipment and receive bonus depreciation.

As a business owner, Section 179 can help you deduct:

  • Equipment for the business
  • Office furniture and office equipment
  • Computers and off the shelf software
  • Business vehicles with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of over 6000 pounds

You cannot use Section 179 to deduct the costs of real estate (land, buildings, or improvements), for passenger cars or vehicles under 6000 GVWR, or for property used outside of the United States.

One of the most attractive benefits of Section 179 is the ability to deduct a vehicle for your business. Under Section 179, your first year deduction on a 6000 GVWR vehicle is limited to $25,000. You would first deduct this amount. Second, you are eligible for Bonus Depreciation, which used to be 50%, but now is 100%. That means that a business owner can effectively deduct 100% of any qualifying vehicle in 2018, even if it is a $95,000 Range Rover.

To be deductible, you must use the vehicle for business at least 51% of the time. If you also use the vehicle for personal use, you may only deduct the portion of your expenses attributable to the percentage of business miles. The way to maximize your Section 179 deduction, is to use the vehicle 100% of the time for your business. If the IRS sees you claim 100% business miles on your tax return, you had better have another vehicle for personal use. You might use your spouse’s vehicle, or perhaps keep your old vehicle, for personal miles. Don’t forget that commuting between home and the office are considered personal miles, not business miles.

The 6000 pound GVWR doesn’t mean that the vehicle literally weighs over 6000 pounds, but has a total load rating (vehicle, passengers, cargo) over this weight. If a manufacturer lists the weight of the vehicle, that is not the GVWR; the GVWR is often 1500 or more pounds higher than the vehicle weight. Make sure you are looking specifically at the official GVWR. You can generally find the GVWR printed on a sticker in the driver’s door frame to confirm.

The list of qualifying vehicles varies from year to year and from model to model, but includes most full-size trucks and SUVs. Be careful – sometimes a 4WD model is over 6000, but the 2WD version is not. On one SUV, a model with 3rd row seating was over 6000, but without the extra seats, it was under 6000. An another SUV, 2016 models were over 6000 GVWR, but the new and lighter 2017 model was not.

There are many lists on the internet of which vehicles qualify; in addition to full-size pick-up trucks and vans, most large SUVs such as a Tahoe, Suburban, Expedition, or Escalade are also above 6000 GVWR. Several mini-vans qualify (Honda Odyssey, Dodge Grand Caravan), as do some more medium size SUVs (Jeep Grand Cherokee, Toyota 4Runner, Audi Q7, BMW X5, Ford Explorer). Again, be absolutely certain your vehicle will qualify before making a purchase. One of the nice things about the new law is that now you do not need to buy a new vehicle to qualify for bonus depreciation; used vehicles are also eligible.

Please check with your tax preparer. You cannot deduct more than you earned, so don’t buy a $50,000 SUV if you only show $30,000 in net profits. Lastly, consider these caveats:

  • You have a choice between taking the “standard mileage rate” of 54.5 cent/mile for 2018, or using the “actual cost” method. When you take the standard rate, that already includes depreciation. If you use Section 179 to purchase a vehicle, you are going to be locked in to using “actual costs” for the life of that vehicle. You cannot take the Section 179 deduction upfront and later switch the standard mileage rate.
  • If you are using “actual costs”, you can also deduct your other operating expenses such as gasoline, oil changes, maintenance, insurance, tolls, and parking, but will need to document your costs. Keep those receipts!
  • You may still be required to keep a mileage log to prove you are using the vehicle for more than 50% business miles. If business use falls below 50%, you may be required to pay back some of the depreciation. Let’s just say that would be expensive and a headache.
  • If you depreciate 100% of the cost of the vehicle upfront, that will reduce your cost basis to zero. When you sell the vehicle, you may be creating a taxable gain.

Under the TCJA, these expansions to Section 179 are temporary through 2022; bonus depreciation will be phased back down from 100% to 0%. So if you want to buy an SUV or truck, you have a five-year window to take advantage of this full depreciation.

This tax deduction is especially effective if you have a banner year of high income and anticipate being in a very high tax bracket, because it will let you accelerate future depreciation on a vehicle into the current year, provided the vehicle is purchased and placed into service that year. Please remember that this section 179 deduction is available only to the self-employed and not to W-2 employees.

I feel I should point out that driving a large SUV or truck may not be the most cost effective decision. I am not suggesting everyone rush out and buy a Suburban just to get a tax deduction. But if you do need a vehicle for your business, or were thinking about buying a vehicle this year, it can certainly help to know about this tax deduction. And it might influence which vehicle you choose to buy!

Read More

Charitable Giving Under The New Tax Law

Posted On December 21, 2017 By Scott Stratton, CFP(R), CFA In Tax Strategies /   2 Comments

Starting in 2018, it is going to be much more difficult to deduct your Charitable Donations. That’s because the standard deduction will rise from $6,350 (single) and $12,700 (married) in 2017 to $12,000 and $24,000 in 2018. You will need to exceed this much higher threshold to deduct your charitable gifts.

It will be even more difficult to reach those levels because the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) is also capping your state and local taxes (property, income, and sales) to $10,000. And they completely eliminated your ability to deduct “miscellaneous” expenses including unreimbursed employee expenses, home office expenses, tax preparation, and investment advisory fees.

Let’s take a look at a hypothetical scenario for a married couple:

In 2017, a typical year, let’s say you have $12,000 in local taxes, $4,000 in mortgage interest, $10,000 in charitable donations, $5,000 in unreimbursed employee expenses, and $6,000 in investment and tax preparation fees. (Let’s assume these miscellaneous amounts are the amounts above the 2% of AGI threshold.) Your total itemized tax deduction would be $37,000 for 2017. That’s well above the standard deduction of $12,700.

In 2018, you spend exactly the same amounts. However, under the TCJA, your local tax deduction is capped at $10,000. You keep the mortgage interest deduction of $4,000 and the $10,000 in charitable donations. The $5,000 in unreimbursed employee expenses and the $6,000 in investment and tax preparation fees are both disregarded. Your new tax deduction would be $24,000.

$24,000 is also the amount of the standard deduction for a married couple, so you are in effect getting no tax benefit for any of your spending, relative to someone who had ZERO local taxes, mortgage interest, or charitable donations. That doesn’t sound like a very good deal to me. The IRS expects that the number of taxpayers who itemize will fall from around 33% to 10%.

That poses a problem for charitable giving, because many people will in effect no longer be able to get any tax benefit at all. For people who do regularly give, it’s discouraging. Nonprofit organizations worry that this might reduce how much people are able to give.

We can help you potentially get more of a tax deduction if you can plan ahead for your charitable giving. Here’s how: by using a Donor Advised Fund (DAF). A DAF is a non-profit entity which will hold an account for you, to give grants to charities of your choosing when you instruct them. When you make a deposit into a DAF, you receive a tax deduction that year, even if the funds are not distributed until later years.

Let’s go back to our original scenario and imagine that you plan to give $10,000 a year to charity for the next five years.

Original scenario: You have $24,000 in total deductions each year, same as the standard deduction. Total over 5 years: $120,000, same as every other married couple.

Scenario Two, with a DAF: In year one, you make a $50,000 donation to the Donor Advised Fund and then give out $10,000 a year to your charities as planned. Your total itemized deduction in year one is $64,000. In the following years, you only have $14,000 in itemized deductions, so elect to take the standard deduction of $24,000 (years 2-5). Total over 5 years: $160,000. That’s $40,000 more than the first scenario, even though you still donated the same $10,000 a year to charity. If you are in the 33% tax bracket, you’d save $13,200 in taxes by establishing a DAF in this example.

With a DAF, your gift is irrevocable, however, you can change which charities receive the money and when. Or you can leave the money in the account to invest and grow for later. If you pass away, the DAF is excluded from your taxable estate, and you designate successors such as your spouse or children, who can decide on when and how to distribute money to charities.

If you risk losing your ability to deduct your charitable donations under the TCJA, let’s talk more about the Donor Advised Fund and how it might work in your situation. You can also gift appreciated securities, such as stock or mutual funds, to the DAF and not have to pay capital gains tax on those assets when you fund the DAF. That can give you a double tax benefit.

As your Financial Advisor, I can help you establish a Donor Advised Fund that will be held at our custodian, TD Ameritrade, using the Renaissance Charitable Foundation. This means your account will still be held with your other accounts and professionally managed to your objectives. While a DAF is clearly more cost effective than establishing a Private Foundation with under $1 million in assets, even many ultra-wealthy families find that a DAF can accomplish their philanthropic goals with less expense, compliance headaches, and time commitment.

One other option to get a tax benefit on your charitable donations: If you are over age 70 1/2, you can make a charitable donation directly from your IRA in place of your Required Minimum Distribution. See my previous article on the Qualified Charitable Distribution. The QCD reduces your above-the-line income, so you do not have to itemize to receive a tax benefit for your donation.

Charitable giving is near and dear to our hearts at Good Life Wealth Management. We donate 10% of our gross profits annually to charity and will continue to do so as we grow. Charitable giving is never just about the tax deduction, of course. But if we can stretch those dollars further, we have an opportunity to make an even bigger impact with the donations we make.

Read More