Individuals with large estates generally want to gift portions of their estate to beneficiaries while they are still living, to avoid or lessen the estate tax when they pass away. That can be done through annual gifts (up to the inflation-adjusted annual limit for each gift recipient each year—$15,000 for 2019) and/or by utilizing the…
Tax reform eliminated the deduction for casualty losses but did retain a deduction for losses within a disaster area. With the wild fires in the west, hurricanes and flooding in the southeast and eastern seaboard we have had a number of presidentially declared disaster areas this year. If you were an unlucky victim and suffered…
As it does annually around the end of the year, the IRS has announced the 2019 optional standard mileage rates. Thus, beginning on Jan. 1, 2019, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (or a van, pickup or panel truck) are: 58 cents per mile for business miles driven (including a 26-cent-per-mile…
The IRS recently announced that the tax credit for purchasing the popular Tesla is being phased out and that the credit will drop to $3,750 after December 31, 2018, and will drop again to $1,875 after June 30, 2019. Then, the credit will no longer be available for a Tesla after December 31, 2019. But…
The tax benefits associated with charitable giving could potentially enhance your ability to give and should be considered as part of your year-end tax planning. Tax Deduction for Charitable Gifts If you itemize deductions on your federal income tax return, you can generally deduct your gifts to qualified charities. This may also help you potentially…
There is no straightforward answer because some deductions are above the line, others must be itemized, some must exceed a threshold amount before being deductible, and certain ones are not deductible for alternative minimum tax purposes, while business deductions can offset both income and self-employment tax. In other words, there are many factors to consider,…
In today’s Marietta Daily Journal, Bil Lako, CFP®, explains why your year-end tax planning is going to take a little longer this year.
If you are a business owner who is accustomed to treating clients to sporting events, golf getaways, concerts and the like, you were no doubt saddened by the part of the tax reform that passed last December that did away with the business-related deductions for entertainment, amusement or recreation expenses, beginning in 2018. You can…
Your refund is the amount that your pre-payments (withheld income tax, estimated tax payments, and certain credits) exceed your tax liability, and if the pre-payment also got reduced, you could be in for an unpleasant surprise at tax time. So, why would the pre-payments, particularly withholding, be less? Simply because the current W-4 form on…
This week on “Money Talks,” Research Analyst Nick Antonucci, CVA, CEPA, is joined by Tax Manager Dan DiLuzio, CPA, and Principal Jennifer Thomas, CFP®, to discuss some of the nuances taxpayers need to pay attention to this year for year-end tax planning. Dan explains why taxpayers will want to spend a little more time planning.
