Let’s discuss the impact the new tax law will have on two levels of middle class income. The first example is a school teacher who is single with no children and is making $60,000. In 2017, she will get a standard deduction of $6,350 and a personal exemption of $4,050, so her statutory deductions will total $10,400 and her taxable income will be $49,600. In 2017 her tax liability will be $8,139.

In 2018, if our same teacher makes $60,000, she will get a standard deduction of $12,000 and no personal exemption. Her taxable income will be $48,000 and her tax liability will be $6,500. This is a tax savings of $1,639, or put another way, a savings of 20.1% from 2017 to 2018.

In our second example we have a married couple with two children under age 17. They file jointly and together they make $250,000. They own their home and they have $20,000 in home mortgage interest, $21,000 in real estate tax and sales tax (state and local tax), and $10,000 in charitable contributions. In 2017, their taxable income is $182,800 and their tax liability is $38,069. In 2018, the same family making $250,000 will have taxable income of $210,000 ($250,000 -$20,000 -$10,000 -$10,000). Remember, they only get $10,000 for SALT deductions and personal and dependency exemptions were repealed. Their tax in 2018 will be $34,979. They get a $2,000 child tax credit for each child and the phase-out for joint filers begins at $400,000. This is a tax savings of $3,090 or a savings of 8.1% from 2017 to 2018.

Remember, you can deduct all of your real estate taxes in your business or when related to income-producing property. State and local income taxes are not deductible for a business and only to the extent of $10,000 when combined with all state and local taxes for individuals.

Next week, we will discuss the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and how it affects those taxpayers with income over $500,000.

That is all today. I look forward to visiting with you next week. In the meantime, let me know if you have a question. Feel free to leave a comment on this post or give me a call to get in touch.