Month: June 2018

Tax Reform Update—Changes to the Child Tax Credit

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Under pre-Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) law, parents could claim a child tax credit (CTC) of $1,000 for each qualifying child under the age of 17. The CTC was phased out for taxpayers with an adjusted gross income (AGI) above certain thresholds—$110,000 for married filing joint taxpayers and $75,000 for single and head of household taxpayers. The CTC was reduced by $50 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof that their AGI exceeded their threshold amount.

All that is changing for 2018 and beyond. Below, I examine the changes in detail.

New Law – Qualifying Child

For tax years after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026, the TCJA modifies the CTC by increasing the credit to $2,000 for each qualifying child under 17 and increasing the phase-out threshold to $400,000 for married filing joint taxpayers and $200,000 for all others. The phase-out computation stays the same. It is also important to know that the CTC has a refundable portion of $1,400. This means that if your total tax liability is less than the sum of your total child tax credits, then up to $1,400 per child can be refunded.

Example: H and W have three qualifying children under age 17 and their total tax liability is $1,500. Their total CTC is $6,000. Their refund is limited to $4,200 ($1,400 x 3).

New Law – Other Dependents

The CTC is also modified to provide a $500 non-refundable credit for qualifying dependents other than qualifying children. This would include dependent children 17 and over (such as college students), disabled adult children, or elderly parents under your care. The phase-out thresholds are the same as the CTC.

That is all today. I look forward to visiting with you next week. Let me know if you have a question—you can reach my office at (713) 785-8939. You can also leave a comment on this post.

Tax Reform Update—Here’s What to Expect

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The IRS is working on implementing the changes created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).  Here are some of the major tax reform changes you can expect.

New Business Deduction Form

One of the most exciting TCJA changes is the new form the IRS is developing for taxpayers to calculate the qualified business income deduction (QBI). Self-employed taxpayers, partners, and S corporation shareholders will use this form to claim the QBI deduction on their tax return. If you are in this group then stay tuned for IRS guidance expected to come out during 2018 and be sure to work with your tax preparer to maximize your QBI deduction. I will keep you informed.

TCJA Changes for Individuals

One important change: You won’t claim a dependent exemption for your children or other dependents or a personal exemption for yourself or your spouse. You will still need to provide the information needed to take the credits for your children and non-child dependents if you qualify. Another change is the doubling of the standard deduction to $24,000 for taxpayers who are married and filing jointly. But your total allowable deduction for state and local taxes such as sales tax, state income tax, real estate tax, and personal property tax is limited to $10,000. The interest payments on your home equity loan might not be deductible. As we discussed in recent weeks, you can no longer deduct employee business expenses on Form 2106 and you can no longer deduct miscellaneous itemized deductions. Casualty and theft losses are no longer deductible unless they occur in a federally declared disaster area. And lastly, medical expenses are only deductible to the extent they exceed 7.5% of AGI. I hope this helps—I will continue to review TCJA tax law changes in the weeks and months to come.

That is all today. I look forward to visiting with you next week. Let me know if you have a question—you can reach my office at (713) 785-8939. You can also leave a comment on this post.

Deducting Travel, Meals, and Entertainment as a Business

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Last week, we discussed how all employee business expenses are non-deductible for individuals on their Form 1040. The only way an individual could be reimbursed (without it being included in his W-2) for an out of pocket business expense would be if his employer had an Accountable Plan, which is when you itemize your business expenses on an expense report, with your receipts attached, and your employer reimburses the exact amount. The bottom line is that the Form 2106, Employee Business Expenses is now obsolete and the Miscellaneous Expenses section of Schedule A, Itemized Deductions is also obsolete.

This week, we will discuss when Travel, Meals, and Entertainment are deductible by a business.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) completely eliminates the employer (business) tax deduction for entertainment, either paid directly or reimbursed to the employee. But there is one way for a business to get a deduction. If the business pays entertainment expenses on behalf of or by reimbursement to an employee and the amount is included in his Form W-2 as compensation, then the employer may take a 100% deduction as Wages. Otherwise, business entertainment is 100% non-deductible for expenses paid or incurred after December 31, 2017 for both employee and employer. Don’t be surprised if reimbursement policies change.

Business Meals are more complicated. The 50% limitation for business food and beverage expense still applies to meals while traveling away from home on business, and it still applies to business meals with clients as long as it’s not extravagant. Now it also applies to food and beverages provided to employees through an employer-operated eating facility, and to employer-provided de minimis food and beverages at the workplace such as coffee, cokes, donuts, water service, and overtime meals for the convenience of the employer.

The 100% deductible items include travel expenses such as airline tickets, hotels, rental cars, and taxis. Also the office holiday party, the company picnic, and any company provided gathering that lifts employee morale is still 100% deductible. So feel free to plan your company Christmas party and be sure to deduct 100% of your expenses.

Finally, you may want to establish separate general ledger accounts for: Non-deductible Entertainment; 50% Food and Beverage; and 100% Travel and Holiday Party.

That is all today. I look forward to visiting with you next week.

Business Expenses and the New Tax Law

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It is important to remember the age-old tax rule: “Expenditures are not deductible unless specifically allowed by law, and all income is taxable unless specifically excluded by law.”

With that in mind, let’s discuss Travel, Meals, and Entertainment under the new law. The new law makes it very simple. If you are a Form W-2 employee and you previously deducted your business expenses on Form 2106 Employee Business Expenses, then your Travel, Meals, and Entertainment are no longer deductible. That’s right! No longer deductible.

But there is a solution, and it’s called an Accountable Plan. It is not new, but it now has greater importance. With an accountable plan, you itemize your business expenses on an expense report, include your receipts, and your employer reimburses the exact amount. The employer gets the deduction and you have no income. Many employers give their employees a “flat allowance.” For the employee, this flat allowance will be income on their Form W-2 and the related expenses will not be deductible.

I recommend you be frank with your boss about the new law’s favoritism toward businesses. You may want to ask for reimbursement under an accountable plan and for certain costs to be covered for reimbursement. Good Luck.

For those taxpayers that are self-employed and report their income and expenses on a Schedule C, corporate return, or partnership return, then we will discuss what Travel, Meals, and Entertainment you can deduct in our tax letter next week.