Tag: Tax Cuts

A Quick Overview of Tax Reform Changes

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The changes enacted by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act affect every taxpayer filing a 2018 tax return this year. To help my fellow taxpayers understand these changes, I have prepared a quick overview below.

Tax Rates Lowered

Starting in 2018, tax rates are lower for almost every income bracket. The seven rates range from 10 percent to 37 percent.

Standard Deduction Nearly Doubled

For 2018, the basic standard deduction is $12,000 for singles, $18,000 for head of household, and $24,000 for married couples filing a joint return. Higher amounts apply to people who are blind or at least age 65. Along with other changes, this means that more than half of those who itemized their deductions in tax year 2017 may instead take the higher standard deduction on their 2018 tax return.

Itemized Deductions Limited or Discontinued

Home mortgage interest on a new mortgage above $750,000 is not deductible, as well as interest on home equity loans not used for home improvements. State and local taxes are only deductible up to $10,000, but this limit does not apply to your rental property or business taxes. All those business expenses and other miscellaneous itemized deductions that you deducted on Form 2106 and Schedule A in prior years are no longer deductible in 2018.

Child Tax Credit Doubles and Phase-out Expanded

The child tax credit is now $2,000 for each qualifying child under the age of 17. And the phase-out doesn’t begin until your AGI exceeds $400,000 for married couples and $200,000 for other taxpayers. Remember: Last year the credit was $1,000 and the phase-out began at $110,000 for married couples. This is a big deal for young families.

New Credit for Other Dependents

Taxpayers can claim a $500 credit for each dependent who doesn’t qualify for the Child Tax Credit. This includes older children, as well as qualifying relatives, such as a parent.

That is all today. I look forward to visiting with you next week. In the meantime, don’t hesitate to reach out if you have a question—you can call my office at (713) 785-8939, send me an email, or leave a comment on this post. I’d love to hear from you.

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.

Effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on the Wealthy

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Let’s discuss the impact the new tax law will have on two high levels of income. The first example is an attorney making $500,000 who is married with no children. In 2017, the household will have itemized deductions made up of state and local taxes of $37,285, home mortgage interest of $39,000, and business expenses exceeding 2% of AGI of $10,000. Their itemized deductions will be $80,699 after the Pease deduction (this is a stealth tax from the ACA). Their personal exemptions are totally phased out. Their taxable income will be $419,301 and their regular tax will be $113,638, but their AMT will be $122,671. The effect of the additional Medicare tax from the ACA will not be considered because it is the same in 2017 and 2018. In 2017, their tax liability will be $122,671.  

In 2018, if our same family makes $500,000, then they will have state and local taxes limited to $10,000, they will get all their home mortgage interest of $39,000, and their business expenses from Form 2106 are no longer deductible. Personal and dependent exemptions are repealed.  Their taxable income will be $451,000 and their regular tax liability will be $109,229. AMT is less than the regular tax because the AMT exemption is greater and doesn’t begin to phase out until $1M for couples. Their 2018 tax liability is $109,229. This is a tax savings of $13,442 or put another way, a savings of 11% from 2017 to 2018.

In our second example, we have a married couple with no children. They file jointly and in 2017 they make $1,500,000. They live in beautiful, sunny California and they own their home. Because beautiful California has a 13.3% state income tax and they own their home, they will have $300,000 in state and local tax; they also have $39,000 in home mortgage interest, and their Form 2106 Employee Business Expenses do not exceed 2% of AGI. After the Pease deduction, their itemized deductions are $303,414, their exemptions are phased out and their taxable income is $1,196,586.  Their regular tax liability is $419,079. AMT is not even in the picture.

In 2018, the same family making $1,500,000 will have taxable income of $1,451,000.  Remember SALT deductions are limited to $10,000 plus home mortgage interest of $39,000, and personal and dependency exemptions were repealed. Their tax in 2018 will be $476,249. This is a tax increase of $57,170.  

Please remember that there are those who oppose any type of tax cut for the American people. For most Americans the new law is a tax cut, especially if you live in a low-tax state like Texas. But if you live in a high-tax state like California or you own expensive real estate, then you will very likely have a tax increase. In my experience, most high income taxpayers own a successful small business and they use any tax savings to hire someone young and tech savvy to make their business more efficient. Remember, the American people can allocate their capital and spend their money more equitably and efficiently in the marketplace than the federal government, which is wasteful, inefficient, and inclined toward political favors for special interests.      

That is all today. I look forward to visiting with you next week. In the meantime, please let me know if you have a question. You can call my office at (713) 785-8939 or leave a comment on this post. 

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act – The Middle Class

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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.

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

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The new tax law took effect on January 1st, and it is a big win for the American taxpayer. It is too big to cover in one post, so we will be discussing various provisions throughout the year. You will feel it immediately both in your federal withholding and in your quarterly estimated tax payments. The basics include:

  • Rate cuts for all brackets
  • A doubling of the standard deduction
  • A doubling of the child tax credit and a raising of the phaseout starting at $400,000 for MFJ (married, filing jointly)
  • The exemption for the AMT (alternative minimum tax) is increased to $109,400
  • The phaseout begins at $1M for MFJ
  • The phaseout of itemized deductions is gone
  • The unified credit for estates and gifts is doubled to $11.1M per person and the 40% rate stays the same

High income individuals that live in high tax states such as NY, NJ, and CA will not get much of a break. The rate reduction is significantly offset by the fact that they cannot deduct the high state and local taxes that they previously deducted. Say you make $2M and pay $100,000 in state and city tax and then save $40,000 in federal income tax. Now, that deduction and the tax savings are gone, so you cannot say this is a windfall for the wealthy. It is also good economic policy because it does not subsidize high tax states at the expense of the American taxpayer in low tax states. The $10,000 limit on the deduction of state and local tax does not apply to your business or other income producing property.

Regular corporations are getting a rate reduction from 35% to 21%. You may have noticed the stock market is factoring in the new bottom line. Also, foreign profits held overseas are being deemed repatriated at a rate of 15.5% for cash and 8% on other assets. The market gets to figure the effect that will have on values also. For S Corporations, sole proprietors, LLCs, and partnerships, there is a 20% deduction based on the lower of three amounts which is designed to achieve parity with the C corporations. This 20% break is phased out for professional service firms with taxable income between $315,000 and $415,000 for MFJ. The section 179 deduction is being doubled to $1M and bonus depreciation is being increased to 100%. My advice is get in the market.

This is all for today.  If you need more information, please feel free to give me a call at (713) 785-8939 or leave a comment on this post.