Below you will find your 2022 Tax Updates. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

2022 Standard Deductions

In 2022 Standard Deductions and Credits will return to the previous levels. The new 2022 standard deductions are $12,950 for single, $19,400 for the Head of Household, and $25,900 for those filing as Married/Jointly.

Child Tax Credit

The Child Tax Credit goes back to $2,000 (from 2021s 3,000 and 3,600) for dependents under 17 and $500 for dependents over 16. The higher tax credit for 17-year-old dependents from 2021 expired for 2022.

Child Care Credit

The Child Care Credit has changed. The Child Care Credit for 2021 had limits of 8,000 for one dependent and 16,000 for two dependents. For 2022, the Child Care Credit will go back to 3,000 for one dependent and 6,000 for two dependents.

Notable Business Changes

Business meals will remain 100% for 2022 but will return to 50% in 2023.

2022 Business miles reimbursements were 58.5 cents/mile until July 1. After July 1, business miles change to 62.5 cents/mile.

Year-End Tax Planning

Here are a few things to think about for year-end tax planning.

Charitable Donations

If you plan to itemize and need to make a trip to the DI or Salvation Army, do so before December 31. Be sure to get a receipt. Write down each item and the value of each item directly on your receipt.

Some taxpayers strategize by bunching charitable deductions in one year — meaning they itemize one year and take the standard deduction the following year. To do this, you would wait to pay your 2022 charity or make 2022 donations for the year you choose to itemize. Instead, make your donations in January 2023 and make any additional 2023 donations by December 31, 2023, to include your donations in one itemized year. In this example, you will get twice the deduction in one year (2023 as the itemized year) and take the standard deduction in 2022. You’ll want to choose the year that best serves your need for deductions.

You could also do this with other itemized deductions. For example, you can do this with medical expenses if you can group medical services into one year to maximize deduction value.

Flex-Spending Accounts

This time of the year is when employees must specify how much salary they will set aside in Flex Spending Accounts (section 125) for medical and child care expenses.

Using flex funds to pay for medical and child care expenses saves federal and state taxes and an additional 7.65% in FICA and Medicare taxes.

Be sure to estimate medical and child care expenses low.

Stock Sales

If you have underperforming stocks that you wouldn’t mind unloading, now is the time to offset any capital gains. Selling stocks at a loss can offset your capital gains for profitable stock sales throughout the year.

If you have a capital loss at the end of the year, you can carry that loss for later years and even write off up to $3,000 against your regular income for the year.

Choose what low-performing stocks you sell wisely. Wash sale rules don’t allow you to buy back into the same stock at a similar amount as your original sale for 31 days.

Retirement Planning

IRAs

Depending on your income, you can get a deduction for an IRA contribution in 2022. This deduction can be up to $6,000 if you are under 50 and $7,000 if you are over 50. Your IRA deduction will count even if you wait until Tuesday, April 18, 2023 (Tax Filing Day).

If you are required to take a 2022 minimum distribution from your IRA account, you can make that distribution payable to the charity of your choice tax-free if donated by December 31, 2022.

Roth IRAs

One of the best options out there for retirement planning is IRAs.

If your income for contributing to a Roth is over $125,000 for filing as Single or Head of Household or $198,000 for filing as joint married. Additionally, you do not have any other traditional IRAs. In that case, you can convert a non-deductible IRA to a Roth IRA with little or no tax due.

401(k) and Roth 401(k)

Usually, your employer will match all or part of your 401(k) contributions. Their matching contribution is essentially free money! To take advantage of this in tax planning, enroll in your company’s 401(k) and contribute up to the matching point.

Retirement Distributions

Please call me for the answers to your questions about early distributions from a retirement fund or planning your retirement. A simple phone call may save thousands of dollars in additional taxes and penalties.

That’s all the updates for the 2022 tax filing year!

Feel free to call me anytime for answers to your tax questions (including major events) at no additional cost.

Look for your appointment confirmation and questionnaire to arrive in the mail by January 5 or sooner.

Happy Holidays and have a wonderful New Year!

Sincerely,

Rich McKay

801-731-1857

RMcKay@McKayTax.com

This information is for educational purposes and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied upon for, accounting, legal, insurance, or investment advice. Any tax advice in this email reflects our professional judgment based on our understanding of the facts provided to us and on current tax law. Tax law is subject to change. Subsequent changes in the facts provided to us, the law, or its interpretation may affect this advice. We are not responsible for updating our advice for subsequent changes in the law or its interpretation. Please immediately contact the sender if you have received this message in error.

Year End Tax Letter 2021

2022 Standard Deduction Guidelines

The new 2021 standard deductions are $12,950 single, $19,400 for the Head of Household, and $25,900 for those filing as Married/Jointly. The Child Tax Credit is the same as 2020 at $2,000 for dependents under 17 and $500 for dependents over 16.

Here are a few things to think about for year-end tax planning:

Charitable Donations

If you think that you will itemize and you need to make a trip to the DI or Salvation Army do so before December 31st. Be sure to get a receipt and write the items and value of each item on the
receipts. Some taxpayers strategize by bunching charitable deductions in one year. This means they itemize one year and take the standard deduction the next year. To do this you would wait to pay
your 2021 charity or make 2021 donations. Instead, make your donations in January 2022 and make any additional 2022 donations by December 31, 2022, to include your donations in one year. This will give you twice the deduction in one year and allow you to take the standard deduction on your off year. You could also do this with other itemized deductions, such as medical expenses if you can manage them into a specific calendar year. Without itemization, you can deduct a maximum of $600 Married and $300 Single if you gave it to a qualifying charity.

IRA Deduction

Depending on your income, you may be able to get a deduction for an IRA contribution for 2021 and 2022 of up to $6,000 (or $7,000 if you are over 50 years old). Your IRA deduction will count even if you wait until tax filing day in 2022 (Monday, April 18, 2022). If you are over 70½ years old and choose to take a 2021 distribution from your IRA account, you can make that distribution payable to the charity of your choice tax-free.

Stock Sales

If you have a few underperforming stocks that you wouldn't mind unloading, now is the time. If you have them, you can sell your stocks at a loss to offset any capital gains you may have for profitable stock sales throughout the year. If you end up with a capital loss, you can carry that loss for later years and even write off up to $3,000 against your normal income for the year.

Flex-Spending Accounts

This time of the year is when employees must specify how much salary they will set aside in Flex Spending Accounts (section 125) for medical and child care expenses. Using flex funds to pay for medical and child care expenses save federal and state taxes but also saves an additional 7.65% in FICA and Medicare taxes. Be sure to estimate medical and child care expenses low. Extra money left in your Flex Spending Accounts at the end of the year is
lost.

Retirement

Please call me for the answers to your questions about early distributions from a retirement fund or planning your retirement. A simple phone call may save thousands of dollars in additional taxes and penalties.

 

 

As always feel free to call me anytime for answers to your tax questions (including major events) at no additional cost. Look for your appointment confirmation and questionnaire to come in the
mail by January 5th or sooner.

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Most of the COVID-related tax changes were related to the extension of your 2019 tax year filing. However, there are some tax strategies that are still available until the end of the year.  

COVID-19 Tax Strategies Still Available:

 

• 2020 401k and IRA distributions up to $100,000 can be taken penalty-free and you can pay the regular tax over three years or have it nontaxable if you make a re-contribution (“put it back”) within three years rather than the normal 60 days.  
• Minimum retirement account distribution (taxpayers over 70½ years of age) can be ignored for 2020.  
• If you did not get a stimulus 2020 check and qualified based on your 2020 tax return there is a reconciliation in the 2020 tax return that could give you more money.

2020 Standard Deduction Guidelines:

The new 2020 standard deductions are $12,400 single, $18,650 for the Head of Household, and $24,800 for those filing as Married/Jointly.  The Child Tax Credit remains the same at $2,000 for dependents under 17 and $500 for dependents over 16.

Here are a few things to think about for year-end tax planning:

 Charitable Donations

If you think that you will itemize and you need to make a trip to the DI or Salvation Army do so before December 31st. Be sure to get a receipt and write the items and value of each item on the receipts.  

Some taxpayers strategize by bunching charitable deductions in one year. This means they itemize one year and take the standard deduction the next year.  To do this you would wait to pay your 2020 charity or make 2020 donations.  Instead, make your donations in January 2021 and make any additional 2021 donations by December 31, 2021, to include your donations in one year. This will give you twice the deduction in one year and allow you to take the standard deduction on your off year.  

You could also do this with other itemized deductions, such as medical expenses if you can manage them into a specific calendar year.  

Without itemization, you can deduct a maximum of $300 if you gave it to a qualifying charity.

IRA Deduction

Depending on your income, you may be able to get a deduction for an IRA contribution for 2020 of up to $6,000 (or $7,000 if you are over 50 years old). Your IRA deduction will count even if you wait until tax filing day in 2021 (Thursday, April 15, 2021).  

If you are over 70½ years old and choose to take a 2020 distribution from your IRA account, you can make that distribution payable to the charity of your choice tax-free. 

Stock Sales

If you have a few underperforming stocks that you wouldn’t mind unloading, now is the time. If you have them, you can sell your stocks at a loss to offset any capital gains you may have for profitable stock sales throughout the year. If you end up with a capital loss, you can carry that loss for later years and even write off up to   $3,000 against your normal income for the year.

Flex-Spending Accounts

This time of the year is when employees must specify how much salary they will set aside in Flex Spending Accounts (section 125) for medical and child care expenses.  

Using flex funds to pay for medical and child care expenses save federal and state taxes but also saves an additional 7.65% in FICA and Medicare taxes.  Be sure to estimate medical and child care expenses low. Extra money left in your Flex Spending Accounts at the end of the year is lost.

Retirement

Please call me for the answers to your questions about early distributions from a retirement fund or planning your retirement. A simple phone call may save thousands of dollars in additional taxes and penalties. 

As always feel free to call me anytime for answers to your tax questions (including major events) at no additional cost.  Look for your appointment confirmation and questionnaire to come in the mail by January 5th or sooner. 

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Sincerely

Rich McKay

801-731-1857

RMcKay@McKayTax.com

 

Taxes change from year to year, and for some, it may seem entirely different while others may view it as almost the same.  That’s why we thought we’d put together a little list of what changes to expect for your 2020 taxes.

First, let’s review what your tax rates are for 2019.

2019 federal income tax brackets
For taxes due in April 2020, or in October 2020 with an extension
Tax rate	Single	Married, filing jointly	Married, filing separately	Head of household
Standard Deduction	12,200	24,400	12,200	18,350
10%	$0 to $9,700	$0 to $19,400	$0 to $9,700	$0 to $13,850
12%	$9,701 to $39,475	$19,401 to $78,950	$9,701 to $39,475	$13,851 to $52,850
22%	$39,476 to $84,200	$78,951 to $168,400	$39,476 to $84,200	$52,851 to $84,200
24%	$84,201 to $160,725	$168,401 to $321,450	$84,201 to $160,725	$84,201 to $160,700
32%	$160,726 to $204,100	$321,451 to $408,200	$160,726 to $204,100	$160,701 to $204,100
35%	$204,101 to $510,300	$408,201 to $612,350	$204,101 to $306,175	$204,101 to $510,300
37%	$510,301 or more	$612,351 or more	$306,176 or more	$510,301 or more

Now, here are the tax rates and changes you can expect for 2020.

2020 federal income tax brackets
For taxes due in April 2021
Tax rate	Single	Married, filing jointly	Married, filing separately	Head of household
Standard Deduction	12,400	24,800	12,400	18,650
10%	$0 to $9,875	$0 to $19,750	$0 to $9,875	$0 to $14,100
12%	$9,876 to $40,125	$19,751 to $80,250	$9,876 to $40,125	$14,101 to $53,700
22%	$40,126 to $85,525	$80,251 to $171,050	$40,126 to $85,525	$53,701 to $85,500
24%	$85,526 to $163,300	$171,051 to $326,600	$85,526 to $163,300	$85,501 to $163,300
32%	$163,301 to $207,350	$326,601 to $414,700	$163,301 to $207,350	$163,301 to $207,350
35%	$207,351 to $518,400	$414,701 to $622,050	$207,351 to $311,025	$207,351 to $518,400
37%	$518,401 or more	$622,051 or more	$311,026 or more	$518,401 or more

If you have any questions about these changes or additional changes from year to year, hop over to our Contact page and reach out to us.

Dear Client,

2018 was the first year that people filed under the new tax law (Tax Cut and Jobs Act).

Here are some interesting facts from McKay Tax client tax filing last year:

• Over 50% of you that itemized in 2017 used the standard deduction in 2018.
• Over 95% of you paid fewer taxes for 2018 than you did in 2017.

Briefly, here is what you can expect for 2019 deductions

• Standard deductions are $12,200 single, $18,350 for the head of household, and $24,400 for married jointly.
• The Dependent & Child Tax Credit remains the same at $2,000 for dependents 16 and under, and $500 for dependents 17 and over.

Here are a few things to think about for year-end tax planning:

Charitable Donations

If you think that you will itemize and you need to make a trip to the DI or Salvation Army do so before December 31^st. Be sure to get a receipt and write the items and value of each of the receipts.  Some taxpayers strategize by bunching charitable deduction into one year.  This allows them to itemize one year and take the standard the next year.  For example, donate 2019 charity in January 2020 rather than now, in December.  Make your final 2020 charity donations later in 2020 which will give you twice the deduction in one year – allowing you to itemize a greater value in 2020 and use a standardized deduction in 2021.  You could also do this with other itemized deductions.

IRA Contributions

If you are over 50 years old and wait until tax filing day in 2020, you may be able to get a deduction for an IRA for 2019 of up to $6,000 or $7,000.  If you are over 70 ½ years old and are required to take a 2019 minimum distribution from your IRA account then you can make the distribution payable to your favorite charity and have it not be taxable.

Selling Stock

If you have a few underperforming stocks that you wouldn’t mind unloading, now is the time! By selling an underperforming stock, you may be able to wipe out any capital gains from the year for any positive stock sales, plus another $3,000 in income.

Flex Spending Accounts

This time of the year is when employees must specify how much salary they will set aside in flex spending accounts (section 125) for medical and child care expenses.  Using flex funds to pay for medical and child care expenses save on Federal and State Taxes. You can also save an additional 7.65% in FICA and Medicare taxes.  Be sure to estimate medical and child care expenses low since extra money left in the accounts at year-end is usually lost.

Retirement

Please call me for the answers to your questions about early distributions from a retirement fund or planning your retirement. A simple phone call may save thousands of dollars in additional taxes and penalties.

As always feel free to call me anytime for answers to your tax questions (including major events) at no additional cost.

Look for your appointment confirmation and questionnaire to come in the mail by January 5th or sooner.

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Sincerely

Rich McKay

Can you believe it is that time of year again!  I’ve comprised a list of the tax forms and their due dates for 2020.  On the left, you’ll find the form type and on the right, you’ll see the date the form needs to be filed for the 2019 tax season.

We know that can be confusing, so let’s reiterate that: These are 2020 dates for 2019 tax forms regarding the 2019 tax year.

As always, if you have any questions feel free to jump over to our Contact page and reach out to us.

Tax Form	2020 Filing Due Date (for Tax Year 2019)
Form W-2 & certain 1099-Misc (electronic or mail)	January 31st
Form 1065 – Partnerships	March 16th
Form 1120-S – S Corporations	March 16th
Form 1040 – Individuals	April 15th
FinCEN 114 – FBAR (will be allowed to extend)	April 15th
Form 1041 – Trusts and Estates	April 15th
Form 1120 – C Corporations	April 15th
Form 990 series – Tax Exempt Organizations	May 15th
Form 5500 series – Employee Benefit Plan	July 31st
Form 1065 Extended Return	September 15th
Form 1120-S Extended Return	September 15th
Form 1041 Extended Return	September 30th
Form 1120 Extended Return	October 15th
Form 1040 Extended Return	October 15th
FinCEN 114 (Extended with Form 1040)	October 15th
Form 5500 series – Employee Benefit Plan Extended Return	October 15th
Form 990 series – Tax Exempt Organization Extended Return	November 16th

 

IRS official tax dates you need to stay on top of your taxes.

2019 Federal Legal Holidays

• January 1 – New Year’s Day
• January 21 – Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday
• February 18 – Washington’s Birthday
• April 16 – District of Columbia Emancipation Day
• May 27 – Memorial Day
• July 4 – Independence Day
• September 2 – Labor Day
• October 14 – Columbus Day
• November 11 – Veterans’ Day
• November 28 – Thanksgiving Day
• December 25 – Christmas Day

2019 E-File Dates

• January 28 – First day to e-file and first IRS acknowledgements of e-filed returns
• April 15 – Last day to e-file timely returns and extension requests
• April 21 – Last day to retransmit rejected timely filed returns and extensions
• June 17 – Last day to e-file timely extension request for overseas taxpayers
• October 15 – Last day to e-file returns that received 6-month extension
• October 22 – Last day to retransmit rejected late or extension returns

Important 2019 Tax Dates

• January 10 – Report tips of $20 or more to employer
• January 15 – Make last 2018 estimated tax payment
• February 11 – Report tips of $20 or more to employer
• March 11 – Report tips of $20 or more to employer
• April 10 – Report tips of $20 or more to employer
• April 15 – Due date to file calendar year 2018 tax returns or request an automatic 6-month extension of time to file. Pay any tax that is due, even if you file a 6-month extension of time to file.
• April 15 – First 2019 estimated tax payment due
• May 10 – Report tips of $20 or more to employer
• June 10 – Report tips of $20 or more to employer
• June 17 – Second 2018 estimated tax payment due
• July 10 – Report tips of $20 or more to employer
• August 102– Report tips of $20 or more to employer
• September 10 – Report tips of $20 or more to employer
• September 16 – Third 2018 estimated tax payment due
• October 10 – Report tips of $20 or more to employer
• October 15 – Final due date to file calendar year 2017 tax returns for taxpayers who received a 6-month extension
• November 12 – Report tips of $20 or more to employer
• December 10 – Report tips of $20 or more to employer

Hi Business Clients!

I’ve pieced together all of the forms and calculators you should need to be ready for filing your 2018 business taxes.

The attached Corporate and LLC guidelines and other various forms are to help keep your corporation valid with the state and the federal government in addition to tax planning.   If you do not have a corporate book (Corporation) we can tell you where to obtain one.

Continue reading →

It’s that time of year again!  Tax season.

We talked a little bit about this in last year’s newsletter.  But here is a reminder —

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 brought on the biggest changes in tax law history.  Overall, new deductions have been added and some old, common deductions have been completely repealed.

Below, I will highlight some of the big changes for the 2018 tax year — both for Individuals and for Businesses. Please give me a call if you have questions.

Continue reading →

We have a list of important dates from now through the end of the year whether you’re an individual, an employee, or a business!  Be sure to add these important dates to your calendar.

Continue reading →