by Daniel Kittell | Accounting News, IRS, News, Newsletter, Tax, Tax Planning, Tax Planning - Individual, Tax Preparation - Individual
In response to soaring inflation, the IRS has released higher tax brackets and standard deductions for tax year 2023 and subsequent returns filed in 2024. This means that more taxpayers’ earnings will remain in lower tax brackets, which should reduce their income taxes.
Higher Tax Brackets for 2023
Tax brackets are the income ranges used to determine how much American’s owe in federal income tax. The IRS adjusts these brackets to reflect the impact of inflation on workers’ earnings with the aim of preventing inflation from pushing individuals into a higher tax bracket and potentially subjecting them to higher tax rates. The IRS is essentially trying to alleviate some of the financial strain caused by inflation.
Here Are the Newly Released Tax Brackets for Year 2023
The change in tax brackets means more taxpayers’ earnings will stay in lower tax brackets next year, which should reduce their income taxes.
Married filing jointly:
10% – $0 to $22,000
12% – $22,001 to $89,450
22% – $89,451 to $190,750
24% – $190,751 to $364,200
32% – $364,201 to $462,500
35% – $462,501 to $693,750
37% – Over $693,750
Single filers:
10% – $0 to $11,000
12% – $11,001 to $44,725
22% – $44,726 to $95,375
24% – $95,376 to $182,100
32% – $182,101 to $231,250
35% – $231,251 to 578,125
37% – Over $578,125
Standard Deductions
In an effort to acknowledge the recent rise of living costs and provide taxpayers with a bit of financial relief, the IRS has also increased the standard deductions for 2023. The standard deduction is a fixed amount that taxpayers can subtract from their taxable income tax.
The standard deduction is increasing for tax year 2023 to $27,700 for married couples filing jointly (up from $25,900 in 2022). Single filers can claim $13,850 (up from $12,950 in 2022).
Additional Deductions
Among the other deductions that will increase in 2024 are the foreign earned income exclusion, which rises from $120,000 to $126,500. This is a tax benefit that allows eligible U.S. citizens working abroad to exclude a certain amount of their foreign earned income from their U.S. federal income tax in order to prevent double taxation. Additionally, the annual exclusion for gifts will increase from $17,000 to $18,000.
Benefits to Taxpayers
These adjustments help to ensure that workers’ wages, which may have risen to keep up with inflation, are not eroded by higher tax rates. This means that individuals will not be penalized for earning more money to combat rising living costs. In fact, the changes can help stimulate the economy by putting more money in the hands of consumers.
Furthermore, the increased standard deductions provide financial relief by lowering the overall tax burden on taxpayers. This extra money can be used to offset the rising costs of everyday expenses, such as housing, transportation, and groceries.
by Jean Miller | Accounting News, Healthcare, News, Resources, Tax, Tax Planning, Tax Planning - Individual, Tax Preparation - Individual
The Trump administration has wasted little time taking action on many of the promises that were made throughout the campaign. One major proposition made by President Trump was the immediate repeal and replacement of Obamacare. While the replacement of our current healthcare system seems to be pending, the repealing of the current system is certainly at the top of the administration’s list. Although the insurance aspect of the current system would seemingly stick around until the GOP and the Trump administration develop a suitable alternative, the tax aspects of Obamacare could be subject to immediate repeal. Thus, the insurance industry may have until 2018 or 2019 before they saw changes, but the tax industry (and therefore taxpayers) could see effects as early as this year.
How exactly the current administration chooses to repeal the tax aspects of Obamacare could be positive or negative for most taxpayers though. Under current law, there is an individual insurance mandate that penalizes monthly those who do not have insurance coverage, as well as an employer mandate penalizing employers (with more than 50 full-time employees) who do not offer affordable health care. However, if individuals obtain coverage through the state marketplaces and their income is between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level, they receive a tax credit to assist in paying for their insurance premiums. Additionally, Obamacare levies a 0.9% Medicare tax and a 3.8% net investment income tax on certain high wage earners, or the wealthiest 2% of Americans.
Where repealing taxes associated with Obamacare could be positive for Americans is if Congress removed all taxes while maintaining the premium tax credit (until a replacement system is established). This would mean employers are no longer charged for not providing insurance coverage, taxpayers are not penalized for not having insurance and high wage earners will not be levied the additional taxes discussed above. If Congress chose this route, tax experts estimate that low to middle income wage earners could receive a tax break in the hundreds of dollars, whereas high end wage earners could receive a break in the thousands of dollars.
However, if Congress chose to repeal all tax aspects, including the premium credit, certain tax brackets would most certainly see negative effects. Without the credit, lower income brackets could see their taxes rise by an average of $4,000, middle income brackets could see their taxes rise by an average of $6,000, but higher income brackets would still see their taxes lowered by the thousands of dollars. But, these negative changes would only exist for lower or middle income brackets who currently claim the premium tax credit. Fortunately, at this point, Congress nor the Trump administration has made any claims about what they will do in terms of repealing Obamacare-related taxes, so Americans will simply have to wait and see what direction our nation’s leaders choose and how their wallets will be affected.
by Stephen Reed | Accounting News, IRS, News, Resources, Tax, Tax Planning, Tax Planning - Individual, Tax Preparation - Individual
Now that our 45th President has officially been inaugurated, many of his campaign claims are beginning to take shape, including his tax plan. However, it seems that President Trump’s plan does not align as closely as one might think with the GOP’s plan, which has primarily been outlined by Republican leader Kevin Brady, Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. Below is a brief summary of the ways Trump and Brady’s plans differ and what each could mean for taxpayers.
Tax Brackets
Trump and Brady agree in decreasing the number of tax brackets from seven to three, at 12%, 25% and 33% respectively, but they differ in the income ranges for each bracket. Brady’s rates would simply align with the current rates and brackets, meaning taxes would only increase for those who fall under the 10% tax bracket of current law; they would see their rate rise to 12%. Under Trump’s plan, not only would those in the 10% bracket rise to 12%, but some middle classers could see their rate rise to 33%, namely those who make more than $112,500 per year, whereas presently, the 33% rate was not effective until individual income reached $191,651.
Gains/Dividends Rates
Trump would seek to keep the current capital gains and dividend rates, 0%, 15% and 20%, grouping them with his three desired tax brackets. But, aligning the gains and dividends rates would mean both a tax increase as well as an increase from 15% to 20% in gain and dividend rates for many in that middle tax bracket. Brady’s plan varies in that he would apply his tax rates, 12%, 25% and 33%, to gains and dividends rates, while also allowing taxpayers to deduct 50% of their capital gains and dividends and 50% for interest income. Essentially, while certain taxpayers could see an increase in capital gains and dividends rates under Trump’s plan, all taxpayers would see a decrease in their interest/capital gains/dividends rates under Brady’s plan.
Itemized Deductions
While Trump would look to simplify deductions by capping them all at $100,000 if single and $200,000 if married filing jointly, Brady’s would look to eliminate all itemized deductions other than charitable contributions and mortgage interest deductions. Neither plan would be necessarily problematic for lower and middle classes, but some upper classers may take issue with Trump’s deduction caps, and many states and lobbyists may dislike Brady’s elimination of certain deductions altogether.
Standard Deductions/Personal Exemptions
Trump and Brady do agree on increasing the standard deduction, but Brady would increase the deduction from the current $6,300 to $12,000 (if single); Trump would jump up to $15,000. Both plans would also do away with personal exemptions. Taking away personal exemptions could be problematic for families though, which Trump would seek to alleviate by adding child care incentives (although paying for child care in the first place is necessary to get the incentive), while Brady would simply increase the current child tax credit from $1000 to $1,500.
Trump and Brady do align in their desire to lower business tax rates and eliminate estate taxes, but the execution of both differ as well. President Trump has stayed busy signing executive orders in his first weeks in office, but it does not appear that immediate tax reform is among his changes just yet. It does appear, though, that the Trump administration and the GOP need to refine and better align their respective proposals before presenting a finalized plan for tax reform to the American public.
by Pete McAllister | Accounting News, News, Resources, Tax, Tax Planning - Individual, Tax Preparation - Individual
“New Year, New Me.” This phrase is often uttered in the early parts of a new year as individuals prepare to make changes in their health, career, relationships or a variety of other personal traits. This phrase could ring true for 2017 as America prepares to inaugurate our 45th President and witnesses many political and policy shifts. One proposition that may enact some major adjustments is President-Elect Trump’s new tax plan. If you’d like to learn more about his tax proposals, check out our article highlighting major changes for individuals and businesses here. However, Trump’s plans have the potential to cause more shifts than just tax cuts; researchers believe it could have an impact on the housing market, specifically on mortgage interest deductions.
The President-Elect’s current plans include a rise in standard deductions for both individual filers and those filing jointly. Under current laws, many filers itemize their deductions rather than taking the standard deduction of $6,300 in order to receive additional tax breaks. But now, single filers could see a rise in exemption from $6,300 to $15,000 and joint filers could see a rise double that, at $30,000. Therefore, previously, those paying $10,000 in mortgage interest would have benefited from itemizing, but under Trump’s new proposals, in many cases, taxpayers would benefit more by taking the new standard deduction rather than itemizing. Although these propositions could simplify the filing process, they could also discourage individuals from buying. If homeowners no longer have an incentive to itemize and deduct their mortgage interest, then many may feel that renting is just as advantageous as buying.
Many economists would suggest that mortgage interest deduction does not actually motivate individuals to buy, but just encourages them to spend more or buy larger homes. However, limiting tax preferences for homeownership could cause a drop in the value and price of homes, a potential benefit to buyers, though a definite negative for sellers. One positive the market may have to look forward to is lower tax rates for many tax brackets, which has the potential to encourage individuals to spend more money on a variety of things, including housing. While the President-Elect’s tax changes could cause shifts to housing and homeownership, his proposals are ever changing and still being ironed out in many places. Current homeowners (who aren’t looking to sell in the next year) may have nothing to worry about, but future homeowners might consider what unfolds in the coming months before purchasing a home in 2017.
