Congress has just enacted the biggest tax reform law in thirty years, one that will make fundamental changes in the way you, your family, and your business calculate your federal income tax bill, and the amount of federal tax you will pay.
Since most of the changes will go into effect next year, there’s still a narrow window of time before year-end to soften or avoid the impact of crackdowns and to best position yourself for the tax breaks that may be heading your way. Here’s a quick rundown of last-minute moves you should evaluate that may lower your federal income tax bill and position yourself for tax savings in future years.
Lower tax rates are coming.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will reduce tax rates for many taxpayers, effective for the 2018 tax year. Additionally, many businesses, including those operated as passthroughs, such as partnerships, may see their tax bills cut. The general plan of action to take advantage of lower tax rates next year is to defer income into next year. Some possibilities follow:
- If you are about to convert a regular IRA to a Roth IRA, postpone your move until next year. That way you’ll defer income from the conversion until next year and have it taxed at lower rates.
- Earlier this year, you may have already converted a regular IRA to a Roth IRA but now you question the wisdom of that move, as the tax on the conversion will be subject to a lower tax rate next year. You can unwind the conversion to the Roth IRA by doing a re-characterization-making a trustee-to-trustee transfer from the Roth to a regular IRA before year-end. Starting next year, you won’t be able to use a re-characterization to unwind a regular-IRA-to-Roth-IRA conversion.
- If you run a business that renders services and operates on the cash basis, the income you earn isn’t taxed until your clients or patients pay. If you hold off on billings until next year-or until so late in the year that no payment will likely be received this year-you will likely succeed in deferring income until next year.
- If your business is on the accrual basis, deferral of income until next year is difficult but not impossible. For example, you might, with due regard to business considerations, be able to postpone completion of a last-minute job until 2018, or defer deliveries of merchandise until next year (if doing so won’t upset your customers). Taking one or more of these steps would postpone your right to payment, and the income from the job or the merchandise, until next year. Keep in mind that the rules in this area are complex and may require a tax professional’s input.
Disappearing or reduced deductions, larger standard deduction.
Beginning next year, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act suspends or reduces many popular tax deductions in exchange for a larger standard deduction. Here’s what you can do about this right now:
- Individuals (as opposed to businesses) will only be able to claim an itemized deduction of up to $10,000 ($5,000 for a married taxpayer filing a separate return) for the total of (1) state and local property taxes; and (2) state and local income taxes. To avoid this limitation, pay the last installment of estimated state and local taxes for 2017 no later than Dec. 31, 2017, rather than on the 2018 due date. But don’t prepay in 2017 a state income tax bill that will be imposed next year – Congress says such a prepayment won’t be deductible in 2017. However, Congress only forbade prepayments for state income taxes, not property taxes, so a prepayment on or before Dec. 31, 2017, of a 2018 property tax installment is apparently okay. Watch out for the alternative minimum tax (“AMT”). If you’ll owe AMT for 2017, the prepayment strategy may backfire. That’s because write-offs for state and local income and property taxes are completely disallowed under the AMT and prepaying these expenses may do little or no tax-saving good.
- The itemized deduction for charitable contributions won’t be chopped. But because most other itemized deductions will be eliminated in exchange for a larger standard deduction (e.g., $24,000 for joint filers), charitable contributions after 2017 may not yield a tax benefit for many because they won’t be able to itemize deductions. If you think you will fall in this category, consider accelerating some charitable giving into 2017.The new law temporarily boosts itemized deductions for medical expenses. For 2017 and 2018 these expenses can be claimed as itemized deductions to the extent they exceed a floor equal to 7.5% of your adjusted gross income (AGI). Before the new law, the floor was 10% of AGI (7.5% for age-65-or-older taxpayers). But keep in mind that next year many individuals will have to claim the standard deduction because many itemized deductions have been eliminated. If you won’t be able to itemize deductions after this year, but will be able to do so this year, consider accelerating “discretionary” medical expenses into this year if it would get you over the AGI hurdle on this year’s tax return.
- Prepaying tax-deductible charitable donations that you would otherwise make next year can reduce your 2017 federal income tax bill. Donations charged to credit cards before year end will count as 2017 contributions, even though you won’t pay the credit card bills until early next year. Understanding that you make donations for reasons other than tax benefits, charitable contributions claimed this year will be worth more than deductions claimed next year assuming your tax rate is reduced in 2018.
Other year-end strategies.
Here are some other last-minute moves that can save tax dollars in view of the new tax law:
- For decades, businesses have been able to deduct 50% of the cost of entertainment directly related to or associated with the active conduct of a business. Under the new law, for amounts paid or incurred after Dec. 31, 2017, there’s no deduction for such expenses. If you’ve been thinking of entertaining clients and business associates, do so before year-end.
- Under current rules, alimony payments generally are an above-the line deduction for the payer and included in the income of the payee. Under the new law, alimony payments aren’t deductible by the payer or includible in the income of the payee, generally effective for any divorce decree or separation agreement executed after 2017. If you’re in the middle of a divorce or separation agreement, and you’ll wind up on the paying end, it would be worth your while to wrap things up before year end.
- The new law suspends the deduction for moving expenses after 2017 (except for certain members of the Armed Forces), and suspends the tax-free reimbursement of employment-related moving expenses. If you’re in the midst of a job-related move, try to incur your deductible moving expenses before year-end, or if the move is connected with a new job and you’re getting reimbursed by your new employer, press for a reimbursement to be made to you before year-end.
- Under current law, various employee business expenses, e.g., employee home office expenses, are deductible as itemized deductions if those expenses plus certain other expenses exceed 2% of adjusted gross income. The new law suspends the deduction for employee business expenses paid after 2017. So, you should determine whether paying additional employee business expenses in 2017, that you would otherwise pay in 2018, would provide you with an additional 2017 tax benefit. Also, now would be a good time to talk to your employer about changing your compensation arrangement-for example, your employer reimbursing you for the types of employee business expenses that you have been paying yourself up to now, and lowering your salary by an amount that approximates those expenses. In most cases, such reimbursements would not be subject to tax.
Please keep in mind that this describes only some of the year-end moves that should be considered in light of the new tax law. If you would like more details about any aspect of how the new law may affect you, please do not hesitate to contact your advisor or one of BST’s tax experts.
