CPA Blog

3 income-tax-smart gifting strategies

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Published: Thursday, 17 March 2016 08:27

Written by Phillip Strickler, CPA.CITP

If your 2015 tax liability is higher than you’d hoped and you’re ready to transfer some assets to your loved ones, now may be the time to get started. Giving away assets will, of course, help reduce the size of your taxable estate. But with income-tax-smart gifting strategies, it also can reduce yourincome tax liability — and perhaps your family’s tax liability overall:

1. Gift appreciated or dividend-producing assets to loved ones eligible for the 0% rate. The 0% rate applies to both long-term gain and qualified dividends that would be taxed at 10% or 15% based on the taxpayer’s ordinary-income rate.

2. Gift appreciated or dividend-producing assets to loved ones in lower tax brackets. Even if no one in your family is eligible for the 0% rate, transferring assets to loved ones in a lower income tax bracket than you can still save taxes overall for your family. This strategy can be even more powerful if you’d be subject to the 3.8% net investment income tax on dividends from the assets or if you sold the assets.

3. Don’t gift assets that have declined in value. Instead, sell the assets so you can take the tax loss. Then gift the sale proceeds.

If you’re considering making gifts to someone who’ll be under age 24 on December 31, make sure he or she won’t be subject to the “kiddie tax.” And if your estate is large enough that gift and estate taxes are a concern, you need to think about those taxes, too. To learn more about tax-smart gifting, contact us.

© 2016

Make a 2015 contribution to an IRA before time runs out

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Published: Tuesday, 15 March 2016 08:31

Written by Phillip Strickler, CPA.CITP

Tax-advantaged retirement plans allow your money to grow tax-deferred — or, in the case of Roth accounts, tax-free. But annual contributions are limited by tax law, and any unused limit can’t be carried forward to make larger contributions in future years. So it’s a good idea to use up as much of your annual limits as possible. Have you maxed out your 2015 limits?

April 18 deadline

While it’s too late to add to your 2015 401(k) contributions, there’s still time to make 2015 IRA contributions. The deadline is April 18, 2016. The limit for total contributions to all IRAs generally is $5,500 ($6,500 if you were age 50 or older on December 31, 2015).

A traditional IRA contribution also might provide some savings on your 2015 tax bill. If you and your spouse don’t participate in an employer-sponsored plan such as a 401(k) — or you do but your income doesn’t exceed certain limits — your traditional IRA contribution is fully deductible on your 2015 tax return.

Evaluate your options

If you don’t qualify for a deductible traditional IRA contribution, see if you qualify to make a Roth IRA contribution. If you exceed the applicable income-based limits, a nondeductible traditional IRA contribution may even make sense. Neither of these options will reduce your 2015 tax liability, but they still provide valuable opportunities for tax-deferred or tax-free growth.

We can help you determine which type of contributions you’re eligible for and what makes sense for you.

© 2016

Your accounting software should be a many-splendored thing

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Published: Friday, 04 March 2016 11:13

Written by Phillip Strickler, CPA.CITP

You’ve probably heard the song, “Love is a many-splendored thing.” Well, your company’s accounting software should be, too. That is, you’ve got to make sure your system does all of the bigand little things necessary to efficiently and accurately track your financials.

It’s not only about revenue

Annual revenue doesn’t always dictate what software you should acquire. Some $50 million a year businesses will do just fine using a less expensive accounting software package, while some $5 million businesses will require a much higher end product. The key is to thoroughly review your accounting processes, tax-reporting requirements, transaction volumes, staff’s abilities and management reporting needs.

The future matters as much as the present

Another important factor: your company’s growth rate. If you’re growing 20% or more per year, you must have an accounting package that can grow with you. Otherwise, converting to a new accounting system every couple of years will be a painful and expensive process.

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What’s your charitable donation deduction?

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Published: Friday, 26 February 2016 13:18

Written by Phillip Strickler, CPA.CITP

When it comes to deducting charitable gifts, all donations are not created equal. As you file your 2015 return and plan your charitable giving for 2016, it’s important to keep in mind the available deduction:

Cash. This includes not just actual cash but gifts made by check, credit card or payroll deduction. You may deduct 100%.

Ordinary-income property. Examples include stocks and bonds held one year or less, inventory, and property subject to depreciation recapture. You generally may deduct only the lesser of fair market value or your tax basis.

Long-term capital gains property. You may deduct the current fair market value of appreciated stocks and bonds held more than one year.

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