When it comes to tax planning, you’ve got to be ready for anything. For example, do you know whether you’re likely to be subject to the alternative minimum tax (AMT) when you file your 2016 return? If not, you need to find out now so that you can consider taking steps before year end to [...]
Year end may seem far away. But now’s a good time to start looking ahead to what itemized deductions you may be able to claim for the 2016 tax year. Following is a list of selected deduction and exclusion items to consider. Don’t use the list as a tax planning worksheet. Rather, think of it [...]
A Health Savings Account (HSA) represents an opportunity for eligible individuals to lower their out-of-pocket health care costs and federal tax bill. Since most of us would like to take advantage of every available tax break, now might be a good time to consider an HSA, if eligible. An HSA operates somewhat like a flexible [...]
On July 31, 2015, the President signed the “Surface Transportation and Veterans Health Care Choice Improvement Act of 2015” (the Highway Act) into law, providing a three-month extension of the general expenditure authority for the Highway Trust Fund (HTF). Part of the HTF extension was paid for by changes to tax compliance provisions, the most [...]
The net investment income tax, or NIIT, is a 3.8% surtax on investment income collected from higher-income individuals. It first took effect in 2013. After filing your 2014 return, you may have been hit with this extra tax for two years, and you may now be ready to get proactive by taking some steps to [...]
Since the Supreme Court’s 2013 Windsor decision, same-sex couples who are legally married under state or foreign laws are treated as married for federal tax purposes just like any other married couple. The Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision (issued in late June) now requires all states to license and recognize marriages between same-sex couples can exercise [...]