hsa - Linkenheimer LLP CPAs & Advisors

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)

HSAs allow eligible individuals to make deductible contributions that can be withdrawn tax-free later to reimburse the individual for eligible medical expenses. For 2016, the limitation on HSA deductions is $3,350 for an individual with self-only coverage under a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) or $6,750 for an individual with family coverage. An HDHP is defined under IRC Sec. 223(c) as a health plan with an annual deductible not less than $1,300 for self-only coverage or $2,600 for family coverage, with annual out-of-pocket expenses (deductibles, copayments, and other amounts, but not premiums) not exceeding $6,550 for self-only coverage or $13,100 for family coverage. If you have any questions, please contact your Linkenheimer CPA.

Year-end tax planning with checklists and tips

Year-end tax planning could be especially productive this year because timely action could nail down a host of tax breaks that won’t be around next year unless Congress acts to extend them, which, at the present time, looks doubtful. These include, for individuals: the option to deduct state and local sales and use taxes instead of state and local income taxes; the above-the-line deduction for qualified higher education expenses; and tax-free distributions by those age 70-1/2 or older from IRAs for charitable purposes. For businesses, tax breaks that are available through the end of this year but won’t be around next year unless Congress acts include: 50% bonus first-year depreciation for most new machinery, equipment and software; an extraordinarily high $500,000 expensing limitation; the research tax credit; and the 15-year write-off for qualified leasehold improvements, qualified restaurant buildings and improvements and qualified retail improvements.

High-income-earners have other factors to keep in mind when mapping out year-end plans. For the first time, they have to take into account the 3.8% tax surtax on unearned income and the additional 0.9% Medicare (hospital insurance, or HI) tax that applies to individuals receiving wages with respect to employment in excess of $200,000 ($250,000 for […]