medicare - Linkenheimer LLP CPAs & Advisors

The 2021 “Social Security Wage Base” Is Increasing

If your small business is planning for payroll next year, be aware that the “Social Security wage base” is increasing.

The Social Security Administration recently announced that the maximum earnings subject to Social Security tax will increase from $137,700 in 2020 to $142,800 in 2021.

For 2021, the FICA tax rate for both employers and employees is 7.65% (6.2% for Social Security and 1.45% for Medicare).

For 2021, the Social Security tax rate is 6.2% each for the employer and employee (12.4% total) on the first $142,800 of employee wages. The tax rate for Medicare is 1.45% each for the employee and employer (2.9% total). There’s no wage base limit for Medicare tax so all covered wages are subject to Medicare tax.

In addition to withholding Medicare tax at 1.45%, an employer must withhold a 0.9% additional Medicare tax from wages paid to an employee in excess of $200,000 in a calendar year.

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-10-30T15:45:44+00:00October 30th, 2020|medical deduction, medicare, social security|0 Comments

Seniors: Medicare Premiums Could Lower Your Tax Bill

Americans who are 65 and older qualify for basic Medicare insurance, and they may need to pay additional premiums to get the level of coverage they desire. The premiums can be expensive, especially if you’re married and both you and your spouse are paying them. But one aspect of paying premiums might be positive: If you qualify, they may help lower your tax bill.

Medicare premium tax deductions

Premiums for Medicare health insurance can be combined with other qualifying health care expenses for purposes of claiming an itemized deduction for medical expenses on your individual tax return. This includes amounts for “Medigap” insurance and Medicare Advantage plans. Some people buy Medigap policies because Medicare Parts A and B don’t cover all their health care expenses. Coverage gaps include co-payments, co-insurance, deductibles and other costs. Medigap is private supplemental insurance that’s intended to cover some or all gaps.

Fewer people now itemize

Qualifying for […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:04:08+00:00April 9th, 2019|deduction, deductions, medicare|0 Comments

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 […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:05:47+00:00November 26th, 2013|3.8, 401k, agi, amt, best place to work, CPA, hsa, ira, medicare, mike musson, roth ira, Santa Rosa, tax, tax planning, year-end|0 Comments

Planning for the new Medicare taxes in 2013

As summer quickly passes and we head into the last half of 2013, it is a good time to evaluate your income and deductions for the year and begin working with your CPA on planning strategies to reduce your overall tax burden.

Specifically, upper income individuals should be aware of the additional Medicare Tax which applies to earned income (wages and self-employment income). Prior to this new tax provision beginning in 2013, any wages paid to you by your employer were subject to a 2.9% Medicare payroll tax, which was split equally by you and your employer (1.45% each). Beginning in 2013, wages above $200,000 for individual tax filers, or $250,000 for married taxpayers filing jointly, will be subject to an additional .9% Medicare tax.

For illustrative purposes, this would mean that if you and your spouse file a joint tax return and have combined wages of $350,000, you will end up paying an additional $900 in Medicare taxes. Employers are required to withhold this additional tax for employees with wages in excess of $200,000, and any underpaid or overpaid Medicare taxes will be adjusted for on your income tax return. Individuals with both wages and self-employment income aggregate their earned […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:05:50+00:00July 26th, 2013|2013, 3.8, best, carli ortiz, CPA, Linkenheimer, medicare, planning, Santa Rosa, strategy, tax, upper income|0 Comments

Beware of the 3.8% Medicare Surtax for Estates and Trusts

Ever since the United States Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act, most of the focus has been on how this increased tax effects individual taxpayers. As determined by this decision, individual taxpayers with modified adjusted gross income over $200,000 (or $250,000 for married taxpayers) are subject to an increased 3.8% Medicare surtax on certain investment income beginning in 2013.

Little focus has been given on how this increased Medicare surtax will increase tax liabilities for trusts and estates. Income in an irrevocable trust is either taxed to the trust or to the trust beneficiaries. If income in the trust or estate is accumulated at the trust or estate level, then the trust or estate pays the income tax. If the income is distributed to the beneficiaries, however, the trust receives an income tax deduction for the amount of the distributable net income (DNI) and the beneficiaries report the taxable income.

In the case of a trust or estate, the 3.8% Medicare surcharge is imposed on the lesser of either undistributed net investment income or the excess of adjusted gross income over the highest estate or trust income tax bracket. For 2013, the highest trust income tax bracket begins at $11,950, […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:05:51+00:00June 3rd, 2013|3.8, affordable care act, carli ortiz, CPA, estate, Linkenheimer, medicare, Santa Rosa, surtax, tax, taxable income, trust|0 Comments