tax planning - Linkenheimer LLP CPAs & Advisors

In Honor of National Philanthropic Day (November 15th 2014)…

Have you considered charitable giving as a tax planning strategy for 2014?

It’s that time of year again! As we enter into the holiday season (which based on the local Target store is now officially the day after Halloween) of festive parties, family gatherings, and of course, gift giving, it creates a natural opportunity for those who are charitably inclined to consider yearend charitable contributions. In addition to the philanthropic aspect of charitable giving, it also can be used as an effective estate and yearend tax planning tool.

Most American households make their charitable gifts in cash, with the corresponding tax deduction allowed as an itemized deduction on their individual tax returns. In most instances, taxpayers may deduct up to 50% of their adjusted gross income (AGI) for cash gifts made to public charities. For gifts that exceed the 50% threshold, the contribution deduction is carried forward for a five year period.

For those who plan on incorporating charitable giving into their estate and tax planning strategies, gifting of highly appreciated property (stock, mutual funds, real estate) can be an extremely valuable tool that is often overlooked. This tax planning strategy is derived from the general idea […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:05:43+00:00November 6th, 2014|charity, strategy, tax planning|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 […]