We get asked a lot of questions about IRAs, and their required minimum distributions or RMDs. So Mindy Norton with our JMF Pension Consulting group provided the following synopsis to help explain. As an individual, you are required to begin taking minimum distributions from your traditional IRA in the year in which you turn [...]
Are you planning to take out a home equity loan to pay for home improvements? Unfortunately, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) cracks down on mortgage interest deductions for home equity loans, among other changes. However, if you play your cards right, you may have an ace in the hole. How it works: Due [...]
Congress passed the “Taxpayer First Act” in late June. This new groundbreaking legislation creates an independent office of appeals within the IRS, modernizes IRS operations and improves cyber security measures. The new law also expands safeguards addressing ID theft of taxpayers. But this is likely not the end of the story. Most experts believe [...]
Recently released IRS form 8995 instructions indicate that taxpayers filing business returns must reduce qualified business income by charitable deductions. A reduction in qualified business income reduces the potential qualified business income deduction. Although this provision is not in the Section 199A regulations, the reduction in qualified business income can be avoided by making [...]
Do you need to make repairs to your business premises or equipment? It can make a big tax difference if the work is characterized as a “repair” or an “improvement.” In brief, a repair is currently deductible by your business, while the cost of an improvement must be written off over time. The IRS and [...]
The IRS recently issued a stern warning to some taxpayers who plan to travel internationally: Pay off your tax debt or your passport may be revoked. Under a little-noticed 2015 law, the IRS was granted the authority to notify the State Department about taxpayers who have a “seriously delinquent tax debt.” This is defined [...]
Dear Clients and Friends (and Blog Readers!): With the first tax season under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) behind us, we have a better understanding of the practical applications on the tax law changes. As expected, the law changes had a profound impact on many taxpayers and created new planning opportunities. There [...]
As you are probably aware if you read this blog consistently, we think Opportunity Zones have great potential for taxpayers/investors. In fact, since last fall, many of the uncertainties around Opportunity Zones have been cleared up through IRS regulations. Most people are not expecting any more official IRS guidance release so the rules of [...]
The massive tax legislation signed over a year ago, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), authorized a brand-new deduction for qualified business income (QBI) of pass-through entities and sole proprietors. This deduction under Section 199A of the tax code provides opportunities for a wide range of taxpayers, but has also caused confusion, especially as [...]
Generally, when you rent out a vacation home to strangers, you must pay tax on the rental income, but you are then entitled to some offsetting deductions. Special rule: There are no tax consequences for a rental lasting two weeks or less. In other words, you do not owe any tax, but you cannot [...]