Checking withholding can help taxpayers decide if they need to give their employer a new W-45/26/2021  All taxpayers should review their federal withholding each year to make sure they're not having too little or too much tax withheld.
Employees, retirees and self-employed individuals can use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator to help decide if they should make a change to their withholding. This online tool guides users, step-by-step through the process of checking their withholding, and provides withholding recommendations to help aim for their desired refund amount when they file next year. Taxpayers can check with their employer to update their withholding or submit a new Form W-4, Employee's Withholding Certificate. Adjustments to withholding Individuals should generally increase withholding if they hold more than one job at a time or have income from sources not subject to withholding. If they don’t make any changes, they will likely owe additional tax and possibly penalties when filing their tax return. Individuals should generally decrease their withholding if they qualify for income tax credits or deductions other than the basic standard deduction. Either way, those who need to adjust their withholding must prepare a new Form W-4, Employee's Withholding Certificate. They need to submit the new Form W-4 to their employer as soon as possible since withholding occurs throughout the year. Individuals who should check their withholding include those:
Tax Withholding Estimator benefits The IRS Tax Withholding Estimator can help taxpayers:
Taxpayers should prepare before using the Tax Withholding Estimator by having their most recent pay statements, information for other income sources and their most recent income tax return. The tool does not ask for sensitive information such as name, Social Security number, address, or bank account numbers. State or local withholding Some individuals might also need to adjust their state or local withholding. They can contact their state's department of revenue to learn more. "Tax Tips" are published to provide current tax information, tax-cutting suggestions, and tax reminders. If you would like more information on anything in "Tax Tips," or if you'd like to be on our mailing list to receive other tax information from time to time, please contact our office. The tax information contained in this site is of a general nature and should not be acted upon in your specific situation without further details and/or professional assistance. We are trusted CPA advisors servicing Burr Ridge, Hinsdale, Willowbrook, Darien, Naperville, and all Chicagoland area. Do you need assistance with your business and/or personal tax returns? Would you like to have a trusted source for your accounting, allowing you additional time to focus on increasing your business? Do you use QuickBooks, or plan to in the future, for your accounting? We include these in all our service packages, customized to fit your personal or business needs. We are currently accepting new clients. Your initial consultation is free, so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Our experienced staff is available to help you streamline your accounting, giving you more free time for yourself. Set up an appointment today by calling (630) 320-3720 or email us at info@monarchaccountinggroup.com. For more free resources, such as Tax Rates, Tax Organizers, and Record Retention Schedules, access our website www.monarchaccountinggroup.com. Monarch Accounting Group, Inc 145 Tower Drive, Suite 4 Burr Ridge, IL 60527 Phone (630) 320-3720
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There will be a lot of political rhetoric about increasing the national debt with trillions more in spending, adding billions to allow the IRS to audit high income taxpayers, and creating more changes in the tax code in the next few months. To help you break through the media clutter, here is the latest information on who pays individual income taxes. The information comes directly from the IRS. It includes the latest published tax data for the 2018 tax year collected in 2019. It represents the first read on the impact of tax collections after implementation of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. While this time period is pre-COVID, it should give you an objective view of the current nature of the tax system without the impact of additional federal spending and the impact of unemployment due to the pandemic.  How to read: The top 10% of Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) taxpayers reported approximately 47.7% of the income and paid 71.4% of the total individual income tax collected in 2019 for 2018 tax returns. Note: The above figures net out "negative" income tax returns for those who filed a tax return, but due to adjustments and credits have negative adjusted gross income. Source: Internal Revenue Service, SOI Bulletin - Selected Income and Tax Items, Shares of Adjusted Gross Income and Total Income Tax and Average Tax Rates. All figures are based on estimates from sampling conducted by the Internal Revenue Service using 2019 tax filing data that encompass 2018 tax returns. Income means Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) as reported on individual income tax returns. Observations
How to read the rhetoric Everyone should pay their fair share. It is an interesting phrase, but what does it mean? How much, exactly, is a fair share for upper income groups? The top 25% currently pay 87% of the tax. Should it be 90%? 95%? All of it? Conversely, are they talking about the 50% of taxpayers that are paying 3% of total income taxes? You will need to decide, but when applying the IRS statistics, it seems like word speak without substance. We have a progressive tax system. The IRS statistics noted above show this to be true. And even with the impact of the 2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the progressive nature of the system still holds true. Tax cuts favor the wealthy. Yes, tax cuts favor the wealthy because that's who currently pays the majority of income taxes. Tax increases also always hit higher income taxpayers...for the same reason. Part of the philosophical discussion surrounds the purpose of the income tax: is it to pay for spending or is it to redistribute wealth and convert income of some taxpayers into free and low cost benefits for others? Higher income taxes hurt small business. This is true, but perhaps in more ways than you think. Most small business tax payments are rolled into these individual income tax numbers. This is because most small businesses have their business profits taxed on their personal tax return as flow through entities. So changes in individual tax rates impact most small businesses which in turn impacts their ability to invest in their businesses and employees. To help solve this problem, the tax code contains a tax break called the qualified business income deduction. "Tax Tips" are published to provide current tax information, tax-cutting suggestions, and tax reminders. If you would like more information on anything in "Tax Tips," or if you'd like to be on our mailing list to receive other tax information from time to time, please contact our office. The tax information contained in this site is of a general nature and should not be acted upon in your specific situation without further details and/or professional assistance. We are trusted CPA advisors servicing Burr Ridge, Hinsdale, Willowbrook, Darien, Naperville, and all Chicagoland area. Do you need assistance with your business and/or personal tax returns? Would you like to have a trusted source for your accounting, allowing you additional time to focus on increasing your business? Do you use QuickBooks, or plan to in the future, for your accounting? We include these in all our service packages, customized to fit your personal or business needs. We are currently accepting new clients. Your initial consultation is free, so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Our experienced staff is available to help you streamline your accounting, giving you more free time for yourself. Set up an appointment today by calling (630) 320-3720 or email us at info@monarchaccountinggroup.com. For more free resources, such as Tax Rates, Tax Organizers, and Record Retention Schedules, access our website www.monarchaccountinggroup.com. Monarch Accounting Group, Inc 145 Tower Drive, Suite 4 Burr Ridge, IL 60527 Phone (630) 320-3720  With the end of the 2020 filing season upon us, now is the time to become aware of major changes for 2021. But be prepared, politicians are making noise in preparation for another fun-filled year of late breaking changes. Here is what we know know. For individuals
For Small Businesses
Remember, these are still early days in changing the tax code for 2021. It seems like cementing tax changes for the current year BEFORE it starts is a bit too rational, so be prepared and look for future announcements of rule changes. "Tax Tips" are published to provide current tax information, tax-cutting suggestions, and tax reminders. If you would like more information on anything in "Tax Tips," or if you'd like to be on our mailing list to receive other tax information from time to time, please contact our office. The tax information contained in this site is of a general nature and should not be acted upon in your specific situation without further details and/or professional assistance. We are trusted CPA advisors servicing Burr Ridge, Hinsdale, Willowbrook, Darien, Naperville, and all Chicagoland area. Do you need assistance with your business and/or personal tax returns? Would you like to have a trusted source for your accounting, allowing you additional time to focus on increasing your business? Do you use QuickBooks, or plan to in the future, for your accounting? We include these in all our service packages, customized to fit your personal or business needs. We are currently accepting new clients. Your initial consultation is free, so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Our experienced staff is available to help you streamline your accounting, giving you more free time for yourself. Set up an appointment today by calling (630) 320-3720 or email us at info@monarchaccountinggroup.com. For more free resources, such as Tax Rates, Tax Organizers, and Record Retention Schedules, access our website www.monarchaccountinggroup.com. Monarch Accounting Group, Inc 145 Tower Drive, Suite 4 Burr Ridge, IL 60527 Phone (630) 320-3720  It’s hard to believe a little over a year ago the COVID 19 pandemic hit everyone. As things slowly turn back to normal, you need to be ready for the normalizing of the tax rules and adjusting to new ones. Here is how you can be prepared. Required minimum distributions. If you are age 72 or older, you must once again plan to take the minimum required distribution from your retirement account in 2021. The one-year waiver of this required distribution is now over. Penalty-free distributions from retirement accounts. While penalty-free distributions from retirement accounts is still available for those in presidentially declared disaster areas, the distribution benefit for pandemic related reasons is expiring. Remember, if you had to make withdrawals you will need to pay income tax on the distributions unless you repay the funds in a timely manner. Unemployment taxation. Federal unemployment benefits continue to be extended through various federal spending programs. Late breaking rules make $10,200 of last year’s unemployment benefits tax-free on most federal tax returns. But that doesn’t mean you won’t be taxed on these benefits this year. If there are not withholdings from these payments, you may be required to send in estimated tax payments. Businesses need to stay alert. While the original PPP loan program is now in forgiveness mode, there are new loans and active programs to help cover the cost of employees affected by the pandemic. The best course of action is to stay aware of ever-changing federal and state landscape. Rules and benefit programs relating to the pandemic are not over. But as social distancing rules adjust, so too must you to the changing tax law landscape. "Tax Tips" are published to provide current tax information, tax-cutting suggestions, and tax reminders. If you would like more information on anything in "Tax Tips," or if you'd like to be on our mailing list to receive other tax information from time to time, please contact our office. The tax information contained in this site is of a general nature and should not be acted upon in your specific situation without further details and/or professional assistance. We are trusted CPA advisors servicing Burr Ridge, Hinsdale, Willowbrook, Darien, Naperville, and all Chicagoland area. Do you need assistance with your business and/or personal tax returns? Would you like to have a trusted source for your accounting, allowing you additional time to focus on increasing your business? Do you use QuickBooks, or plan to in the future, for your accounting? We include these in all our service packages, customized to fit your personal or business needs. We are currently accepting new clients. Your initial consultation is free, so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Our experienced staff is available to help you streamline your accounting, giving you more free time for yourself. Set up an appointment today by calling (630) 320-3720 or email us at info@monarchaccountinggroup.com. For more free resources, such as Tax Rates, Tax Organizers, and Record Retention Schedules, access our website www.monarchaccountinggroup.com. Monarch Accounting Group, Inc 145 Tower Drive, Suite 4 Burr Ridge, IL 60527 Phone (630) 320-3720 |
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