Now is the time to take action on reducing next year's tax bill. One area to help reduce your tax obligation is leveraging your kids to the fullest by understanding the kiddie tax rules.
Background The term kiddie tax was introduced by the Tax Reform Act of 1986. The rules are intended to keep parents from shifting their investment income to their children to have it taxed at their child's lower tax rate. In 2022 the law requires a child's unearned income (generally dividends, interest, and capital gains) above $2,300 be taxed at their parent's tax rate. Applies to
Who/What it does NOT apply to
The excess over $2,300 is taxed at the parent's rate either on the parent's tax return Planning thoughts So while your child's unearned income above $2,300 is a problem, you will still want to leverage the tax advantage up to this amount. Here are some ideas: Maximize your lower tax investment options. Look for gains in your child's investment accounts to maximize the use of your child's kiddie tax threshold each year. You could consider selling stocks to capture your child's investment gains and then buy the stock back later to establish a higher cost basis. Be careful where you report a child's unearned income. Don't automatically add your child's unearned income to your tax return. It might inadvertently raise your taxes in surprising ways by reducing your tax benefits in other programs like the American Opportunity Credit. Leverage gift giving. If your children are not maximizing tax-free investment income each year consider gifting funds to allow for unearned income up to the kiddie tax thresholds. Just be careful, as these assets can have an impact on a child's financial aid when approaching college age years. Properly managed, the kiddie tax rules can be used to your advantage. But be careful, this part of the tax code can create an unwelcome surprise if not handled properly. "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.
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The tax law provides a valuable tax-saving opportunity to business owners and real estate investors who want to sell property and acquire similar property at about the same time. This tax break is known as a like-kind or tax-deferred exchange. By following certain rules, you can postpone some or all of the tax that would otherwise be due when you sell property at a gain.
The like-kind exchange rule A like-kind exchange involves swapping assets that are similar in nature. Since the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in December 2017, like-kind exchanges are now generally limited to exchanges of property. Typically, an equal swap of property is rare. Some amount of cash or debt must change hands between two parties to complete an exchange. Cash or other dissimilar property received in an exchange may be taxable. Real estate exchanges By using a like-kind exchange you can effectively leverage money you would need to pay for capital gains taxes and depreciation recapture tax into the next property. And with a real estate exchange, it is unusual to find two parties whose properties are suitable to each other. This isn’t a problem because the rules allow for three-party exchanges. Three-party exchanges require the use of an intermediary. The intermediary coordinates the paperwork and holds your sale proceeds until you find a replacement property. Then he forwards the money to your closing agent to complete the exchange. Not for the faint of heart The like-kind exchange rules are very strict. For this reason, it is always best to hire an expert to advise you prior to exploring this tax saving technique. But when done properly, exchanges let you trade up in value without owing tax on a sale. Even better, there’s no limit on the number of times you can exchange a piece of property. "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. As part of your planning for next year, now is the time to review funding your retirement accounts In 2022. With the cost of living calculations and increases in inflation, higher phaseout limits make many more taxpayers eligible for fully deductible contributions. So plan now to take full advantage of this tax benefit. Here are annual contribution limits for the more popular programs: How to use
If you have not already done so, also consider:
"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. |
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September 2023
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