2019 Tax Law Changes

2019 - Itemized deductions-State Property & Income tax Limitation

Asked Monday, December 24, 2018 by an anonymous user

CPA Answer:

The combination of residential property taxes and Income or sales taxes continues to be capped at $10,000.

Property taxes remain fully deductible for taxpayers in a business or for-profit activity, so taxes paid on rental realty can be taken in full on Schedule E.
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2019 Tax Law Changes

2019 - Standard deduction

Asked Monday, December 24, 2018 by an anonymous user

CPA Answer:

The standard deduction amounts will increase to $12,200 for individuals, $18,350 for heads of household, and $24,400 for married couples filing jointly and surviving spouses.

For 2019, the additional standard deduction amount for the aged or the blind is $1,300. The additional standard deduction amount increases to $1,650 for unmarried taxpayers.

For 2019, the standard deduction amount for an individual who may be claimed as a dependent by another taxpayer cannot exceed the greater of $1,100 or the sum of $350 and the individual’s earned income.
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2019 Tax Law Changes

2019 - Itemized deductions- medical expenses

Asked Monday, December 24, 2018 by an anonymous user

CPA Answer:

For tax years beginning January 1, 2019, medical expenses, for all taxpayers, are deductible to the extent that they exceed 10% of youir AGI. It was 7.5% of AGI in 2018.

In addition, the AMT preference related to medical expenses is eliminated.
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2019 Tax Law Changes

2019 - Itemized deductions - Miscellaneous Itemized Deductions

Asked Monday, December 24, 2018 by an anonymous user

CPA Answer:

For tax years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026 all miscellaneous itemized deductions that were previously subject to a 2% AGI limitation are suspended.

Among the items included in this elimination are:
All unreimbursed employee business expenses;
Union dues
Brokerage fees
All expenses related to tax return preparation;
Appraisal fees for charitable contributions;
Investment expenses.
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2019 Tax Law Changes

2019 - Alternative minimum tax (AMT) exemption amounts

Asked Monday, December 24, 2018 by an anonymous user

CPA Answer:

The alternative minimum tax (AMT) exemption amounts are adjusted for inflation. Here’s what those numbers look like for 2019:

Individual = $71,700
Married Filing Jointly = $111,700
Married Filg Separately = $55,850
Estates and Trusts = $25000
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2019 Tax Law Changes

2019 - Retirement plan limits

Asked Monday, December 24, 2018 by an anonymous user

CPA Answer:

Salary reduction deferrals $19,000 for 401(k) or 403(b) and most 457 plans. Catch-up Contributions $6,000

IRA Contributions $6,000 - IRA Catch-up Contributions remains at $1,000.

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2019 Tax Law Changes

2019 - Itemized deductions-Charitable Contributions

Asked Monday, December 24, 2018 by an anonymous user

CPA Answer:

For contributions made in tax years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026 the 50% limitation is increased to 60%. Any amounts in excess of the new limit can be carried forward and deducted for up to five years (as was allowed under prior law).

For any contribution made in a tax year beginning after December 31, 2016, the requirement of a charity to provide contemporaneous written acknowledgement as substantiation for any contribution of $250 or more is repealed.

Beginning in 2018, no charitable deduction is allowed for any payment to an institution of higher learning in exchange for which the contributor is given a right to purchase seats at an athletic event.

Prior to the enactment of the new law, charitable contributions were deductible with certain ceilings based upon a percentage of AGI. A 50% of AGI limit applied to cash contributions to public charities and certain private foundations.
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Social Security

2018- Social Security

Asked Monday, December 24, 2018 by an anonymous user

CPA Answer:

For 2018, the tax rate on the employee portion of Social Security is 6.2% on wages up to $128,400, so Social Security tax withholdings should not exceed $7,960.80. Medicare tax of 1.45% is withheld from all wages regardless of amount.

On Schedule SE for 2018, self-employment tax of 15.3% applies to earnings of up to $128,400 after the earnings are reduced by 7.65%. The 15.3% rate equals 12.4% for Social Security (6.2% employee share and 6.2% employer share) plus 2.9% for Medicare.

If net earnings exceed $128,400, the 2.9% Medicare rate applies to the entire amount. One half of the self-employment tax may be claimed as an above-the-line deduction on Schedule 1 of Form 1040.
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2019 Tax Law Changes

2019 - Ordinary Income Tax Rates

Asked Monday, December 24, 2018 by an anonymous user

CPA Answer:

For 2019, the tax bracket amounts have been indexed for inflation.

For tax years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026, seven brackets will apply to individuals: 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35% and 37%.

No change has been made to the filing statuses that apply to individuals.
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2018 Tax Law Changes

2018 - Retirement plan limits

Asked Monday, December 24, 2018 by an anonymous user

CPA Answer:

For 2018, the contribution limit for traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs is unchanged at $5,500, or $6,500 for those age 50 or older.

The deduction limit for 2018 contributions to a traditional IRA is phased out for active plan participants with modified AGI (MAGI) between $63,000 and $73,000 for a single person or head of household, or between $101,000 and $121,000 for married persons filing jointly and qualifying widows/widowers.

The phaseout range is MAGI between $189,000 and $199,000 for a spouse who is not an active plan participant and who files jointly with a spouse who is an active plan participant.

The 2018 Roth IRA contribution limit is phased out for a single person or head of household with MAGI between $120,000 and $135,000, and for married persons filing jointly and qualifying widows/widowers with MAGI between $189,000 and $199,000.

If you converted your traditional IRA to a Roth IRA in 2018, you cannot undo it; the conversion is permanent.
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