Month: January 2016

When you enroll in coverage through the Marketplace during Open Season, which runs through Jan. 31, 2016, you can choose to have monthly advance credit payments sent directly to your insurer. If you get the benefit of advance credit payments in any amount, or if you plan to claim the premium tax credit, you must file a federal income tax return and use Form 8962.

Form 8962, Premium Tax Credit (PTC), reconciles the amount of advance credit payments made on your behalf with the amount of your actual premium tax credit. You must file an income tax return for this purpose even if you are otherwise not required to file a return.

Here are four things to know about advance payments of the premium tax credit:

• If the premium tax credit computed on your return is more than the advance credit payments made on your behalf during the year, the difference will increase your refund or lower the amount of tax you owe. This will be reported in the ‘Payments’ section of Form 1040.
• If the advance credit payments are more than the amount of the premium tax credit you are allowed, you will add all or a portion of the excess advance credit payments made on your behalf to your tax liability by entering it in the ‘Tax and Credits’ section of your tax return. This will result in either a smaller refund or a larger balance due.
• If advance credit payments are made on behalf of you or an individual in your family, and you do not file a tax return, you will not be eligible for advance credit payments or cost-sharing reductions to help pay for your Marketplace health insurance coverage in future years.
• The amount of excess advance credit payments that you are required to repay may be limited based on your household income and filing status.

If your household income is 400 percent or more of the applicable federal poverty line, you will have to repay all of the advance credit payments. Repayment limits by household income as a percentage of the federal poverty line are listed below.

Repayment Limitation

If your household income is less than 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Line, the limitation amount is $300 for single filers and $600 for all other filing statuses.

If your household income is at least 200 percent, but less than 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Line the limitation amount is $750 for single filers and $1,500 for all other filing statuses.

If your household income is at least 300 percent, but less than 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Line the limitation amount is $1,250 for single filers and $2,500 for all other filing statuses.

If your household income is more than 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Line, there is no limitation amount for any filing status.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call the office.

• By Leon Clinton
• January 20, 2016

More than 50 tax provisions, including the tax rate schedules, and other tax changes are adjusted for inflation in 2016. Let’s take a look at the ones most likely to affect taxpayers like you.

The tax rate of 39.6 percent affects singles whose income exceeds $415,050 ($466,950 for married taxpayers filing a joint return), up from $413,200 and $464,850, respectively. The other marginal rates–10, 15, 25, 28, 33 and 35 percent–and related income tax thresholds–are found at IRS.gov.

The standard deduction remains at $6,300 for singles and married persons filing separate returns and $12,600 for married couples filing jointly. The standard deduction for heads of household rises to $9,300, up from $9,250.

The limitation for itemized deductions to be claimed on tax year 2016 returns of individuals begins with incomes of $259,400 or more ($311,300 for married couples filing jointly).

The personal exemption for tax year 2016 rises to $4,050, up from the 2015 exemption of $4,000. However, the exemption is subject to a phase-out that begins with adjusted gross incomes of $259,400 ($311,300 for married couples filing jointly). It phases out completely at $381,900 ($433,800 for married couples filing jointly.)

The Alternative Minimum Tax exemption amount for tax year 2016 is $53,900 and begins to phase out at $119,700 ($83,800, for married couples filing jointly for whom the exemption begins to phase out at $159,700). The 2015 exemption amount was $53,600 ($83,400 for married couples filing jointly). For tax year 2016, the 28 percent tax rate applies to taxpayers with taxable incomes above $186,300 ($93,150 for married individuals filing separately).

For 2016, the maximum Earned Income Credit amount is $6,269 for taxpayers filing jointly who have 3 or more qualifying children, up from a total of $6,242 for tax year 2015. The revenue procedure has a table providing maximum credit amounts for other categories, income thresholds and phase-outs.

Estates of decedents who die during 2016 have a basic exclusion amount of $5,450,000, up from a total of $5,430,000 for estates of decedents who died in 2015.

For 2016, the exclusion from tax on a gift to a spouse who is not a U.S. citizen is $148,000, up from $147,000 for 2015.

For 2016, the foreign earned income exclusion rises to $101,300, up from $100,800 in 2015.

The annual exclusion for gifts remains at $14,000 for 2016.

The annual dollar limit on employee contributions to employer-sponsored healthcare flexible spending arrangements (FSA) remains at $2,550.

Under the small business health care tax credit, the maximum credit is phased out based on the employer’s number of full-time equivalent employees in excess of 10 and the employer’s average annual wages in excess of $25,900 for tax year 2016, up from $25,800 for 2015.

Need help with tax planning in 2016? Help is just a phone call away!

• By Leon Clinton
• January 17, 2016

The safe harbor threshold for small businesses deducting certain capital items has increased from $500 to $2,500. The new $2,500 threshold takes effect starting with tax year 2016. In addition, the IRS will provide audit protection to eligible businesses by not challenging use of the new $2,500 threshold in tax years prior to 2016.

The change affects businesses that do not maintain an applicable financial statement (audited financial statement). It applies to amounts spent to acquire, produce or improve tangible property that would normally qualify as a capital item.

For taxpayers with an applicable financial statement, the de minimis or small-dollar threshold remains $5,000.

The new $2,500 threshold applies to any such item substantiated by an invoice. Small businesses will be able to immediately deduct many expenditures that would otherwise need to be spread over a period of years through annual depreciation deductions, simplifying paperwork and recordkeeping requirements.

During the February comment period, the IRS received more than 150 letters from businesses and their representatives suggesting an increase in the threshold. Commenters noted that the existing $500 threshold was too low to effectively reduce the administrative burden on small business. Moreover, the cost of many commonly expensed items such as tablet-style personal computers, smartphones, and machinery and equipment parts typically surpass the $500 threshold.

As before, businesses can still claim otherwise deductible repair and maintenance costs, even if they exceed the $2,500 threshold.

Please call if you have any questions or would like additional details about this change.

• By Leon Clinton
• January 14, 2016