Tax

February 2

Employers – Give your employees their copies of Form W-2 for 2014 by February 2, 2015. If an employee agreed to receive Form W-2 electronically, post it on a website accessible to the employee and notify the employee by February 2, 2015.

Businesses – Give annual information statements to recipients of 1099 payments made during 2014.

Employers – Federal unemployment tax. File Form 940 for 2014. If your undeposited tax is $500 or less, you can either pay it with your return or deposit it. If it is more than $500, you must deposit it. However, if you already deposited the tax for the year in full and on time, you have until February 10 to file the return.

Employers – Social Security, Medicare, and withheld income tax. File Form 941 for the fourth quarter of 2014. Deposit any undeposited tax. (If your tax liability is less than $2,500, you can pay it in full with a timely filed return.) If you deposited the tax for the quarter in full and on time, you have until February 10 to file the return.

Employers – Nonpayroll taxes. File Form 945 to report income tax withheld for 2014 on all nonpayroll items, including backup withholding and withholding on pensions, annuities, IRAs, gambling winnings, and payments of Indian gaming profits to tribal members. Deposit any undeposited tax. (If your tax liability is less than $2,500, you can pay it in full with a timely filed return.) If you deposited the tax for the year in full and on time, you have until February 10 to file the return.

Individuals – who must make estimated tax payments. If you did not pay your last installment of estimated tax by January 15, you may choose (but are not required) to file your income tax return (Form 1040) for 2014. Filing your return and paying any tax due by February 2, 2015 prevents any penalty for late payment of last installment.

Payers of Gambling Winnings – If you either paid reportable gambling winnings or withheld income tax from gambling winnings, give the winners their copies of Form W-2G.

Certain Small Employers – File Form 944 to report Social Security and Medicare taxes and withheld income tax for 2014. Deposit or pay any undeposited tax under the accuracy of deposit rules. If your tax liability is $2,500 or more from 2014 but less than $2,500 for the fourth quarter, deposit any undeposited tax or pay it in full with a timely filed return.

All businesses – Give annual information statements to recipients of certain payments you made during 2014. You can use the appropriate version of Form 1099 or other information return. Form 1099 can be issued electronically with the consent of the recipient.

Forms 1099-B, 1099-S, and certain reporting on Form 1099-MISC, Miscellaneous Income, are due to recipients by February 17. Payments that may be covered include the following:

• Cash payments for fish (or other aquatic life) purchased from anyone engaged in the trade or business of catching fish.
• Compensation for workers who are not considered employees (including fishing boat proceeds to crew members).
• Dividends and other corporate distributions.
• Interest.
• Rent.
• Royalties.
• Payments of Indian gaming profits to tribal members.
• Profit-sharing distributions.
• Retirement plan distributions.
• Original issue discount.
• Prizes and awards.
• Medical and health care payments.
• Debt cancellation (treated as payment to debtor).
• Cash payments over $10,000. See the instructions for Form 8300, Report of Cash Payments Over $10,000 Received in a Trade or Business.

February 10

Employees – who work for tips. If you received $20 or more in tips during January, report them to your employer. You can use Form 4070.

 Employers – Social Security, Medicare, and withheld income tax. File Form 941 for the fourth quarter of 2014. This due date applies only if you deposited the tax for the quarter in full and on time.

 Farm Employers – File Form 943 to report Social Security and Medicare taxes and withheld income tax for 2014. This due date applies only if you deposited the tax for the year in full and on time.

 Certain Small Employers – File Form 944 to report Social Security and Medicare taxes and withheld income tax for 2014. This tax due date applies only if you deposited the tax for the year in full and on time.

 Employers – Nonpayroll taxes. File Form 945 to report income tax withheld for 2014 on all nonpayroll items. This due date applies only if you deposited the tax for the year in full and on time.

 Employers – Federal unemployment tax. File Form 940 for 2014. This due date applies only if you deposited the tax for the year in full and on time.

February 17

Employers – Social Security, Medicare, and withheld income tax. If the monthly deposit rule applies, deposit the tax for payments in January.

Employers – Nonpayroll withholding. If the monthly deposit rule applies, deposit the tax for payments in January.

Individuals – If you claimed exemption from income tax withholding last year on the Form W-4 you gave your employer, you must file a new Form W-4 by this date to continue your exemption for another year.

All businesses. Give annual information statements to recipients if certain payments you made during 2014. You can use the appropriate version of Form 1099 or other information return. Form 1099 can be issued electronically with the consent of the recipient. This due date applies only to the following types of payments.

• All payments reported on Form 1099-­B,
• Proceeds From Broker and Barter Exchange Transactions.
• All payments reported on Form 1099, Proceeds From Real Estate Transactions.
• Substitute payments reported in box 8 or gross proceeds paid to an attorney reported in box 14 of Form 1099-­MISC.

February 18

Employers – Begin withholding income tax from the pay of any employee who claimed exemption from withholding in 2014, but did not give you a new Form W-4 to continue the exemption this year.

March 2

Businesses – File information returns (Form 1099) for certain payments you made during 2014. These payments are described under February 2. There are different forms for different types of payments. Use a separate Form 1096 to summarize and transmit the forms for each type of payment. See the 2014 Instructions for Forms 1099, 1098, 5498, and W-2G for information on what payments are covered, how much the payment must be before a return is required, what form to use, and extensions of time to file.

If you file Forms 1097, 1098, 1099, 3921, 3922, or W-2G electronically (not by magnetic media), your due date for filing them with the IRS will be extended to March 31. The due date for giving the recipient these forms is still February 2.

Farmers and Fishermen – Farmers and fishermen. File your 2014 income tax return (Form 1040) and pay any tax due. However, you have until April 15 to file if you paid your 2014 estimated tax by January 15, 2015.

Payers of Gambling Winnings – File Form 1096, Annual Summary and Transmittal of U.S. Information Returns, along with Copy A of all the Forms W-2G you issued for 2014. If you file Forms W-2G electronically (not by magnetic tape), your due date for filing them with the IRS will be extended to March 31. The due date for giving the recipient these forms remains February 2.

Employers – File Form W-3, Transmittal of Wage and Tax Statements, along with Copy A of all the Forms W-2 you issued for 2014.

If you file Forms W-2 electronically (not by magnetic media), your due date for filing them with the SSA will be extended to March 31. The due date for giving the recipient these forms is still February 2.

Employers – with employees who work for tips. File Form 8027,Employer’s Annual Information Return of Tip Income and Allocated Tips. Use Form 8027-T, Transmittal of Employer’s Annual Information Return of Tip Income and Allocated Tips, to summarize and transmit Forms 8027 if you have more than one establishment. If you file Forms 8027 electronically (not by magnetic tape), your due date for filing them with the IRS will be extended to March 31.

• By Leon Clinton
• February 1, 2015

Beginning on Jan. 1, 2015, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car, van, pickup or panel truck are:

• 57.5 cents per mile for business miles driven, up from 56 cents in 2014
• 23 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes, down half a cent from 2014
• 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations

These optional standard mileage rates are used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes. The standard mileage rate for business is based on an annual study of the fixed and variable costs of operating an automobile, including depreciation, insurance, repairs, tires, maintenance, gas and oil. The rate for medical and moving purposes is based on the variable costs, such as gas and oil. The charitable rate is set by law.

Taxpayers always have the option of claiming deductions based on the actual costs of using a vehicle rather than the standard mileage rates.

A taxpayer may not use the business standard mileage rate for a vehicle after claiming accelerated depreciation, including the Section 179 expense deduction, on that vehicle. Likewise, the standard rate is not available to fleet owners (more than four vehicles used simultaneously). Call us if you need additional information about these and other special rules.

In addition, basis reduction amounts for those choosing the business standard mileage rate, as well as the maximum standard automobile cost that may be used in computing an allowance under a fixed and variable rate plan and the maximum standard automobile cost that may be used in computing the allowance under a fixed and variable rate (FAVR) Plan were also announced by the IRS.

Let us know if you have any questions about standard mileage rates and which driving activities you should keep track of as tax year 2015 begins.

• By Leon Clinton
• January 17, 2015

More than 40 tax provisions, including the tax rate schedules, and other tax changes are adjusted for inflation in 2015. 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 $413,200 ($464,850 for married taxpayers filing a joint return), up from $406,750 and $457,600, respectively. The other marginal rates–10, 15, 25, 28, 33 and 35 percent–and the related income tax thresholds are described in the revenue procedure.

The standard deduction rises to $6,300 for singles and married persons filing separate returns and $12,600 for married couples filing jointly, up from $6,200 and $12,400, respectively, for tax year 2014. The standard deduction for heads of household rises to $9,250, up from $9,100.

The limitation for itemized deductions to be claimed on tax year 2015 returns of individuals begins with incomes of $258,250 or more ($309,900 for married couples filing jointly).

The personal exemption for tax year 2015 rises to $4,000, up from the 2014 exemption of $3,950. However, the exemption is subject to a phase-out that begins with adjusted gross incomes of $258,250 ($309,900 for married couples filing jointly). It phases out completely at $380,750 ($432,400 for married couples filing jointly.)

The Alternative Minimum Tax exemption amount for tax year 2015 is $53,600 ($83,400, for married couples filing jointly). The 2014 exemption amount was $52,800 ($82,100 for married couples filing jointly).

For 2015, the maximum Earned Income Credit amount is $6,242 for taxpayers filing jointly who have 3 or more qualifying children. This is up from a total of $6,143 for tax year 2014. The revenue procedure has a table providing maximum credit amounts for other categories, income thresholds and phaseouts. Call us if you have any questions about this.

Estates of decedents who die during 2015 have a basic exclusion amount of $5,430,000, up from a total of $5,340,000 for estates of decedents who died in 2014.

For 2015, the exclusion from tax on a gift to a spouse who is not a U.S. citizen is $147,000, up from $145,000 for 2014.

For 2015, the foreign earned income exclusion breaks the six-figure mark, rising to $100,800, up from $99,200 for 2014.

The annual exclusion for gifts remains at $14,000 for 2015.

The annual dollar limit on employee contributions to employer-sponsored healthcare flexible spending arrangements (FSA) rises to $2,550, up $50 dollars from the amount for 2014.

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 $25,800 for tax year 2015, up from $25,400 for 2014.

Need help with tax planning in 2015? Give us a call. We are here to help you!

• By Leon Clinton
• January 13, 2015