This year will be the second year of filing taxes within 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act guidelines. The goal of this legislation was to simply the filing process, eliminate some loopholes, and put more money back into U.S. taxpayer hands. The filing process has indeed gotten easier and some, but unfortunately not all, loop-holes were eliminated. More importantly, a report by Morgan Stanley on 10/31/18 projected that there will be a 26% increase in refunds issued in 2019 as compared to last year. This was supported by a report published on 12/31/18 by UBS projecting that there will be an increase from $42 billion and $66 billion in re- funds this year as compared to last year. Hopefully you will be on the receiving end of a refund this year! At this time of year taxpayers are focused on the filing of their 2018 tax returns. However, it is also an excellent time to start tax planning for the rest of the year. That is why we have provided the below information. The source for all the below data is from the IRS. However, as with any matter concerning taxes it is recommended that a tax advisor or accountant be consulted as that person will be most knowledgeable in this area.
2019 Tax Guidelines
Individual Income Tax Rates
Single Filers Head of Household Married Filing Jointly
Tax Bracket Taxable Income Tax Bracket Taxable Income Tax Bracket Taxable Income
10% Up to $9,700 10% Up to $13,850 10% Up to $19,400
12% $9,700 – $39,475 12% $13,850 – $52,850 12% $19,400 – $78,950
22% $39,475 – $84,200 22% $52,850- $84,200 22% $78,950- $168,400
24% $84,200- $160,725 24% $84,200- $160,700 24% $168,400- $321,450
32% $160,725 – $204,100 32% $160,700- $204,100 32% $321,450 – $408,200
35% $204,100 – $510,300 35% $204,100- $510,300 35% $408,200- $612,350
37% Over $510,300 37% Over $510,300 37% Over $612,350
Standard Deduction
The standard deduction will increase to $12,200 for single taxpayers, $18,350 for heads of households, and
$24,400 for those married filing jointly.
In addition to these base amounts, those who are 65 or older or are blind get to take additional amounts as a standard deduction. For those who are married, the added amount is $1,300, while single taxpayers get to add $1,650. If you’re 65 or older and blind, then you can boost your standard deduction by double the rele- vant amount. Moreover, for joint filers, each spouse has an opportunity to get these added amounts. So for a married couple in which both spouses are over 65 and both are blind, the standard deduction would increase
by $5,200 — or $1,300 times four.
Long Term Capital Gains Tax Rate
0%, for Single filers with income less than $39,375, Head of Household filers with income less than
$53,750 and Married Filing Jointly filers with income less than $78,750.
15%, for Single filers with income less than $434,750, Head of Household filers with income less than
$461,700
and Married Filing Jointly filers with income less than $488,850
Medical Expense Deduction
For 2019 taxpayers can deduct medical expenses that exceed 10% of adjusted gross income.
State and Local Tax Deductions
The combination of state/local income taxes and property tax deduction (“SALT”) is capped at $10,000.
Mortgage Interest Deduction
Homeowners may deduct interest on up to $750,000 of mortgage debt with higher grandfathered deduc- tions for up to $1 million in mortgage debt for those who had such mortgages outstanding before the be-
ginning of 2018. Interest for home equity loans is not deductible unless that loan was/is for acquiring con- structing, or substantially improving the homeowner’s qualified residence.
Child Tax Credit
The credit is $2,000 per child for each eligible child. To qualify, children must be 16 or younger at the end of the tax year, and the person claiming the credit must live with the child for more than half the year and provide at least half of the child’s financial support. Also, to get the full credit, your income must be less
than $200,000 if filing as Single, Head of Household, or Qualifying Widow(er). Your income must be
less than $400,000 if married filing
jointly. If income is above these thresholds the taxpayer will lose $50 in
credit for every $1,000 above the corresponding threshold.
Education Credits
Two different tax credits provide financial
relief for payment of educational costs. The A
t unity tax credit allows a credit of 100% of eligible tuition & fees up to $2,000 and another 25% of the next $2,000 for a total maximum credit of $2,500 each year for four years of undergraduate education.
Taxpayers can claim this credit if their income does not exceed $80,000 for a single filer or $160,000 for a joint filer. A reduced credit is available if income exceeds these amounts
The L ifetime Learning tax credit offers additional educational tax breaks beyond traditional college. A 20% credit on up to $10,000 in eligible expenses every year is available to taxpayers making less than
$58,000 if filing as a single or $116,000 if filing jointly. This credit is available for graduate school, voca- tional training, and certain other nontraditional educational expenses.
Limits on Itemized Deductions
There is no limit to the amount of itemized deductions that can be claimed although some are no longer available. These include casualty and theft losses (except those due to a federally declared disaster), unre- imbursed employee expense, tax preparation expense, and moving expense.
Charitable Donations
Donations to qualified charities continue to be eligible for unlimited deduction. In other words, every dol- lar given to a charitable organization (like Saint Matthew!) continues to be 100% deductible. In addition
to cash and check most gifts of property are also deductible up to their fair market value. For every $1 do- nated the taxpayer will save a percentage equal to her/his marginal tax rate. As an example, if the taxpayer is in the 24% tax bracket, then a $1 donation will save $0.24 in taxes.
Submitted by Dave Lukridge
Stewardship Chair