In this podcast, Chris Madrid from our Family Wealth and Individual Tax Planning Group discusses important modifications the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act made to the income taxation of trusts and estates for 2018 and beyond.
Rental Real Estate and the Section 199A Deduction
By Rachel Gillespie, CPA, Tax Principal
ASL Real Estate Group
In December of 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was enacted by Congress, which gave us the most sweeping and dramatic changes to the Internal Revenue Code in more than 30 years. The Act created the Internal Revenue Code Section 199A deduction which has the potential to help taxpayers reduce their liabilities with a 20% deduction against their “qualified business income”. Section 199A provides individual taxpayers and certain trusts and estates a deduction for qualified business income from a partnership, limited liability company, S-corporation, sole proprietorship, trust or estate. The deduction applies to tax years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026. (more…)
Tax Reform…. Not in California
Taxpayers are beginning to work on their 2018 business entity income tax returns and are discovering the impacts and opportunities created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), as most of the Act’s provisions are first effective in 2018 (here’s a summary: Tax Reform Has Wide Ranging Impact). Since California is a rather independent state it should not be surprising to know that California has conformed to essentially none of the federal tax law changes created by TCJA. This will create many tax preparation and planning challenges. Currently, conformity is not a major issue to our governor or state legislature so nonconformity will likely be with us for a while. (more…)
Beware of the New Tax Law’s Impact on Trust and Estate Income
By Christine Collins Madrid, CPA, Tax Director
ASL Family Wealth & Individual Tax Planning Group
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), signed into law in December 2017, made important modifications to the income taxation of trusts and estates for 2018 and beyond. Trust and estate income tax rates and brackets changed, along with deductibility of some estate and trust administrative expenses. Also, a new qualified business income deduction is available, under certain circumstances, that could be as much as 20% of qualified business income. (more…)
Meals & Entertainment Deduction Changes
With all of the changes to the meals and entertainment deduction under the new tax law, we thought we would summarize the rules in this handy table. Please reach out to us if you have questions. (more…)
Year-End Tax Planning Ideas
Now is the time to think about tax saving strategies that can be implemented before the end of the year. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed by Congress in December 2017 will significantly impact year-end tax planning for 2018. Several traditional tax saving ideas are no longer effective and many new opportunities are available. Some our favorite ideas are discussed below. (more…)
Qualified Opportunity Funds...an Opportunity for Tax Savings
By Abe Livchitz, CPA, Senior Tax Manager & Tingting Zhang, CPA, Tax Senior
Tax deferral, gain exclusions, tax free appreciation. These seven words are very exciting as they offer potentially significant tax savings for our clients. All three of these benefits are possible by investing in a “Qualified Opportunity Fund” (QOF). The creation of these funds and their related tax benefits were authorized by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) passed by Congress in December 2017. The Internal Revenue Service recently issued guidance to clarify questions unanswered by the TCJA, so QOFs should gain in popularity in the coming months. However, additional guidance is expected in the future, as many questions remain unanswered. (more…)
Charitable Giving in a Post-TCJA World - What You Need to Know in the Wake of the New Tax Law
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) represents the biggest overhaul of the tax code in more than three decades. Tax experts are still sorting out all the intricacies. But this much is clear: The TCJA will have a significant impact on estate planning and related aspects, such as charitable giving.
Even though the TCJA reduces tax incentives for making charitable donations for some people, it encourages contributions for others. Let’s take a closer look at the new tax landscape and how it relates to charitable giving. (more…)
Payroll Withholding Confusion – Are You Withholding Enough from Your Paycheck?
By Sheila Foley, Accounting Consultant
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was enacted in late December, 2017 and it significantly altered the tax laws applicable to individual taxpayers. The significant changes included: reduction in tax rates and modification of brackets, increase in the standard deduction, repeal of personal exemptions, limitation on deductions for state and local taxes, mortgage interest, home equity loan interest and elimination of deduction for miscellaneous itemized deductions. (more…)