Your 2017 tax return may be your last chance to take the “manufacturers’ deduction”

While many provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) will save businesses tax, the new law also reduces or eliminates some tax breaks for businesses. One break it eliminates is the Section 199 deduction, commonly referred to as the “manufacturers’ deduction.” When it’s available, this potentially valuable tax break can be claimed by many types of businesses beyond just manufacturing companies. Under the TCJA, 2017 is the last tax year noncorporate taxpayers can take the deduction (2018 for C corporation taxpayers).

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Tax Cuts and Jobs Act: Key provisions affecting businesses

The recently passed tax reform bill, commonly referred to as the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” (TCJA), is the most expansive federal tax legislation since 1986. It includes a multitude of provisions that will have a major impact on businesses.

Here’s a look at some of the most significant changes. They generally apply to tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, except where noted.

• Replacement of graduated corporate tax rates ranging from 15% to 35% with a flat corporate rate of 21%
• Repeal of the 20% corporate alternative minimum tax (AMT)
• New 20% qualified business income deduction for owners of flow-through entities (such as partnerships, limited liability companies and S corporations) and sole proprietorships — through 2025
• Doubling of bonus depreciation to 100% and expansion of qualified assets to include used assets — effective for assets acquired and placed in service after September 27, 2017, and before January 1, 2023
• Doubling of the Section 179 expensing limit to $1 million and an increase of the expensing phaseout threshold to $2.5 million
• Other enhancements to depreciation-related deductions
• New disallowance of deductions for net interest expense in excess of 30% of the business’s adjusted taxable income (exceptions apply)
• New limits on net operating loss (NOL) deductions
• Elimination of the Section 199 deduction, also commonly referred to as the domestic production activities deduction or manufacturers’ deduction — effective for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, for noncorporate taxpayers and for tax years beginning after December 31, 2018, for C corporation taxpayers
• New rule limiting like-kind exchanges to real property that is not held primarily for sale
• New tax credit for employer-paid family and medical leave — through 2019
• New limitations on excessive employee compensation
• New limitations on deductions for employee fringe benefits, such as entertainment and, in certain circumstances, meals and transportation

Keep in mind that additional rules and limits apply to what we’ve covered here, and there are other TCJA provisions that may affect your business. Contact us for more details and to discuss what your business needs to do in light of these changes.

© 2017


Could an FSA offer the benefits flexibility you need?

Business owners have to make tough choices when it comes to providing benefits to their employees. Many companies, especially newer or smaller ones, may understandably prioritize flexibility. No one wants to get locked into a benefits offering that’s cumbersome to administer and expensive to maintain.

Well, there’s one possibility that has the word “flexible” built right into its name: the health care Flexible Spending Account (FSA). And these arrangements certainly offer that.Read more


Don't Want to Buy Health Insurance? Look Into Market Place Hardship Exemptions

If you can afford health insurance but you don't wish to buy it expect a higher federal income tax bill for 2015. Under the Affordable Care Act, unless you have a health coverage exemption, the IRS will assess an additional penalty, using the higher result of the following two criteria:

  • 2% of your yearly earnings: The amount of income above about $10,150, the tax-filing threshold, is what you use to calculate the penalty. The amount is capped according to what the IRS figures is the "average bronze plan premium."
  • $325 per person for 2015--$162.50 per child under age 18: The maximum family penalty per family using this method is $975.

health tax exemptions

What qualifies as health coverage--and what does not

Most health plans, including any Marketplace plan, or individual insurance plan you already have qualifies as coverage. Any job-based or retirement plans, Medicare Parts A or C, and TRICARE plans for military retirees also qualify.

Not all plans offered outside the Marketplace will qualify for minimum essential coverage, though.

Plans that would not qualify include:

  • health plans that cover a fixed, limited term
  • health plans that have fixed benefit restrictions
  • Medicare supplemental plans only, like Part D and Medigap
  • certain Medicaid schemes covering only specific benefits
  • limited-benefit plans, e.g., vision only, dental only

Exemptions and how to get them

For tax year 2015, you can apply for an exemption to avoid paying the tax penalty. The exemptions are income, health, and group membership related. They also cover anyone serving a prison sentence, U.S. citizens living abroad, and certain non-citizens.

Income-related

You could qualify for an income-related exemption if:

  • the least expensive health coverage available (Marketplace or job-based) would amount to more than 8.05 percent of your household income
  • you do not earn enough to be required to file an income tax return

Health coverage related

These apply when:

    • your lack of health insurance coverage was for no more than two consecutive months
    • your home state failed to expand its Medicaid program to meet the requirements of the Affordable Care Act, but if it had, you would have qualified

Group membership related

Certain groups are exempted:

    • members of a federally recognized Native American tribes
    • members of a recognized health care sharing ministry
    • religious sects that object to health insurance, Medicare and Social Security

Hardship exemptions

Some life situations can prevent you from getting health insurance. Examples of hardships that qualify include homelessness, eviction or foreclosure, domestic violence, natural disaster, family tragedy, etc.

To qualify for a hardship exemption, you must complete a paper application and mail it to the Marketplace. For a list of qualifying hardships and instructions on how to apply, go to the Healthcare.gov webpage.

Loss of previous coverage

Likewise, if your insurance company canceled your plan, and you believe other Marketplace plans are unaffordable, you can apply for an exemption. The above-mentioned 8.05 percent of the household income criteria applies.

You can apply for this exemption either on your 2015 income tax return or completing a separate Marketplace exemption application. Download the application forms and instructions from the Marketplace.cms.gov website.

Need some help?

Your health coverage now affects your 2015 federal income tax return. The fees for not having health insurance could be another unexpected financial hit. Need some help or advice on addressing tax implications on yourself, your family or your employees? Dukhon Tax and Accounting has the expertise and experience to help you through tax year 2015 and beyond with the plans and strategies you need for the best tax planning.


Lower your Tax Liability with Deductions and Credits

Tax deductions and credits help taxpayers reduce their tax liability. The differences between the two are in their definitions:

  • A tax deduction reduces your gross income and arises from a deductible expense. Taxpayers can take a standard deduction up front or itemize expenses.
  • A tax credit is an amount of money applied directly to the tax liability. Tax credits are far less common.

About Tax Deductions

Say your adjusted gross income for 2014 was $75,000. If you filed jointly with a spouse and were born before January 2, 1950, your standard deduction would have been $14,800. You figure your income tax bill based on a reduced income of $60,200.

There are, however, other “above-the-line” deductions you can claim to lower the aforementioned $75,000 adjusted gross income. For tax year 2014, those deductions are listed on lines 16 through 21 on Form 1040A and lines 23 through 37 on Form 1040. Deductions common to both forms are:

  • Educator expenses
  • IRA deductions
  • student loan interest payments
  • tuition and fees

Taxpayers wanting to take advantage of business, health savings, moving, self-employment, alimony payments and other expenses, need to file Form 1040, fill out the additional IRS forms and hope for the best -- the “best” being avoidance of an IRS audit trigger.

small business accountant tax savingsThe alternative to taking the standard deduction is to fully itemize your expenses for the tax year. To be worth the trouble, your itemized expenses must exceed the standard deduction. Attach Schedule A to Form 1040 to document the following:

  • Medical and dental expenses that exceed 7.5% for seniors’ and 10% of younger taxpayers’ adjusted gross income
  • State and local taxes
  • Interest payments on home mortgages, etc.
  • Charitable gifts of at least $250 in cash or $500 in other than cash
  • Casualty or theft losses
  • Unreimbursed job expenses
  • Other miscellaneous deductions specified in the Schedule A instructions

If your adjusted gross income was not over $152,525 for 2014, your deduction was not limited. Wealthier taxpayers must use a worksheet that reduces the overall deduction that can be claimed.

About Tax Credits

If you can claim a tax credit (lines 31 through 38 on form 1040A and lines 48 through 54 on Form 1040), you can subtract that amount from the taxes you owe. It is a 100 percent, dollar-for-dollar tax relief, regardless of your taxable income. Tax credits for individual taxpayers are far less common and generally apply to the following:

  • earned income tax credit
  • education credits
  • child and dependent care credits
  • child adoption credits
  • saver’s credits

Business tax credits, on the other hand, run the gamut from general business, investment, electric vehicle and other energy credits to mine rescue team training. The credits are designed, among other things, as incentives for community development, research and energy savings.

The Bottom Line:

For the average taxpayer, tax deductions lower the amount of income subject to federal income tax. Unless you have had large deductible expenses during the tax year, taking the standard deduction is the easiest way to complete your tax return. If you can qualify for a tax credit, which will apply dollar-for-dollar to reduce your tax bill, you can offset your tax liability.

Contact Dmitry Dukhon at Dukhon Tax to help you get organized, file your returns and answer any questions you may have. We can be an invaluable resource for you to make the process as smooth as possible.


Reduce Your Tax Liability With These 3 Often Overlooked Tax Deductions

As the tax year matures, it is not too late to find ways to reduce your personal or small business income tax bill. Below are three areas to pay attention to throughout the year:

1. Take more charitable deductions.

You are probably aware that you can deduct the cash or value of property you give to charitable organizations. However, you might not be taking full advantage of this benefit. For example, you can deduct:

  • Out-of-pocket costs for volunteer charitable work; e.g., cost of food ingredients for those pastries you donated, or stamps you bought for event mailings
  • Childcare (babysitting, etc.) expenses you incurred while you did unpaid volunteer work

Make sure you fully document any charitable expenses, especially the unusual ones. A large number of deductions in this area could trigger an IRS audit.

2. Look out for unusual business expense deductions

A junkyard or scrapyard owner could, for example, deduct the cost of cat food to lure neighborhood cats and keep the rat population down. It is an unusual, but valid business expense.

More traditionally, self-employed business travelers can deduct those aggravating extra charges that airlines love to add to the cost of your ticket. Extra fees for baggage, online booking or ticket changes earn commercial air carriers billions each year. Don’t forget to add those charges to your deductible business expenses.

Again, for obvious reasons, save your receipts.

3. Deduct those job-hunting expenses.

little known tax deductionsAnyone who has lost a job and has gone to the excruciating effort of finding a new one knows that job-hunting can be as expensive as it is exhausting. If during your job search you were looking for a position in the same line of work as your most recent job, and if you’re willing to itemize and document those expenses, you can deduct them -- even if your job hunt was not successful.

Below are some deductible expenses: (The list is by no means exhaustive)

  • transportation expenses incurred as part of the job search (cabs, auto, commercial, etc.)
  • food and lodging expenses for out-of-town job interviews
  • fees paid to an employment agency
  • printing costs for résumés, business cards, advertising and postage

The foregoing deductions do not apply to a first-time job hunt. However, any moving expenses involved in landing that first job are deductible, even if you don’t itemize deductions.

Below are three more miscellaneous deductions that not many people know about.

You can deduct:

  • the additional extra 7.5 percent you had to pay for self-employed Social Security tax
  • health insurance premiums -- deductible at 100 percent of the premium cost for self-employed tax payers
  • alternative energy equipment such as solar hot water heaters, geothermal heat pumps and wind turbines -- This tax credit is a whopping 30 percent write-off of the total cost (including labor) for those systems up through 2016.

Don't miss out

There are many more deductions and credits you should know about before you send off your next tax return. Don’t wait until next April 1st to discover that you are eligible for an array of deductions and credits, but you failed to keep the records and receipts. Contact us for the tax planning, guidance and professional tax preparation that will mean more money for you and your business.

Sources:
Principal sources for this article was the irs.gov web page, Credits & Deductions at http://www.irs.gov/Credits-&-Deductions and an online information page from TurboTax entitled "9 Things You Didn't Know Were Tax Deductions"