Reminder: College Tax Credits for 2016

With another school year in full swing, now is a good time for parents and students to see if they qualify for either of two college tax credits or other education-related tax benefits when they file their 2016 federal income tax returns next year.

American Opportunity Tax Credit or Lifetime Learning Credit. In general, the American Opportunity Tax Credit or Lifetime Learning Credit is available to taxpayers who pay qualifying expenses for an eligible student. Eligible students include the taxpayer, spouse, and dependents. The American Opportunity Tax Credit provides a credit for each eligible student, while the Lifetime Learning Credit provides a maximum credit per tax return.

Though a taxpayer often qualifies for both of these credits, he or she can only claim one of them for a particular student in a particular year. To claim these credits on their tax return, the taxpayer must file Form 1040 or 1040A and complete Form 8863, Education Credits.

The credits apply to eligible students enrolled in an eligible college, university or vocational school, including both nonprofit and for-profit institutions. The credits are subject to income limits that could reduce the amount taxpayers can claim on their tax return. Read more

Take Retirement Plan Distributions by December 31

Taxpayers born before July 1, 1946, generally must receive payments from their individual retirement arrangements (IRAs) and workplace retirement plans by December 31.

Known as required minimum distributions (RMDs), typically these distributions must be made by the end of the tax year, in this case, 2016. The required distribution rules apply to owners of traditional, Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) and Savings Incentive Match Plans for Employees (SIMPLE) IRAs but not Roth IRAs while the original owner is alive. They also apply to participants in various workplace retirement plans, including 401(k), 403(b) and 457(b) plans.

An IRA trustee must either report the amount of the RMD to the IRA owner or offer to calculate it for the owner. Often, the trustee shows the RMD amount on Form 5498 in Box 12b. For a 2016 RMD, this amount is on the 2015 Form 5498 normally issued to the owner during January 2016.

A special rule allows first-year recipients of these payments, those who reached age 70 1/2 during 2016, to wait until as late as April 1, 2017, to receive their first RMDs. What this means that those born after June 30, 1945, and before July 1, 1946, are eligible. The advantage of this special rule is that although payments made to these taxpayers in early 2017 can be counted toward their 2016 RMD, they are taxable in 2017.

The special April 1 deadline only applies to the RMD for the first year. For all subsequent years, the RMD must be made by December 31. So, for example, a taxpayer who turned 70 1/2 in 2015 (born after June 30, 1944, and before July 1, 1945) and received the first RMD (for 2015) on April 1, 2016, must still receive a second RMD (for 2016) by December 31, 2016. Read more

Plan now to take Advantage of Health FSAs in 2017

FSAs provide employees a way to use tax-free dollars to pay medical expenses not covered by other health plans. Because eligible employees need to decide how much to contribute through payroll deductions before the plan year begins, now is when many employers are offering employees the option to participate during the 2017 plan year.

Interested employees who wish to contribute to an FSA during the new year must make this choice again for 2017, even if they contributed in 2016. Self-employed individuals are not eligible.

An employee who chooses to participate can contribute up to $2,600 during the 2017 plan year (up from $2,550 in 2016). Amounts contributed are not subject to federal income tax, Social Security tax or Medicare tax. If the plan allows, the employer may also contribute to an employee’s FSA. Read more

Retirement Contributions Limits Announced for 2017

Cost of living adjustments affecting dollar limitations for pension plans and other retirement-related items for tax year 2017 have been announced by the IRS. Here are the highlights:

In general, income ranges for determining eligibility to make deductible contributions to traditional Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs), to contribute to Roth IRAs, and to claim the saver’s credit all increased for 2017. Contribution limits for SIMPLE retirement accounts for self-employed persons remains unchanged at $12,500.

Traditional IRAs

Taxpayers can deduct contributions to a traditional IRA if they meet certain conditions; however, if during the year either the taxpayer or their spouse was covered by a retirement plan at work, the deduction may be reduced, or phased out, until it is eliminated, depending on filing status and income. If neither the taxpayer nor their spouse is covered by a retirement plan at work, the phase-outs of the deduction do not apply. Here are the phase-out ranges for 2017:

• For single taxpayers covered by a workplace retirement plan, the phase-out range is $62,000 to $72,000, up from $61,000 to $71,000.
• For married couples filing jointly, where the spouse making the IRA contribution is covered by a workplace retirement plan, the phase-out range is $99,000 to $119,000, up from $98,000 to $118,000.
• For an IRA contributor who is not covered by a workplace retirement plan and is married to someone who is covered, the deduction is phased out if the couple’s income is between $186,000 and $196,000, up from $184,000 and $194,000.
• For a married individual filing a separate return who is covered by a workplace retirement plan, the phase-out range is not subject to an annual cost-of-living adjustment and remains $0 to $10,000.

Read more

LMGW Employees Give To Charity with Firm Matching In Lieu of Holiday Cards

This holiday season, LMGW is continuing the tradition of making charitable donations in lieu of mailing holiday cards. We allow our employees to choose the charitable organizations to make a donation to. LMGW then matches the employee’s donation, up to $50 per person, to each charity. Below are the charities our employees chose to support this year:

Maybeck High School

Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County

Gerson Institute

The Bridge School

Abilities United

Direct Relief

The Cabrillo College Foundation

ChildFund International

David Andrew “Pooh” Maddan Foundation

GreaterGood “Stop the Yulin Dog Meat Festival”

Unity Care Group

George Mason University

The Sankara Eye Foundation USA

If you would like to learn more about any of the organizations listed feel free to ask us about them. Many of the LMGW team are personally involved with the organizations they chose to support and would be happy to share information about the services they provide.