It’s Not Too Late to Make a 2014 IRA Contribution

If you haven’t contributed funds to an Individual Retirement Arrangement (IRA) for tax year 2014, or if you’ve put in less than the maximum allowed, you still have time to do so. You can contribute to either a traditional or Roth IRA until the April 15 due date, not including extensions.

Be sure to tell the IRA trustee that the contribution is for 2014. Otherwise, the trustee may report the contribution as being for 2015 when they get your funds.

Generally, you can contribute up to $5,500 of your earnings for tax year 2014 (up to $6,500 if you are age 50 or older in 2014). You can fund a traditional IRA, a Roth IRA (if you qualify), or both, but your total contributions cannot be more than these amounts.

Traditional IRA: You may be able to take a tax deduction for the contributions to a traditional IRA, depending on your income and whether you or your spouse, if filing jointly, are covered by an employer’s pension plan.

Roth IRA: You cannot deduct Roth IRA contributions, but the earnings on a Roth IRA may be tax-free if you meet the conditions for a qualified distribution.

Each year, the IRS announces the cost of living adjustments and limitation for retirement savings plans.

Saving for retirement should be part of everyone’s financial plan and it’s important to review your retirement goals every year in order to maximize savings. If you need help with your retirement plans, give the office a call.

Five Ways to Improve Your Financial Situation

If you are having trouble paying your debts, it is important to take action sooner rather than later. Doing nothing leads to much larger problems in the future, whether it’s a bad credit record or bankruptcy resulting in the loss of assets and even your home. If you’re in financial trouble, then here are some steps to take to avoid financial ruin in the future.

If you’ve accumulated a large amount of debt and are having difficulty paying your bills each month, now is the time to take action–before the bill collectors start calling.

1. Review each debt. Make sure that the debt creditors claim you owe is really what you owe and that the amount is correct. If you dispute a debt, first contact the creditor directly to resolve your questions. If you still have questions about the debt, contact your state or local consumer protection office or, in cases of serious creditor abuse, your state Attorney General.

2. Contact your creditors. Let your creditors know you are having difficulty making your payments. Tell them why you are having trouble-perhaps it is because you recently lost your job or have unexpected medical bills. Try to work out an acceptable payment schedule with your creditors. Most are willing to work with you and will appreciate your honesty and forthrightness.

Tip: Most automobile financing agreements permit your creditor to repossess your car any time you are in default, with no advance notice. If your car is repossessed you may have to pay the full balance due on the loan, as well as towing and storage costs, to get it back. Do not wait until you are in default. Try to solve the problem with your creditor when you realize you will not be able to meet your payments. It may be better to sell the car yourself and pay off your debt than to incur the added costs of repossession. Read more

Tips Versus Service Charges: How to Report

IRS news release FS-2015-8, February 2015:

The Internal Revenue Service reminds employers that automatic gratuities are service charges, not tips. Employers should make sure they know the difference and how they report each to the IRS. What are tips?

Tips are discretionary (optional or extra) payments determined by a customer that employees receive from customers.

Tips include:

• Cash tips received directly from customers.

• Tips from customers who leave a tip through electronic settlement or payment. This includes a credit card, debit card, gift card, or any other electronic payment method.

• The value of any noncash tips, such as tickets, or other items of value.

• Tip amounts received from other employees paid out through tip pools or tip splitting, or other formal or informal tip sharing arrangement.

Certain factors are used to determine whether payments constitute tips or service charges. The absence of any of the following factors creates a doubt as to whether a payment is a tip and indicates that the payment may be a service charge:

• The payment must be made free from compulsion;

• The customer must have the unrestricted right to determine the amount;

• The payment should not be the subject of negotiations or dictated by employer policy; and

• Generally, the customer has the right to determine who receives the payment.

What are service charges?

An employer or employee’s characterization of a payment as a “tip” is not determinative. Again, the absence of any of the four factors listed earlier creates a doubt as to whether a payment is a tip and indicates that the payment may be a service charge. Read more

Your Taxes and the Affordable Care Act

Starting with this year’s filing season, taxpayers must report certain information related to health care coverage on their 2014 tax return when they file this April. In addition, taxpayers must provide proof of health insurance coverage or that they have received an exemption.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at how the Affordable Care Act might affect your tax situation, and based on your type of coverage, which new tax forms you might be receiving.

Tip: For additional information about IRS tax forms related to health care insurance, please see the article, Health Care Law: Changes to IRS Tax Forms, below.

Overview

The biggest change for most taxpayers is found on Line 61 of Form 1040, where individuals must either check a box to show they had health insurance or pay a penalty. In general, the penalty applies to individuals who did not have health insurance for more than three months in 2014.

In 2014, the penalty is the greater of one percent of modified adjusted gross income or $95 per adult ($47.50 per child under age 18, up to a maximum of $285 per family). While the IRS cannot issue a lien against you in order to make you pay the penalty, they are allowed to withhold the money from your refund.

Certain persons may qualify for an exemption from the penalty such as those who do not need to file a tax return ($10,150 for individuals, $13,050 for heads of household, and $20,300 for a married couples filing jointly). Other exceptions (there are eight in total) include being a member of a federally recognized tribe or qualifying for a hardship exemption if you filed for bankruptcy in the last 6 months or had medical expenses you couldn’t pay in the last 24 months that resulted in substantial debt.

Caution: Taxpayers who believe they qualify for an exemption must apply and receive an exemption certificate from the Marketplace.

Read more

Updated Withholding Tables for 2015

Updated income-tax withholding tables for 2015 have been released by the IRS and supersede early release withholding tables issued in December 2014. The newly revised version contains percentage method income-tax withholding tables and related information that employers need to implement these changes.

In addition, employers should continue withholding Social Security tax at the rate of 6.2 percent of wages paid. The Social Security wage base limit increases to $118,500. The Medicare tax rate remains at 1.45 percent each for the employee and employer.

The additional Medicare tax of .09 percent for employees (not employers) remains in effect and should be withheld from employee wages that exceed $200,000 in a calendar year, at the beginning in the pay period in which the employee’s wages exceed $200,000.

In 2015 the amount for one withholding allowance on an annual basis is $4,000. Employers should start using the revised withholding tables and correct the amount of Social Security tax withheld as soon as possible in 2015, but not later than February 15, 2015. For any Social Security tax under-withheld before that date, employers should make the appropriate adjustment in workers’ pay as soon as possible, but not later than March 31, 2015.

Employers and payroll companies handle the withholding changes, so workers typically won’t need to take any additional action, such as filling out a new W-4 withholding form. Individuals and couples with multiple jobs, people who are having children, getting married, getting divorced or buying a home, and those who typically wind up with a balance due or large refund at the end of the year may want to consider submitting revised W-4 forms.

As always, it’s prudent for workers to review their withholding every year and, if necessary, fill out a new W-4 to give to their employer. For example, individuals and couples with multiple jobs, people who are having children, getting married, getting divorced or buying a home, and those who typically wind up with a balance due or large refund at the end of the year may want to consider submitting revised W-4 forms.

Please call the office if you have any questions about income tax withholding in 2015.