2013 Federal Tax Changes

Posted on February 1, 2013 by stcroixinsights

2013 Federal tax changes and your money

By: Heather Favre, CPA at SIMMA, FLOTTEMESCH & ORENSTEIN, LTD.

The recently enacted 2012 American Taxpayer Relief Act is a sweeping tax package that includes, among many other items, permanent extension of the Bush-era tax cuts for most taxpayers, revised tax rates on ordinary and capital gain income for high-income individuals, modification of the estate tax, permanent relief from the AMT for individual taxpayers, limits on the deductions and exemptions of high-income individuals, and a host of retroactive and extended tax breaks for individuals and businesses. Here’s a look at the key elements of the package:

• Tax rates. For tax years beginning after 2012, the 10%, 15%, 25%, 28%, 33% and 35% tax brackets from the Bush tax cuts will remain in place and are made permanent. This means that, for most Americans, the tax rates will stay the same. However, there will be a new 39.6% rate, which will begin at the following thresholds: $400,000 (single), $425,000 (head of household), $450,000 (joint filers and qualifying widow(er/s), and $225,000 (married filing separately). These dollar amounts will be inflation-adjusted for tax years after 2013.

• Estate tax. The new law prevents steep increases in estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax that were slated to occur for individuals dying and gifts made after 2012 by permanently keeping the exemption level at $5,000,000 (as indexed for inflation). However, the new law also permanently increases the top estate, gift, and GST rate from 35% to 40% It also continues the portability feature that allows the estate of the first spouse to die to transfer his or her unused exclusion to the surviving spouse. All changes are effective for individuals dying and gifts made after 2012.

• Capital gains and qualified dividends rates. The new law retains the 0% tax rate on long-term capital gains and qualified dividends, modifies the 15% rate, and establishes a new 20% rate. Beginning in 2013, the rate will be 0% if income falls below the 25% tax bracket; 15% if income falls at or above the 25% tax bracket but below the new 39.6% rate; and 20% if income falls in the 39.6% tax bracket. It should be noted that the 20% top rate does not include the new 3.8% surtax on investment-type income and gains for tax years beginning after 2012, which applies on investment income above $200,000 (single) and $250,000 (joint filers) in adjusted gross income. So actually, the top rate for capital gains and dividends beginning in 2013 will be 23.8% if income falls in the 39.6% tax bracket. For lower income levels, the tax will be 0%, 15%, or 18.8%.

• Personal exemption phaseout. Beginning in 2013, personal exemptions will be phased out (i.e., reduced) for adjusted gross income over $250,000 (single), $275,000 (head of household) and $300,000 (joint filers). Taxpayers claim exemptions for themselves, their spouses and their dependents. Last year, each exemption was worth $3,800.
• Itemized deduction limitation. Beginning in 2013, itemized deductions will be limited for adjusted gross income over $250,000 (single), $275,000 (head of household) and $300,000 (joint filers).

• AMT relief. The new law provides permanent alternative minimum tax (AMT) relief. Prior to the Act, the individual AMT exemption amounts for 2012 were to have been $33,750 for unmarried taxpayers, $45,000 for joint filers and $22,500 for married persons filing separately. Retroactively effective for tax years beginning after 2011, the new law permanently increases these exemption amounts to $50,600 for unmarried taxpayers, $78,750 for joint filers and $39,375 for married persons filing separately. In addition, for tax years beginning after 2012, it indexes these exemption amounts for inflation.

• Tax credits for low to middle wage earners. The new law extends for five years the following items that were originally enacted as part of the 2009 stimulus package and were slated to expire at the end of 2012: (1) the American Opportunity tax credit, which provides up to $2,500 in refundable tax credits for undergraduate college education; (2) eased rules for qualifying for the refundable child credit; and (3) various earned income tax credit (EITC) changes.

• Cost recovery. The new law extends increased expensing limitations and treatment of certain real property as Code Section 179 property. The 2012 Taxpayer Relief Act also extends and modifies the 50% bonus depreciation provisions for one year so that it applies to qualified property placed in service before 2014 (before Jan. 1, 2015 for certain aircraft and long-production-period property).

• Tax break extenders. Many of the “traditional” tax extenders are extended for two years, retroactively to 2012 and through the end of 2013. Among many others, the extended provisions include the election to take an itemized deduction for state and local general sales taxes in lieu of the itemized deduction for state and local income taxes, the $250 above-the-line deduction for certain expenses of elementary and secondary school teachers, and the research credit.

• Pension provision. For transfers after Dec. 31, 2012, in tax years ending after that date, plan provision in an applicable retirement plan (which includes a qualified Roth contribution program) can allow participants to elect to transfer amounts to designated Roth accounts with the transfer being treated as a taxable qualified rollover contribution.

• Payroll tax cut is no more. The 2% payroll tax cut was allowed to expire at the end of 2012.

• Parity for exclusion from income for employer-provided mass transit and parking benefits. This provision would extend through 2013 the increase in the monthly exclusion for employer-provided transit and vanpool benefits from $125 to $240, so that it would be the same as the exclusion for employer-provided parking benefits.

• Above-the-line deduction for qualified tuition related expenses. The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act (EGTRRA) created an above-the-line tax deduction for qualified higher education expenses. The maximum deduction was $4,000 for taxpayers with AGI of $65,000 or less ($130,000 for joint returns) or $2,000 for taxpayers with AGI of $80,000 or less ($160,000 for joint returns). The proposal extends the deduction to the end of 2013.

• Work opportunity tax credit. This bill extends for two years, through 2013, the provision that allows businesses to claim a work opportunity tax credit equal to 40 percent of the first $6,000 of wages paid to new hires of one of eight targeted groups. These groups include members of families receiving benefits under the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program, qualified ex-felons, designated community residents, vocational rehabilitation referrals, qualified summer youth employees, qualified food and nutrition recipients, qualified SSI recipients, and long-term family assistance recipients.

• 15-year straight-line cost recovery for qualified leasehold improvements, qualified restaurant buildings and improvements, and qualified retail improvements. The bill extends for two years, through 2013, the temporary 15-year cost recovery period for certain leasehold, restaurant, and retail improvements, and new restaurant buildings, which are placed in service before January 1, 2014. The extension is effective for qualified property placed in service after December 31, 2011.

• Reduction in S corporation recognition period for built-in gains tax. If a taxable corporation converts into an S corporation, the conversion is not a taxable event. However, following such a conversion, an S corporation must hold its assets for a certain period in order to avoid a tax on any built-in gains that existed at the time of the conversion. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act reduced that period from 10 years to 7 years for sales of assets in 2009 and 2010. The Small Business Jobs Act reduced that period to 5 years for sales of assets in 2011. The bill extends the reduced 5-year holding period for sales occurring in 2012 and 2013. In addition, this bill clarifies rules for carry forwards and installment sales.

• Roth conversions for retirement plans. Under current law, a deferral plan under section 401(k) (including the Thrift Savings Plan), 403(b) or 457(b) governmental plan can have Roth accounts that allow participants to save on a Roth basis. That is, they can make after-tax contributions to the plan and all the principal and earnings are tax-free when distributed. Plans can currently allow participants to convert their pre-tax accounts to Roth accounts, but only with respect to money they have a right to take out of the plan, usually because they have reached age 59½ or separated from service. This proposal would allow any amount in a non-Roth account to be converted to a Roth account in the same plan, whether or not the amount is distributable. The amount converted would be subject to regular income tax.

This document does not provide tax advice and is meant as a general summary. For information specific to you, please contact Heather Favro at SIMMA, FLOTTEMESCH & ORENSTEIN, LTD. or Brett Anderson from St. Croix Advisors, LLC.

2012 Year-end Estate Planning Ideas – by Christopher Burns

Posted on December 3, 2012 by stcroixinsights

As 2012 comes to an end, we have an estate planning opportunity that may never be seen again. High gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax exemptions, low interest rates and depressed asset values create the perfect environment for transferring wealth at less tax cost.

Simply speaking, an individual who has not already used a portion of his or her exemption with prior gifts may currently pass $5,120,000 to loved ones without the burden of any federal gift taxes. This includes gifts to grandchildren, as the GST tax exemption is currently set at $5,120,000 as well.

These favorable tax provisions are set to expire at the end of this year, 2012. Next year, the amount that individuals can pass to loved ones, whether during life or after death, without the burden of federal taxes is scheduled to drop significantly from $5,120,000 to $1,000,000. In addition, the top tax rate is scheduled to increase from 35% to 55%.

Due to these pending tax changes, there are several gifting strategies that we can help you with before the end of the year to reduce your current and future federal tax burdens. A few of those ideas include making gifts, such as:

Write a check to loved ones.
Forgive outstanding loans and notes.
Create and fund trusts. These trusts can hold a wide variety of investments including stocks, bonds, cash, life insurance, real estate (such as the family cabin), and equity interests in family businesses or investment entities.
Create and make gifts of Family Limited Partnership (FLP) or Limited Liability Company (LLC) ownership units.
Create and fund a Grantor Retained Annuity Trust (GRAT).
Create and fund a Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) or a Charitable Lead Trust (CLT). These are trusts which in part benefit charity and in part benefit your loved ones.

While wealth protection strategies are often most beneficial for those with very large estates, once insurance proceeds are included, many estates can quickly exceed the scheduled 2013 $1,000,000 federal estate tax exemption amount and the current $1,000,000 Minnesota state estate tax exemption.

Even if you are not inclined to use any of the above estate planning strategies to make gifts in 2012, there are several income tax and Medicare tax strategies that you should be aware of as well:

The maximum federal ordinary income tax rate is scheduled to rise in 2013 from 35% to 39.6%. Also in 2013, the 3.8% Medicare tax on investment income (e.g., interest, dividends, capital gains) for couples with income greater than $250,000 ($200,000 for single filers) goes into effect. Certain trusts incur this tax at lesser levels of income. One tactic to mitigate these higher tax rates is to accelerate income into 2012. For example, you may want to convert a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA; exercise nonqualified stock options; take more income from a family-owned business; have a bonus paid in 2012 versus 2013 (doing this will also avoid the 0.9% Medicare tax increase on wages over $250,000 that goes into effect in 2013).
The federal tax rate on long-term capital gains rises from 15% (highest) to 20% in 2013. You may want to sell some highly appreciated stock in 2012 to incur tax at a lower rate.
The phasing-out of itemized deductions is also scheduled to return in 2013. If the phase-out is likely to affect you, you may want to accelerate some 2013 deductions into 2012 (e.g., pay some or all of 2013 State income tax in 2012 versus in April 2013).

Given that significant time may be required to implement some of the strategies outlined above, we recommend you contact us as soon as possible if you wish to act before the end of 2012.

This information has been provided by Christopher Burns from Henson & Efron, P.A. This document does not provide a comprehensive statement of the law or proposed legislation and is meant as a general summary. For information specific to you, please contact Christopher Burns or Brett Anderson from St. Croix Advisors.

Think Twice Before Passing the House On

Posted on October 11, 2012 by stcroixinsights

When it comes to passing home ownership from aging parents, grown children often seem the most likely choice. However, if you’re in this position, you may want to reconsider and tell Mom and Dad, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

In many cases, aging parents feel that transferring ownership of their home to one or more of their children is the best bet, so that they can qualify for nursing home assistance. Parents may also feel that by transferring the home to the kids prior to their deaths, they are able to spare their children any lengthy probate proceedings.

First and foremost, I need to say that everybody’s situation is different and if you or your parents are debating transferring home ownership, your best bet is to consult both your financial advisor as well as an estate planning attorney to determine the full magnitude of any decisions.

When considering whether or not transferring home ownership is really advantageous for all parties, you must first consider whether the potential implications outweigh the benefits.

Not even factoring in Mom and Dad’s long-term care preparations or health, most people will not spend an extended amount of time in a nursing home. Consider the following statistics:

Roughly 65% of all men and 30% of all women older than 65 will never enter a nursing home.
Of those that do, only about one in ten men and one in four women older than 65 will spend more than a year there. Less than 10% of all residents stay beyond three years.
Only 10% of all residents will stay longer than three years.
Over half of all care facility stays last six months or less, with the average stay of those who enter a nursing facility hovering around 18 to 20 months.¹

Given those odds, the costs of nursing facility care still remain a significant cost, but not one that should force parents to shed their home in an attempt to qualify for assistance. (Often, an individual’s primary residence can even be excluded from the asset pool that’s looked at when applying for Medicaid eligibility).

In addition to transferring home ownership to offset nursing facility costs, many aging parents feel that this strategy is also good for sparing kids the long and costly journey probate requires. However, in his April 2011 Registered Rep article, “Going Home Again”, Kevin McKinley disagrees. McKinley argues that given the gift and capital gains taxes heirs could face, probate just may be the lesser of the two evils.²

As with any situation of this magnitude, the decisions are never easy and the options are plentiful. Other avenues that bear exploration include long-term care insurance and/or the establishment of a trust prior to making a decision to simply keep or transfer home ownership.

Just make sure that when you’re ready to start walking those avenues, your financial advisor and estate planning attorney are matching you step for step.

Should you have any questions on long-term care insurance or whether or not you or your parents are prepared in the event of a nursing facility stay, I encourage you to contact me.

¹ Matthews, Joseph. “Long-Term Care Insurance: The Risks and Benefits.” NOLO, Law for All. http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/long-term-care-insurance-risks-benefits-30043.html. 11 Oct. 2012.

.² McKinley, Kevin. “Going Home Again.” Registered Rep. April 2011: 78-79