Excent Financial

It's all fun & games until Uncle Sam wants his change$$$

Some common ways to ensure you are paying yourself first is by utilizing pre-tax accounts, also known as "tax-deferred" accounts.

Not only will you be putting away money for your retirement, but you will also lower your taxable income by the amount deposited. Ultimately you lower the amount of taxes you pay currently.

The idea is that you will be in a lower income tax bracket in retirement, so you will enjoy more favorable tax rates at the time than you would during your peak earning years. By deferring taxes, you hope to reduce your overall tax bill on the funds in the account.

Some pre-tax accounts are listed below:

Traditional IRAs
SEP IRAs
401(k) plans
Pensions
Profit-sharing accounts
457 plans
403(b) plans

The above content is and is for informational and advertising purposes only. You should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, business or any other advice. Please do your own due diligence and research before making financial commitments.

Series I savings bonds are a safe alternative to hedge against inflation. Not to mention the recession (my bad, "looming" recession).


The above content is and is for informational and advertising purposes only. You should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, business or any other advice. Please do your own due diligence and research before making financial commitments.

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Year-End Transactions Can Change Your 2022 Tax Refund – Did You Know?

Now is the time to prepare to file your 2022 tax return, and the IRS is reminding taxpayers that certain end-of-year financial transactions might have significant tax impacts. Tax withholding from paychecks does not ordinarily take into account income sources like yearly or holiday bonuses, stock dividends, or selling real estate or other property at a profit. If you receive such income, you might end up getting a smaller tax refund than you have been anticipating, or even owing tax and penalties for underpayment.

In addition, the IRS reminds taxpayers that if they have outstanding debts like unpaid taxes from previous years, past-due child or spousal support, or overdue student loan payments, their 2022 tax refunds might be reduced by these amounts under the Treasury Offset Program (TOP).

A tax professional can help you determine the tax implications of income you received late in 2022.

IRS Delays Implementation of New Form 1099-K Rules – Did You Know?

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 changed the IRS reporting rules for payments sent through third-party payment processors like PayPal and CashApp. The new rules require payment processors to send a Form 1099-K to all recipients of $600 or more in payments for goods or services during a year. These rules were to take effect beginning with tax year 2022.

However, the IRS has now announced that 2022 will be treated as a “transition year” for the ARPA provisions regarding 1099-K forms. As a result, payment processors may choose to follow the previous rules, which stated that a Form 1099-K must only be sent if a business or individual received over $20,000 in payments through more than 200 transactions. The new $600 threshold will take full effect in tax year 2023.

Therefore, if you received between $600 and $20,000 for goods or services through a payment processor in 2022, with 200 or fewer transactions, you may or may not receive a Form 1099-K. Note that this transition policy applies only to the sending of 1099-K forms. You must still report all taxable income you receive through a third-party processing platform to the IRS, regardless of whether you receive a tax form showing the income. A tax professional can help you determine which payments you received may be taxable.

Giving Tuesday and Charitable Donations - Did You Know?

Millions of Americans will contribute to their favorite charities on Giving Tuesday (November 29), and throughout the holiday season. Charitable donations are often described as tax-deductible, but whether you can claim a deduction for your contribution depends on several factors.

First, you generally must itemize deductions on your tax return to claim a deduction for charitable donations. Therefore, your donation will not be deductible if you use the standard deduction. Note that the special rules that allowed taxpayers who did not itemize to deduct certain monetary donations in 2020 and 2021 have now expired. A tax professional can help you determine whether itemizing deductions would be advantageous for you.

If you do itemize deductions, you may generally deduct donations of money or property to any eligible tax-exempt charity. If you are unsure whether an organization qualifies to receive tax-deductible donations, the IRS Tax-Exempt Organization Search tool (link below) can help.

Tax-Exempt Organization Search: https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/tax-exempt-organization-search