It's that time of year again — yes, the holiday season, but also an important time for clients to take stock of 2015 finances to ensure they don't miss out on any last minute year-end tax planning moves (most tax moves must be made by December 31). Intelligent year-end tax planning can generate welcome tax savings for clients — not just on 2015 returns, but in future years, as well. Here, we will highlight some of the tax planning strategies that clients may be overlooking as the year draws to a close.
Editor's Note: In-depth coverage of these issues (and more) can be found in the four-volume Tax Facts series, which provides a comprehensive guide to advising clients on tax and financial issues — now available in both online and print formats.
Maximizing value for health expenses
Taxpayers who have incurred significant medical expenses in 2015 should compare these expenses to adjusted gross income (AGI) in order to determine whether they are deductible — generally, medical expenses that exceed 10 percent of a taxpayer's AGI are deductible. The threshold for 2015 is 7.5 percent if the taxpayer is 65 or older. If a taxpayer is close to the threshold, he or she may wish to consider accelerating medical expenses that would be incurred early in 2016 into 2015 in order to take advantage of the deduction.
Further, taxpayers should take a close look at the terms of any tax-preferred health flexible spending accounts (FSAs) to which he or she contributed in 2015. Health FSAs may be subject to the use-it-or-lose-it rule, which means that all 2015 contributions must be used by the end of the plan year unless the FSA offers either the carryover or grace period option. The carryover provision allows a taxpayer to carry up to $500 in unused funds into 2016, while the grace period option gives taxpayers an extra 2 1/2 months to use the funds (FSAs may contain one of these provisions, but not both).
Minding the investment income tax
Beginning in 2013, new taxes — including the 3.8 percent net investment income tax (NIIT) and the 0.9 percent additional Medicare surcharge — were introduced in order to increase the tax liability of certain high-income taxpayers. The taxes impact taxpayers with AGI that exceeds $200,000 for single filers or $250,000 for married couples filing jointly. The NIIT applies to the lesser of AGI or net investment income, but only if the taxpayer's AGI exceeds the threshold. Clients who determine that their AGI is only slightly above the threshold limits can take proactive steps before year-end to avoid the tax.
These clients should ensure that they are taking all steps possible to reduce AGI — such as maxing out pre-tax contributions to retirement accounts, health savings vehicles and dependent care programs. It's also important that clients examine their portfolios carefully to determine whether they can offset any capital gains with capital losses. Taxpayers are also able to offset up to $3,000 worth of ordinary income with capital losses, and can carry any unused losses into future years.
Roth conversions
Taxpayers who have reason to believe that their taxable income will increase in future years may wish to take advantage of Roth conversions before the end of 2015, while they are in lower tax brackets. This can reduce eventual required minimum distributions from traditional accounts in order to lower AGI in future years and potentially avoid the NIIT and additional Medicare taxes in 2016 and beyond. Lowering AGI in future years can also reduce the taxes that apply to Social Security income, and can allow clients to avoid the income-based surcharges on Medicare premiums.
Clients whose IRA holdings suffered during 2015 may be especially attracted to making a Roth conversion before year-end. When a client converts to a Roth, he or she pays ordinary income tax on the entire amount converted — if the value has declined, the conversion will generate a lower tax liability. If the asset values rebound, the growth in the Roth assets will be tax-free — and if the values continue to decline, the client can always reverse the transaction and re-characterize the Roth (or a portion of the Roth) before October 15, 2016.
