Are You Ready For 2020? Tax Filing Season Is Coming!

 

Picture Courtesy: pixabay.com Angkor Wat

How was 2019? Did it go well for you? I have been talking to my colleagues in the tax sphere, opinions are all over the place. The Tax Reform roll-out kept most of us either waiting on the proposed regulations or trying to wrap our heads around the final regulations that kept coming through in bits and starts from the Internal Revenue Service. Kudos to the people who work there I must say, in spite of all the staffing issues, they were doing their best to keep the regs rolling out. 

Well, the proverbial Father Time does not wait for anyone,and here we are, final regs and proposed regs tucked under our elbows, getting ready for 2020! So, here are some steps my dear readers I thought would help you get your stuff together and be as ready as possible for Tax Season 2020. 

A. Adjust Your Withholding: If you are a wage earner and have been working with the same employer for the past few years, I would highly recommend doing a "payroll check-up" so you can make sure you are having enough taken out in taxes. A lot of taxpayers were in for a sticker shock after payroll withholdings changed for 2018 considering a lot of deductions were either removed or changed and exemptions were completely phased-out. Ask your tax preparer to help you with this or you could do this on your own on the IRS Website Tax Withholding Estimator. 

B. Adjust Your Employer Retirement Plan Contribution: If you have an Employer Provided Retirement Plan like a 401K or a 403b, you can stash away up to $19,000 (for 2019) and $ 6,000 in catch-up contributions for those over 50 years of age. If you have cash to spare, make sure you are maximizing these contributions before the end of the year. 

C. Check Your Eligibility For Individual Retirement Account {IRA} Contributions: In addition to your employer provided retirement accounts, you may be eligible to contribute in to an IRA. These contributions can be made up to the tax filing deadline or April 15th. You can make a maximum contribution of $ 6,000 (for 2019) and $ 1,000 in catch-up contributions for those over 50 years of age. Talk to your tax preparer to check your eligibility. 

D. Estimating Annual Income For Small and Medium Business Owners: If you are a business owner, it is important to calculate and pay your taxes every quarter: April 15th, June 15th, September 15th and December 31st. The most ideal and safe way to set this up is to open an Electronic Federal Tax Payment System Account on eftps.gov. Payments can also be made through direct bank debit or with a credit card via irs.gov/payments. Depending on your entity structure, size and nature of your business, you may be able to schedule these payments ahead of time. Many States also have a similar system. Do not forget your state taxes.

E. Making Retirement Plan Contributions For Business Owners: You can contribute into a Solo 401K/ SEP/ SIMPLE IRA. You can make both "Employer" and "Employee" contributions. Funding options on each of these retirement plans are different, and so are set up requirements. I would highly recommend you work with an Enrolled Agent to determine eligibility and contribution limits. 

F. Review Changes To Rental Income and Safe Harbor Requirements: The Internal Revenue Service issued clarifications in September 2019 regarding treating your rentals as a "trade or business" and a safe harbor to claim a deduction under §199A. Owners of rental properties need to comply with certain requirements to be able to claim their rentals as a "trade or business" and avail of a deduction under §199A. These requirements can be found here.

G. Renew Your Individual Tax Identification Number {ITIN}: If you or someone in your family has been issued an ITIN, be aware that the ITINs now expire. If your ITIN or someone in your family has an ITIN that is going to expire in 2019, you need to renew it unless you are now eligible to obtain a Social Security Number.Here are some FAQ's issued by the IRS. 

The key to a successful tax season, complete and proper filing of your taxes is to have all your records ready. We undertake end-of-year tax planning for our clients so we can avoid surprises at tax time! Please contact us or your trusted tax professional and get ready for 2020. 

---
Do not forget to read my disclaimer here. Please consult an Enrolled Agent for your unique tax needs. More of my contact information is on my website, www.mntaxbiz.com.