Pam Anderson CPA, PLLC

Here are a few key tax deadlines for businesses during Q2 of 2019. APR. 1: File with the IRS if you’re an employer that will electronically file 2018 Forms 1097, 1098, certain Forms 1099 and/or Form W-2G. APR. 15: If you’re a calendar-year corporation, file a 2018 income tax return (Form 1120) or file for a six-month extension (Form 7004) and pay any tax due. APR. 30: Employers report income tax withholding and FICA taxes for Q1 2019 (Form 941) and pay any tax due. Contact us to learn more about filing requirements and ensure you meet all applicable deadlines.

Most TCJA provisions went into effect in 2018 and apply through 2025 or are permanent, but two major changes affect individuals beginning in 2019: 1) While the TCJA reduced the medical expense deduction threshold from 10% of adjusted gross income to 7.5%, the reduction applies only to 2017 and 2018. So for 2019, the threshold returns to 10%. 2) For divorce agreements executed (or, in some cases, modified) after Dec. 31, 2018, alimony payments won’t be deductible by the payer but will be excluded from the recipient’s taxable income. Contact us for details.

The IRS opened the 2018 income tax return filing season on Jan. 28. Consider filing as soon as you can, even if you typically don’t file this early. It can help protect you from tax identity theft, in which a thief files a return using your Social Security number to claim a bogus refund. If you file first, it will be returns filed by any would-be thieves that are rejected by the IRS, not yours. Other benefits: You’ll get your refund sooner or, if you owe tax, you’ll know how much you owe sooner so you can be ready to pay it by April 15. Contact us with questions.

Section 529 plans are a popular education-funding tool because of tax and other benefits. Two types are available: 1) prepaid tuition plans, and 2) savings plans. A prepaid tuition plan guarantees tuition regardless of its cost when the child attends the school. A savings plan can fund expenses beyond college tuition on a tax-free basis. The TCJA expands the definition of qualified expenses to generally include elementary and secondary school tuition. However, tax-free distributions used for such tuition are limited to $10,000 per year. Contact us with questions.

While the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act reduces most income tax rates and expands some tax breaks, it may cause you to see these five itemized deductions shrink or disappear when you file your 2018 tax return: 1) state and local tax, 2) mortgage interest, 3) home equity debt interest, 4) miscellaneous, and 5) casualty and theft loss. The combination of a much larger standard deduction and smaller itemized deductions may mean that, even if itemizing has typically benefited you, you might now be better off taking the standard deduction. Contact us for details.