Procrastination rarely pays. That’s particularly true when it comes to taxes. Since most tax-smart strategies take time to implement and come with a December 31 deadline, an early start can save you money and stress. Wouldn’t you rather be enjoying the December holidays than scrambling to meet a tax deadline?
Many of the smart tax moves for 2014 are familiar ones—such as contributing to tax-advantaged retirement plans and increasing deductions—but there are a few new twists. The Affordable Care Act (ACA), for example, has tax implications for some people, as does the legal recognition of same-sex marriages. Also, Congress hasn’t renewed several popular deductions, which could affect your year-end tax-planning decisions. The sales tax deduction, and the ability for people over age 70½ to give required IRA distributions directly to a charity and save on taxes, are two examples.
“Regardless of your income or tax situation, one rule applies to everyone,” says Mark Luscombe, principal federal tax analyst for accounting research and software provider Wolters Kluwer, CCH. “The sooner you get started, the more effective you can be in managing your taxes.”
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Here are some tips to get you started.
1. Contribute to a tax-advantaged savings plan.
Contributing to a 401(k) or an IRA may be the smartest tax move that most taxpayers can make. Not only does it reduce your taxable income for the current tax year and allow your potential earnings to grow on a tax-deferred basis, it also helps get you closer to achieving your retirement savings goal. Contributions to your 401(k), 403(b), or similar workplace retirement plan must be made by December 31, 2014, to impact your 2014 taxes, so you need to act quickly to increase your deferral. The 2014 401(k) contribution limit is $17,500 ($23,000 for people age 50 or older). With an IRA, you have until April 15, 2015, to make a 2014 tax-deductible contribution1 of up to $5,500 ($6,500 if you’re age 50 or older).
Other possibilities for tax-advantaged plan contributions are a Simplified Employee Pension plan (SEP), for self-employed individuals, or a Health Savings Account (HSA). Contributions to either of these plans can be made up until April 15 and still apply to 2014.
2. Adjust your withholding.
Ideally, the amount of money withheld from your paycheck or sent to the IRS in quarterly payments should come very close to your actual tax liability. Withhold too little and you could have a big tax bill when you file your return. Withhold too much and you’re giving the IRS what amounts to a tax-free loan of money that you could be using to pay down debt or save for retirement (and, potentially, reduce your taxes).
There’s still time to adjust your withholding for 2014 by making changes to the W-4 you have on file with your employer, or, if you make quarterly payments, by increasing or decreasing your payments between now and when the last 2014 payment is due in January. Keep in mind that the longer you wait, the fewer pay periods you’ll have to reach your target. To learn more about how to adjust your withholding, read Viewpoints: “Are you giving the IRS an interest-free loan?”
3. “Harvest” your investment losses.
If you have capital gains outside of your retirement accounts, you may be able to lower your tax liability through tax-loss harvesting. That simply means selling losing investments that no longer fit your investing strategy and using the loss as a write-off against some or all of your gains. If you employ a tax-loss harvesting strategy, you must be aware of the wash-sale rule that disallows the write-off if you purchase substantially the same investment 30 days before or after the loss sale. Viewpoints “Tackle taxes: Got gains or losses?” explains in more detail how tax-loss harvesting works.
4. Contribute to charity.
Contributing to charitable causes before the end of the year is a tried-and-true tax-reduction strategy for taxpayers who itemize deductions. But remember to get a receipt for every contribution you make, not just those over $250. Also, if you want to be more strategic, you could open a donor-advised fund, which offers several advantages for managing your charitable-giving activity. You could, for example, contribute a lump sum to the fund before December 31, take the entire deduction on your 2014 tax return, and then instruct the fund to use the money to make next year’s gifts.
One strategy that offers two tax benefits is donating appreciated securities, such as stocks or bonds, to charity. The tax code allows you to use the current market value of the asset as a deduction without having to pay tax on the capital appreciation, so you get the charitable contribution deduction and avoid capital gains tax. Read Viewpoints: “Planning your year-end charitable giving.”
5. Use your annual gift tax exemption.
An individual can give up to $14,000 a year to as many people as you choose ($28,000 if you and your spouse both make gifts) to help reduce the amount of your estate and help reduce or avoid federal gift and estate taxes. This may include cash, stocks, bonds, and portions of real estate. However, anything above $14,000 per person per year may be subject to gift taxes, so it’s important to keep track of this information. For more information, speak with your tax adviser and review IRS Publication 559, Survivors, Executors, and Administrators.
If you would like to contribute money toward a child’s education, consider a 529 plan account. Contributions are generally considered to be removed from your estate. You can also make a payment directly to an educational institution and pay no gift tax.
6. Accelerate deductions.
In addition to charitable contributions, other types of deductions offer some flexibility. If you make estimated state or local tax payments, for example, you could send in the January payment before the end of this year. And maybe you could do the same with a property tax bill that’s due near the beginning of the next year. Other possibilities include accelerating payments for medical services or purchasing work-related items, such as uniforms, for which you are not reimbursed. Recognize, however, that increasing your tax deductions only makes sense if you have enough of them to exceed the standard deduction of $6,200 for single taxpayers, $12,400 for married couples filing jointly, and $9,100 for heads of household.
Learn more
Not enough: Read Part II for more.
More resources
- Visit the Fidelity tax center.
- Read the Viewpoints special report: Take on taxes.
- Investigate tax-advantaged investment solutions.
Fidelity does not provide legal or tax advice. The information herein is general and educational in nature and should not be considered legal or tax advice. Tax laws and regulations are complex and subject to change, which can materially impact investment results. Fidelity cannot guarantee that the information herein is accurate, complete, or timely. Fidelity makes no warranties with regard to such information or results obtained by its use, and disclaims any liability arising out of your use of, or any tax position taken in reliance on, such information. Consult an attorney or tax professional regarding your specific situation.
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This content was provided by Fidelity Investments and did not involve the Kiplinger editorial staff.
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