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April 2024 Tax Tips -April 2024

Upcoming Tax Due Dates

Upcoming Tax Due Dates

April 15

Individuals: File a 2023 income tax return (Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR) or file for an automatic six-month extension (Form 4868). (Taxpayers who live outside the United States and Puerto Rico or serve in the military outside these two locations are allowed an automatic two-month extension without requesting an extension.) Pay any tax due.

Individuals: Pay the first installment of 2024 estimated taxes (Form 1040-ES) if not paying income tax through withholding or not paying sufficient income tax through withholding.

Individuals: Make 2023 contributions to a traditional IRA or Roth IRA (even if a 2023 income tax return extension is filed).

Individuals: Make 2023 contributions to a SEP or certain other retirement plans (unless a 2023 income tax return extension is filed).

Individuals: File a 2023 gift tax return (Form 709) or file for an automatic six-month extension (Form 8892). Pay any gift tax due. File for an automatic six-month extension (Form 4868) to extend both Form 1040 and Form 709 if no gift tax is due.

Household employers: File Schedule H, if wages paid equal $2,600 or more in 2023 and Form 1040 isn’t required to be filed. For those filing Form 1040, Schedule H is to be submitted with the return so is extended if the return is extended.

Calendar-year trusts and estates: File a 2023 income tax return (Form 1041) or file for an automatic five-and-a-half-month extension (Form 7004) (six-month extension for bankruptcy estates). Pay any income tax due.

Calendar-year corporations: File a 2023 income tax return (Form 1120) or file for an automatic six-month extension (Form 7004). Pay any tax due.

Calendar-year corporations: Pay the first installment of 2024 estimated income taxes, completing Form 1120-W for the corporation’s records.

Employers: Deposit Social Security, Medicare and withheld income taxes for March if the monthly deposit rule applies.

Employers: Deposit nonpayroll withheld income tax for March if the monthly deposit rule applies.

April 30

Employers: Report Social Security and Medicare taxes and income tax withholding for first quarter 2024 (Form 941) and pay any tax due if all of the associated taxes due weren’t deposited on time and in full.

May 10

Individuals: Report April tip income of $20 or more to employers (Form 4070).

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April 2024 Tax Tips -April 2024

2024 Depreciation Limits for Business Vehicles

2024 Depreciation Limits for Business Vehicles

IRS guidance provides the 2024 depreciation limits for “luxury” business vehicles. For vehicles placed in service in 2024, depreciation limits (including first-year bonus depreciation) are $20,400 for year one, $19,800 for year two, $11,900 for year three and $7,160 for each year after that. This includes passenger cars, as well as SUVs, trucks and vans if their gross vehicle weight (GVW) is 6,000 pounds or less. The IRS also announced lease inclusion amounts for lessees of passenger vehicles first leased in 2024. To read Rev. Proc. 2024-13: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-24-13.pdf

Purchasing a heavier vehicle can offer tax advantages. New or used vehicles may be eligible for Sec. 179 expensing, which might allow you to deduct the entire cost. However, a reduced Sec. 179 limit ($30,500 for 2024) applies to vehicles (typically SUVs) with GVWs of more than 6,000 pounds but no more than 14,000 pounds.

Also keep in mind that, if a vehicle is used for both business and personal purposes, depreciation must be allocated between deductible business use and nondeductible personal use. The depreciation limit is reduced if the business use is less than 100%. If business use is 50% or less, you can’t claim any bonus depreciation or Sec. 179 expensing.

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April 2024 Tax Tips -April 2024

Avoid Misinformation About Tax-Favored Health Accounts

Avoid Misinformation About Tax-Favored Health Accounts

Do you have a health Flexible Spending Account, Health Savings Account or similar plan through your employer? The IRS is warning about misinformation that could lead to serious mistakes.

Nonmedical nutrition, wellness and exercise expenses that aren’t explicitly related to a medical diagnosis or treatment aren’t reimbursable under these plans. But that hasn’t stopped certain bad actors from offering to provide a “doctor’s note” (for a price) that they claim would authorize health reimbursement plans to accept ineligible expenses, such as for nonmedical food that doesn’t satisfy normal nutritional needs.

To review the IRS’s related FAQs: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/frequently-asked-questions-about-medical-expenses-related-to-nutrition-wellness-and-general-health

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April 2024 Tax Tips -April 2024

Payable-on-Death Accounts: Beneficial Tools if Used Correctly

Payable-on-Death Accounts: Beneficial Tools if Used Correctly

Payable-on-death (POD) accounts can be a quick, simple and inexpensive way to transfer assets outside of probate. They can be used for bank or credit union accounts, certificates of deposit and even brokerage accounts. Setting up such an account is as easy as providing the financial institution with a signed POD beneficiary designation form. Upon your death, your beneficiaries just need to present identification to the bank, with a certified copy of a death certificate, and the money or securities will be theirs.

Be aware that POD accounts can backfire unless they’ve been coordinated carefully with your estate plan. For example, suppose Jack divides his assets equally among his three children in his will. He also sets up a POD account leaving $50,000 to his oldest child. That creates a conflict that may have to be resolved in court.

Another potential problem with POD accounts is that if you use them for most of your assets, the remaining assets may be insufficient to pay debts, taxes or other expenses. One way to bypass this problem is to use a POD account to hold a modest amount of funds to pay for pressing needs while your estate is administered.

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