Three bad things happen when you file your tax return late.
What’s Late?
You can extend your tax return and file during the period of extension; that’s not a late-filed return.
The late-filed return is filed after the last extension expired. That’s what causes the three bad things to happen.
Bad Thing 1
The IRS notices that you filed late or not at all.
Of course, the “I didn’t file at all” people receive the IRS’s “come on down and bring your tax records” letter. In general, the meeting with the IRS about non-filed tax returns does not go well.
For the late filers, the big problem is exposure to an IRS audit. Say you’re in the group that the IRS audits about 3 percent of the time, but you file your tax return late. Your chances of an IRS audit increase significantly, perhaps to 50 percent or higher.
Simply stated, bad thing 1 is this: file late and increase your odds of saying: “Hello, IRS examiner.”
Bad Thing 2
When you file late, you trigger the big 5 percent a month, not to exceed 25 percent of the tax-due penalty.
Here, the bad news is 5 percent a month. The good news (if you want to call it that) is this penalty maxes out at 25 percent.
Bad Thing 3
Of course, if you owe the “failure to file” penalty, you likely also owe the penalty for “failure to pay.” The failure-to-pay penalty equals 0.5 percent a month, not to exceed 25 percent of the tax due.
The penalty for failure to pay offsets the penalty for failure to file such that the 5 percent is the maximum penalty during the first five months when both penalties apply.
But once those five months are over, the penalty for failure to pay continues to apply. Thus, you can owe 47.5 percent of the tax due by not filing and not paying (25 percent plus 0.5 percent for the additional 45 months it takes to get to the maximum failure-to-pay penalty of 25 percent).
A superseding return is an amended or corrected return filed on or before the original or extended due date. The IRS considers the changes on a superseding return to be part of your original return.
A qualified amended return is an amended return that you file after the due date of the return (including extensions) and before the earliest of several events, but most likely when the IRS contacts you with respect to an examination of the return. If you file a qualified amended return, you avoid the 20 percent accuracy-related penalty on that mistake.
When it comes to the IRS, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If you made a mistake, fix it as soon as you know about it, which will save you penalties, increased interest accruals, and the headache of an IRS review of your return.
Congress just passed the CARES Act in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In it, there are a lot of juicy tax benefits for you and your business. We’ll tell you about a collection of important ones you need to know.
The Check Will Be in the Mail
As you read this, the U.S. Treasury Department could be in the process of writing you a check, and it’s possible you could have that check in your hands within three weeks, according to the Treasury secretary.
The check you receive this year is going to be your minimum amount. You don’t have to repay it or pay taxes on it. And next year, when you file your 2020 tax return—say, on April 15, 2021—you could receive more cash if the 2020 return shows a bigger credit than you receive this year.
Technically, the cash you’re about to receive is an advance payment of a new refundable tax credit for your 2020 Form 1040 tax return. (This is the return you will file in 2021.)
The advance tax credit (think cash) coming in the mail or electronically in the next three weeks or so is based on your 2018 or 2019 (if you filed it already) tax return. If your income qualifies for the full credit, you will receive
$1,200, or $2,400 if you filed a joint return, plus
$500 for each dependent age 16 or younger on December 31, 2020.
Your tax credit (the check in the mail) goes down by 5 percent of the amount by which your adjusted gross income (AGI) exceeds
$150,000 on a joint return,
$112,500 on a head of household return, or
$75,000 for all other filing statuses.
The advance credit amount is based on
2019 AGI; or
2018 AGI, if you have not yet filed your 2019 return; or
2020 Social Security benefits statement, if you did not file a 2018 or 2019 tax return.
You’ll “true up” your advance tax credit on your 2020 Form 1040 (which you will file in 2021):
If the tax credit amount (the cash you are about to receive) is less than the credit you qualify for based on 2020 AGI, then you’ll get the difference as a refundable tax credit in 2021 after you file your 2020 tax return.
If the cash amount you receive this year is greater than the credit you qualify for based on 2020 AGI, you have a windfall. You don’t have to pay the excess cash back to the IRS.
Your current tax debts will not interfere with the cash amount you are about to receive. There are no offsets for outstanding tax debts. But there is an offset for past-due child support that is reported to the IRS by a state. In this case, the IRS will take the child support money from the advance tax credit before remitting any money to the taxpayer.
Planning tip. If you didn’t file your 2019 tax return yet, calculate if your advance credit is higher with your 2018 AGI. If it is, wait to file your 2019 return until after you get the advance credit paid to you.
Example. You filed a 2018 Form 1040 with AGI of $70,000 and no dependents. Your 2019 Form 1040, which you did not file yet, has an AGI of $105,000 and no dependents.
If you file your 2019 return now, you will get no cash from the advance credit because your AGI would have phased out your entire credit. But if you don’t file your 2019 return now, you receive $1,200.
Fast-forward to your 2020 tax return—say your 2020 Form 1040 has AGI of $110,000. It’s over the threshold. No problem. Under the rules, you keep the $1,200.
Charitable Contributions
For the tax year 2020 only, the CARES Act increases the limits on charitable contributions as follows:
For individuals, there is no AGI limit for contributions normally subject to the 50 percent and 60 percent limitations. The 2020 no-limit rule does not apply to contributions to donor-advised funds.
For corporations, the 10 percent limitation goes up to 25 percent of taxable income.
The limitation on deductions for contributions of food inventory goes from 15 percent to 25 percent.
If you are a non-itemizer, you may now deduct up to $300 of cash charitable contributions above the line. This above-the-line deduction is a permanent change starting with the tax year 2020.
Net Operating Losses
The CARES Act temporarily suspends some of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) limitations on net operating losses (NOLs):
For NOLs that arise in tax years 2018, 2019, and 2020, you can now carry them back five years to obtain refunds of taxes previously paid.
Under the TCJA, an NOL deduction in a tax year usually cannot exceed 80 percent of taxable income, but the CARES Act suspends that limitation and allows a 100 percent deduction for tax years 2018, 2019, and 2020.
These new, temporary changes allow you to fully utilize your NOLs and potentially amend prior-year tax returns to get refunds.
461(l) Limitation
The TCJA created a new loss limitation rule (a ceiling) that limited your ability to use business losses. The CARES Act retroactively eliminates the Section 461(l) limitation rule for tax years 2018, 2019, and 2020 and moves the start to tax year 2021. Once again, this change allows you to possibly amend prior-year tax returns to get refunds now.
Qualified Improvement Property
Finally! Congress fixed the TCJA error. Qualified improvement property (QIP) is now 15-year property, and not 39-year property, for depreciation purposes.
This means QIP is now eligible for bonus depreciation, where previously you could use only Section 179 expensing. This change is retroactive as if Congress originally included it in the TCJA, so you can amend prior-year returns to fully expense the property and potentially secure refunds.
After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Congress added a little-known tax provision to the tax law. This little-known tax code provision exempts certain payments from taxation during a disaster or terrorist attack.
President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration triggered the disaster provisions of the tax law, including this one—where both you and your employees can reap benefits during this COVID-19 pandemic.
How This Works
Because of the pandemic, the tax code makes the following tax-free to your employees:
Payments they receive from you for necessary personal, family, living, or funeral expenses incurred as a result of COVID-19
Payments they receive from you for reasonable and necessary expenses incurred for the repair or rehabilitation of a personal residence, or for the repair or replacement of its contents, to the extent that the need for such repair, rehabilitation, or replacement is attributable to COVID-19
The qualified COVID-19 disaster relief payments are free of income tax, payroll taxes, and self-employment tax. Not only are the payments tax-free to your employee, but they are deductible to you as a business expense, regardless of whether or not the payment ends up being tax-free to the employee.
Payments That Do Not Work
The exclusion from income does not apply to payments in the nature of income replacement, such as payments to individuals for lost wages, unemployment compensation, or payments in the nature of business income replacement.
Payments to business entities don’t qualify, either. Qualified disaster relief payments do not include payments for any expenses compensated by insurance or otherwise.
Payments You Can Make
Here’s an example: the IRS ruled that grants received by employees under an employer program to pay or reimburse reasonable and necessary medical, temporary housing, or transportation expenses incurred as a result of a flood qualify for this benefit.
With respect to the COVID-19 pandemic, you could reimburse or pay for the following employee expenses under this guidance:
Out-of-pocket medical costs not covered by health insurance
Teleworking costs, such as a computer, office equipment, telephone, and supplies
Funeral costs for an employee or an employee’s family member
Childcare costs so that your employees can continue to work while children are home from school
Planning note. Because of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, employees may not deduct employee business expenses during tax years 2018-2025, so your reimbursement of such expenses under the disaster rules is extra valuable.
Documentation
Here’s a surprise: Congress doesn’t think taxpayers can account for their actual expenses because they are going through a disaster, so taxpayers are in the clear provided the payments received and treated as tax-free are reasonably expected to be commensurate with the expenses they incurred.
Even if the IRS is generous with documentation requirements, we recommend you implement a formal, written plan with
starting and ending dates of the program;
a listing of the expenses you will pay or reimburse;
the maximum payment per employee;
maximum total payments through the plan; and
a procedure the employee will use to request funds.
You should also track the names and amounts provided to each employee under the program terms.
Example
During the COVID-19 pandemic, you establish a plan to help employees with telework expenses, allowing each employee to get a $1,500 grant for equipment, supplies, and use of home utilities.
Your employees Sam and Helen each apply, and each estimate they will spend $1,500 on a form you provide. Sam and Helen each spend approximately $1,500 on telework equipment and supplies.
As you know, the COVID-19 pandemic has shut down much activity in the United States. The IRS decided to use its authority in a national emergency to postpone certain tax return filings and payments. This change affects every one of you, and the rules are tricky—after all, this is tax law.
We’ll explain who gets relief; what the IRS postponed; and perhaps more important, what wasn’t postponed. We’ll also tell you whether you should file regardless of the postponement.
Who Qualifies?
First, to qualify for postponement, you must have a tax return that is due on April 15, 2020. In general, the returns due on April 15 include the following:
An individual filing a Form 1040 series return
A trust or estate filing Form 1041
A partnership filing Form 1065
A corporation filing a Form 1120 series return
In its FAQ, the IRS did not include the Form 1065 for partnerships or the Form 1120S for S corporations when it listed the forms available for relief.
That’s because most partnerships and S corporations have calendar-year returns, making the 2019 tax return due March 15, 2020. But if you have a fiscal-year partnership or S corporation with a due date of April 15, 2020, it should qualify for relief under the official guidance.
Second, you must have one of the following due on April 15, 2020:
Tax year 2019 federal income tax return
Tax year 2019 federal income tax payment
Tax year 2020 federal estimated income tax payment
This grant of relief does not apply to
federal payroll taxes, including federal tax deposits, and
federal information returns.
Federal Tax Return Filing Deadline
If you qualify for relief, your 2019 federal income tax return is now due July 15, 2020. You do not have to file an extension on Form 4868 or Form 7004 or contact the IRS to get the automatic postponement to July 15, 2020.
If you need additional time beyond July 15, 2020, to file your tax return, you can file Form 4868 or Form 7004 on or before July 15, 2020, and get an automatic extension to your normal extension due date:
September 30 for Form 1041
October 15 for Forms 1040 and 1120
IRA, HSA, and Retirement Plan Payments
The COVID-19 grant of relief also postpones the following payment deadlines until July 15, 2020:
2019 employer qualified retirement plan contributions
Should You Wait?
If your tax return shows a refund, file it as soon as possible—get your cash as quickly as you can. Even if you have the cash and liquidity to make your tax payments on April 15, 2020, don’t do it. Keeping those payments in your bank account earns extra interest income, and we see no reason you shouldn’t delay until July 15, 2020.
If you have problems with making timely estimated tax payments, we recommend you keep the normal schedule as long as you have the liquidity and cash to make the payments. We don’t want you to fall into bad habits and possibly create an unpayable balance due on your 2020 tax return.
As you likely know, the TCJA increased bonus depreciation to 100 percent. Unlike most tax provisions that involve a tax election, this one requires you to elect out if you don’t want it.
For example, you (or your corporation) buy two $50,000 trucks, each with a gross vehicle weight rating of 6,500 pounds and a bed length of 6.5 feet. You use the trucks 100 percent for business. Because of the weight and bed size, the trucks are exempt from the luxury passenger vehicle depreciation limits.
You have five choices on how to deduct the vehicles on your 2019 tax return (the one you are filing or about to file—we are in tax season):
Do nothing. This forces you to use bonus depreciation and deduct the entire $100,000 cost in year one. In addition, you deduct your operating expenses such as gas, oil, and insurance.
Elect out, choose Section 179 expensing of any amount of your $100,000 cost of the trucks, and depreciate the balance. For example, you could elect to deduct $30,000 of Section 179 expensing on each truck and then depreciate the remainder using MACRS. In addition, you deduct your operating expenses such as gas, oil, and insurance. (Note. The trucks are not subject to the $25,000 SUV ceiling because of their weight and bed length.)
Elect out, don’t use Section 179, and depreciate the trucks using the five-year MACRS depreciation schedule (which takes six years).
Elect out, don’t use Section 179, and depreciate the trucks using the five-year straight-line depreciation schedule (which also takes six years).
Use the 57.5 cents IRS standard mileage rate for each business mile driven. The 57.5 cents per mile rate includes operating expenses and 27 cents a mile for depreciation.
Okay, you get the big picture. Two trucks, each with a cost of $50,000 and both exempt from the luxury vehicle limits. Five choices as to the deduction.
Luxury Vehicles
Because of their gross vehicle weight, the vehicles mentioned above were exempt from the luxury vehicle depreciation limits that apply to
cars with curb weight of 6,000 pounds or less, and
SUVs, pickups, and crossover vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 6,000 pounds or less.
Had the vehicles failed the weight test, their bonus depreciation for 2019 would have been limited to $18,100.
If
you or a well-off relative are facing the gift and estate tax, here’s a
planning opportunity often overlooked: pay tuition and medical expenses for
loved ones. Such payments, structured correctly, do not represent gifts.
The
monies spent by you on the qualified medical and tuition payments reduce your
net worth and taxable estate, but they do no harm to your income, gift, or
estate taxes. Further, the loved one who benefits from your help does not incur
any tax issues.
As
unusual as this sounds, with the tuition and medical payments, you operate in a
tax-free zone.
Gift
and Estate Tax Exclusion
If
you die in 2020, your heirs won’t pay any estate or gift taxes if your estate
and taxable gifts total less than $11.58 million.
If
you are married and have done some planning, you and your spouse can avoid
estate and gift taxes on up to $23.16 million.
Lawmakers
set the current rates with the TCJA and also set them to drop by 50 percent in
2026. Gifts made now continue as excludable should they exceed the upcoming 50
percent drop.
Beating
the Gift Tax with Tuition
The
tuition exception to the normal gift tax rules involves direct payment of
tuition (money for enrollment) made to an educational organization on behalf of
another individual.
You
may not two-step this. For example, you can’t write a check to granddaughter
Amy for $50,000 that she in turn uses for her tuition. Here, you made a $50,000
gift.
But
if you write the $50,000 check directly to the educational organization to pay
for Amy’s tuition, you are in the tax-free zone. The $50,000 does not bite into
your gift and estate tax exemptions, because it’s for tuition.
The
unlimited benefit here applies only to tuition for full-time and part-time
students. You can’t use it for items such as dorm fees and books. You can’t pay
the money to a trust and then require the trust to pay a grandchild’s future
tuition costs (this fails the test for direct payment to the institution).
Qualifying
Educational Organization
Tax
code Section 170(b)(1)(A)(ii) defines “educational organization” as “an
educational organization which normally maintains a regular faculty and
curriculum and normally has a regularly enrolled body of pupils or students in
attendance at the place where its educational activities are regularly carried
on.”
The
regs elaborate by explaining that the term “educational institution” includes
primary, secondary, preparatory, or high schools, and colleges and
universities.
Example. You have four
children, ages 7, 8, 9, and 10, at a private school where the tuition is
$17,000 per year per student. Grandma Grace pays directly to the school the
tuition for each of the children. Grandma Grace has no gift tax or other tax
issues. Her payments are in the tax-free zone.
You
can also pay the tuition to a foreign university. That tuition payment is in
the tax-free zone just as if you had paid it to the University of Chicago.
Irrevocable
prepaid tuition meets the rules and offers planning opportunities. Grampa Zeke
has four grandchildren, all in the first and second grades of private schools.
He sets up and funds an irrevocable plan with each of the private schools to
pay the tuition at their respective schools. The plans qualify for tax-free
zone treatment.
Planning
note.
Prepaid tuition can be a great death-bed strategy.
The
tax-free zone treatment of medical expenses requires that you pay the money
directly to the medical care provider or insurance company (when paying for
health insurance).
Under
this plan, you avoid gift taxes when you pay directly to the provider any
medical expense that would qualify as an itemized deduction on your Form 1040.
Here are the basics:
Qualifying
medical expenses are limited to those expenses defined in Section 213(d) and
include expenses incurred for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or
prevention of disease, or for the purpose of affecting any structure or
function of the body or for transportation primarily for and essential to
medical care. (See IRS Pub. 502,
Medical and Dental Expenses for an easy-to-understand list of itemized medical deductions—note
this link produces a PDF of the publication.)
In
addition, the unlimited exclusion from the gift tax includes amounts paid directly
to the insurance company for medical insurance on behalf of any individual.
The
unlimited exclusion from the gift tax does not apply to amounts paid for
medical care that are reimbursed by the donee’s insurance. Thus, if payment for
a medical expense is reimbursed by the donee’s insurance company, the donor’s
payment for that expense, to the extent of the reimbursed amount, is not
eligible for the unlimited exclusion from the gift tax, and the gift is treated
as having been made on the date the reimbursement is received by the donee.
Example. Sam, your buddy,
takes a big fall while climbing Mount Everest. You pay $67,000 of his medical
bills directly to the medical providers. You are in the tax-free zone and face
no gift tax.
Say
that the insurance company reimburses Sam for $31,000 of the medical bills that
you paid, and Sam keeps the money. Now, you have the following tax situation:
You
have $36,000 of medical bills that you paid directly to the provider that are
in the tax-free zone and not subject to gift taxes ($67,000 – $31,000).
You
can avoid $15,000 of gift taxes because of the 2020 annual exclusion. Thus, of
the $31,000 reimbursed to Sam by the insurance company, you pay gift taxes on
$16,000 and avoid taxes on the remaining $15,000 because of the annual
exclusion.
If you have a
loved one who needs tuition or medical help from you, use the tax-free zone
method. For example, you have an estate tax problem and Uncle Jimmy needs help
with his medical bills. Don’t make a monetary gift to Jimmy to help him. Instead,
make your checks payable to the medical providers who are billing Uncle Jimmy.
Even if you don’t
have a gift tax problem today, use the tax-free method because, who knows, you
could win the lottery tomorrow.
And don’t forget
this strategy. Sure, you have an $11.58 million estate and gift tax exemption
this year. In 2026, that’s scheduled to drop by 50 percent (adjusted for
inflation). But the current deficit issues could trigger a drop to, say, the
2008 exemption amount of $2 million, or lower.
In
December 2017, Congress enacted the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) and changed
how your children calculate their tax on their investment-type income. The TCJA
changes led to much higher tax bills for many children.
On
December 19, 2019, Congress passed a bill that the president signed into law on
December 20, 2019 (Pub. L. 116-94). The new law repeals the kiddie tax changes
from the TCJA and takes you back to the old kiddie tax rules, even
retroactively if you so desire.
Kiddie Tax Basics
When
your children are subject to the kiddie tax, it forces them to pay taxes at a
higher rate than the rate they would usually pay.
Here’s
the key: the kiddie tax does not apply to all of a child’s income, only to his
or her “unearned” income, which means income from
dividends,
rent,
capital
gains,
interest,
S
corporation distributions, and
any
type of income other than compensation for work.
For
2019, your child pays the kiddie tax only on unearned income above $2,100. For
example, if your child has $3,000 of unearned income, only $900 is subject to
the extra taxes.
Who Pays the
Kiddie Tax?
The
kiddie tax applies to children with more than $2,100 of unearned income when
the children
have
to file a tax return,
do
not file a joint tax return,
have
at least one living parent at the end of the year,
are
under age 18 at the end of the year,
are
age 18 at the end of the year and did not have earned income that was more than
half of their support, or
are
full-time students over age 18 and under age 24 at the end of the year who did
not have earned income that was more than half of their support.
Calculating the
Kiddie Tax
Under
the TCJA, now valid only for tax years 2018 and 2019, any income subject to the
kiddie tax is taxed at estate and trust tax rates, which reach a monstrous 37
percent with only $12,070 of income in tax year 2019.
Under
the old rules before the TCJA, your child paid tax at your tax rate on income
subject to the kiddie tax.
Kiddie Tax Choices
The
SECURE Act, which the president signed into law on December 20, 2019, repeals
the TCJA kiddie tax rules for tax years 2020 and forward and returns the tax
calculation to the pre-TCJA calculation that uses your tax rate.
The
new law also gives you the option to calculate the kiddie tax using your tax
rate for tax years 2018, 2019, or both—it is your choice.
If
you are self-employed, you have much to think about as you enter your senior
years, and that includes retirement savings and Medicare. Here a few thoughts
that will help.
Keep
Making Retirement Account Contributions, and Make Extra “Catch-up”
Contributions Too
Self-employed
individuals who are age 50 and older as of the applicable year-end can make
additional elective deferral catch-up contributions to certain types of
tax-advantaged retirement accounts.
For
the 2019 tax year, you can take advantage of this opportunity if you will be 50
or older as of December 31, 2019.
You
can make elective deferral catch-up contributions to your self-employed 401(k)
plan or to a SIMPLE IRA.
You
can also make catch-up contributions to a traditional or Roth IRA.
The
maximum catch-up contributions for 2019 are as follows:
401(k) Plan
SIMPLE IRA
Traditional or
Roth IRA
$6,000
$3,000
$1,000
Catch-up
contributions are above and beyond
the
“regular” 2019 elective deferral contribution limit of $19,000 that otherwise
applies to a 401(k) plan.
the
“regular” 2019 elective deferral contribution limit of $13,000 that otherwise
applies to a SIMPLE IRA.
the
“regular” 2019 contribution limit of $6,000 that otherwise applies to a
traditional or Roth IRA.
How
Much Can Those Catch-up Contributions Be Worth?
Good
question.You might dismiss catch-up contributions as relatively
inconsequential unless we can prove otherwise. Fair enough. Here’s your proof:
401(k)
catch-up contributions. Say you turned 50 during 2019 and contributed on
January 1, 2019, an extra $6,000 for this year to your self-employed 401(k)
account and then did the same for the following 15 years, up to age 65. Here’s
how much extra you could accumulate in your 401(k) account by the end of the
year you reach age 65, assuming the indicated annual rates of return below:
4% Return
6% Return
8% Return
$136,185
$163,277
$196,501
Is
There an Upper Age Limit for Regular and Catch-up Contributions?
Another
good question.
While
you must begin taking annual required minimum distributions (RMDs) from a
401(k), SIMPLE IRA, or traditional IRA account after reaching age 70 1/2, you
can continue to contribute to your 401(k), SIMPLE IRA, or Roth IRA account
after reaching that age, as long as you have self-employment income (subject to
the income limit for annual Roth contribution eligibility).
But
you may not contribute to a traditional IRA after reaching age 70 1/2.
Claim a
Self-Employed Health Insurance Deduction for Medicare and Long-Term
Care Insurance Premiums
If
you are self-employed as a sole proprietor, an LLC member treated as a sole
proprietor for tax purposes, a partner, an LLC member treated as a partner for
tax purposes, or an S corporation shareholder-employee, you can generally claim
an above-the-line deduction for health insurance premiums, including Medicare
health insurance premiums, paid for you or your spouse.
Key
point.
You don’t need to itemize deductions to get the tax-saving benefit from this
above-the-line self-employed health insurance deduction.
Medicare Part A
Premiums
Medicare
Part A coverage is commonly called Medicare
hospital insurance. It covers inpatient hospital care, skilled nursing
facility care, and some home health care services. You don’t have to pay
premiums for Part A coverage if you paid Medicare taxes for 40 or more quarters
during your working years. That’s because you’re considered to have paid your
Part A premiums via Medicare taxes on wages and/or self-employment income.
But
some individuals did not pay Medicare taxes for enough months while working and
must pay premiums for Part A coverage.
If
you paid Medicare taxes for 30-39 quarters, the 2019 Part A premium is $240
per month ($2,880 if premiums are paid for the full year).
If
you paid Medicare taxes for less than 30 quarters, the 2019 Part A
premium is $437 ($5,244 for the full year).
Your
spouse is charged the same Part A premiums if he or she paid Medicare taxes for
less than 40 quarters while working.
Medicare Part B
Premiums
Medicare
Part B coverage is commonly called Medicare
medical insurance or Original Medicare. Part B mainly covers doctors and
outpatient services, and Medicare-eligible individuals must pay monthly
premiums for this benefit.
Your
monthly premium for the current year depends on your modified adjusted gross
income (MAGI) as reported on Form 1040 for two years earlier. For example, your
2019 premiums depend on your 2017 MAGI.
MAGI
is defined as “regular” AGI from your Form 1040 plus any tax-exempt interest
income.
Base premiums. For 2019, most folks pay the base premium of $135.60
per month ($1,627 for the full year).
Surcharges for higher-income individuals. Higher-income
individuals must pay surcharges in addition to the base premium for Part B
coverage.
For
2019, the Part B surcharges depend on the MAGI amount from your 2017 Form 1040.
Surcharges apply to unmarried individuals with 2017 MAGI in excess of $85,000
and married individuals who filed joint 2017 returns with MAGI in excess of
$170,000.
Including
the surcharges (which go up as 2017 MAGI goes up), the 2019 Part B monthly
premiums for each covered person can be $189.60 ($2,275 for the full year), $270.90
($3,251 for the full year), $352.20 ($4,226 for the full year), $433.40 ($5,201
for the full year), or $460.50 ($5,526 for the full year).
The
maximum $460.50 monthly premium applies to unmarried individuals with 2017 MAGI
in excess of $500,000 and married individuals who filed 2017 joint returns with
MAGI in excess of $750,000.
Medicare Part D
Premiums
Medicare
Part D is private prescription drug coverage. Premiums vary depending on the
plan you select. Higher-income individuals must pay a surcharge in addition to
the base premium.
Surcharges for higher-income individuals. For 2019, the Part
D surcharges depend on your 2017 MAGI, and they go up using the same scale as
the Part B surcharges.
The
2019 monthly surcharge amounts for each covered person can be $12.40, $31.90,
$51.40, $70.90, or $77.40. The maximum $77.40 surcharge applies to unmarried
individuals with 2017 MAGI in excess of $500,000 and married individuals who
filed 2017 joint returns with MAGI in excess of $750,000.
Medigap Supplemental
Coverage Premiums
Medicare
Parts A and B do not pay for all health care services and supplies. Coverage
gaps include copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles.
You
can buy a so-called Medigap policy, which is private supplemental
insurance that’s intended to cover some or all of the gaps. Premiums vary
depending on the plan you select.
Medicare Advantage
Premiums
You
can get your Medicare benefits from the government through Part A and Part B
coverage or through a so-called Medicare
Advantage plan offered by a private insurance company. Medicare Advantage
plans are sometimes called Medicare Part C.
Medicare
pays the Medicare Advantage insurance company to cover Medicare Part A and Part
B benefits. The insurance company then pays your claims. Your Medicare
Advantage plan may also include prescription drug coverage (like Medicare Part
D), and it may cover dental and vision care expenses that are not covered by
Medicare Part B.
When
you enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan, you continue to pay Medicare Part A
and B premiums to the government. You may pay a separate additional monthly
premium to the insurance company for the Medicare Advantage plan, but some
Medicare Advantage plans do not charge any additional premium. The additional
premium, if any, depends on the plan that you select.
Key point. Medigap policies
do not work with Medicare Advantage plans. So if you join a Medicare Advantage
plan, you should drop any Medigap coverage.
Premiums for Qualified Long-Term Care Insurance
These
premiums also count as medical expenses for purposes of the above-the-line
self-employed health insurance premium deduction, subject to the age-based
limits shown below. For each covered person, count the lesser of premiums paid
in 2019 or the applicable age-based limit.
Your
age as of December 31, 2019, determines your maximum self-employed health insurance
tax deduction for your long-term care insurance as follows:
The U.S. has a pay-as-you-go income tax system. The IRS and your state’s department of revenue want a quarterly payment from you. Here are the due dates:
April 15, 2019 – In April, you’ll pay quarterly estimated taxes on the income you made in January, February, and March of 2019 plus your income tax for 2018 tax year.
June 17, 2019 – In June, you’ll pay quarterly estimated taxes on the income you made in April and May of 2019.
September 17, 2019 – In September, you’ll pay quarterly estimated taxes on the income you made in June, July, and August of 2019.
January 15, 2020 – In January, you’ll pay quarterly estimated taxes on the income you made in September, October, November, and December of 2019.
