Posted on

The ABCs of the tax deduction for educator expenses

Certified Public Accountant Expert Tax Advice Educator Expense CPA

The ABCs of the tax deduction for educator expenses

At back-to-school time, much of the focus is on the students returning to the classroom — and on their parents buying them school supplies, backpacks, clothes, etc., for the new school year. But let’s not forget about the teachers. It’s common for teachers to pay for some classroom supplies out of pocket, and the tax code provides a special break that makes it a little easier for these educators to deduct some of their expenses.

The miscellaneous itemized deduction

Generally, your employee expenses are deductible if they’re unreimbursed by your employer and ordinary and necessary to your business of being an employee. An expense is ordinary if it is common and accepted in your business. An expense is necessary if it is appropriate and helpful to your business.

These expenses must be claimed as a miscellaneous itemized deduction and are subject to a 2% of adjusted gross income (AGI) floor. This means you’ll enjoy a tax benefit only if all your deductions subject to the floor, combined, exceed 2% of your AGI. For many taxpayers, including teachers, this can be a difficult threshold to meet.

The educator expense deduction

Congress created the educator expense deduction to allow more teachers and other educators to receive a tax benefit from some of their unreimbursed out-of-pocket classroom expenses. The break was made permanent under the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act of 2015. Since 2016, the deduction has been annually indexed for inflation (though because of low inflation it hasn’t increased yet) and has included professional development expenses.

Qualifying elementary and secondary school teachers and other eligible educators (such as counselors and principals) can deduct up to $250 of qualified expenses. (If you’re married filing jointly and both you and your spouse are educators, you can deduct up to $500 of unreimbursed expenses — but not more than $250 each.)

Qualified expenses include amounts paid or incurred during the tax year for books, supplies, computer equipment (including related software and services), other equipment and supplementary materials that you use in the classroom. For courses in health and physical education, the costs for supplies are qualified expenses only if related to athletics.

An added benefit

The educator expense deduction is an “above-the-line” deduction, which means you don’t have to itemize and it reduces your AGI, which has an added benefit: Because AGI-based limits affect a variety of tax breaks (such as the previously mentioned miscellaneous itemized deductions), lowering your AGI might help you maximize your tax breaks overall.

Contact us for more details about the educator expense deduction or tax breaks available for other work-related expenses.

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Metairie, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Metairie CPA Services
Metairie CPA News

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Mandeville, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Mandeville CPA Services
Mandeville CPA News

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Baton Rouge CPA Services
Baton Rouge CPA News

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Covington, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Covington CPA Services
Covington CPA News

Mandeville Notary Public Services
Madisonville Notary Public Services
Covington Notary Public Services

Posted on

Larger deduction might be available to businesses providing meals to their employees

Business CPA Expert Accountant Deductions for meals

When businesses provide meals to their employees, generally their deduction is limited to 50%. But there are exceptions. One is if the meal qualifies as a de minimis fringe benefit under the Internal Revenue Code.

A recent U.S. Tax Court ruling could ultimately mean that more employer-provided meals will be 100% deductible under this exception. The court found that the Boston Bruins hockey team’s pregame meals to players and personnel at out-of-town hotels qualified as a de minimis fringe benefit.

Qualifying requirements

For meals to qualify as a de minimis fringe benefit, generally they must be occasional and have so little value that accounting for them would be unreasonable or administratively impracticable. But meals provided at an employer-operated eating facility for employees can also qualify.

For meals at an employer-operated facility, one requirement is that they be provided in a nondiscriminatory manner: Access to the eating facility must be available “on substantially the same terms to each member of a group of employees, which is defined under a reasonable classification set up by the employer that doesn’t discriminate in favor of highly compensated employees.”

Assuming that definition is met, employee meals generally constitute a de minimis fringe benefit if the following conditions also are met:

  1. The eating facility is owned or leased by the employer.
  2. The facility is operated by the employer.
  3. The facility is located on or near the business premises of the employer.
  4. The meals furnished at the facility are provided during, or immediately before or after, the employee’s workday.

The meals generally also must be furnished for the convenience of the employer rather than primarily as a form of additional compensation.

On the road

What’s significant about the Bruins case is that the meals were provided at hotels while the team was on the road. The Tax Court determined that the Bruins met all of the de minimis tests related to an employer-operated facility for their away-game team meals. The court’s reasoning included the following:

  • Pregame meals were made available to all Bruins traveling hockey employees (highly compensated, non-highly compensated, players and nonplayers) on substantially the same terms.
  • The Bruins agreements with the hotels were substantively leases.
  • By engaging in its process with away-city hotels, the Bruins were “contract[ing] with another to operate an eating facility for its employees.”
  • Away-city hotels were part of the Bruins’ business premises, because staying at out-of-town hotels was necessary for the teams to prepare for games, maintain a successful hockey operation and navigate the rigors of an NHL-mandated schedule.
  • For every breakfast and lunch, traveling hockey employees were required to be present in the meal rooms.
  • The meals were furnished for the convenience of the Bruins.

If your business provides meals under similar circumstances, it’s possible you might also be eligible for a 100% deduction. But be aware that the facts of this case are specific and restrictive. Also the IRS could appeal, and an appeals court could rule differently.

Questions about deducting meals you’re providing to employees? Contact us.

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Metairie, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Metairie CPA Services
Metairie CPA News

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Mandeville, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Mandeville CPA Services
Mandeville CPA News

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Baton Rouge CPA Services
Baton Rouge CPA News

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Covington, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Covington CPA Services
Covington CPA News

Mandeville Notary Public Services
Madisonville Notary Public Services
Covington Notary Public Services

Posted on

Could captive insurance reduce health care costs and save your business taxes?

Certified Public Accountant Insurance Tax Expert

Could captive insurance reduce health care costs and save your business taxes?

If your business offers health insurance benefits to employees, there’s a good chance you’ve seen a climb in premium costs in recent years — perhaps a dramatic one. To meet the challenge of rising costs, some employers are opting for a creative alternative to traditional health insurance known as “captive insurance.” A captive insurance company generally is wholly owned and controlled by the employer. So it’s essentially like forming your own insurance company. And it provides tax advantages, too.

Benefits abound

Potential benefits of forming a captive insurance company include:

  • Stabilized or lower premiums,
  • More control over claims,
  • Lower administrative costs, and
  • Access to certain types of coverage that are unavailable or too expensive on the commercial health insurance market.

You can customize your coverage package and charge premiums that more accurately reflect your business’s true loss exposure.

Another big benefit is that you can participate in the captive’s underwriting profits and investment income. When you pay commercial health insurance premiums, a big chunk of your payment goes toward the insurer’s underwriting profit. But when you form a captive, you retain this profit through the captive.

Also, your business can enjoy investment and cash flow benefits by investing premiums yourself instead of paying them to a commercial insurer.

Tax impact

A captive insurance company may also save you tax dollars. For example, premiums paid to a captive are tax-deductible and the captive can deduct most of its loss reserves. To qualify for federal income tax purposes, a captive must meet several criteria. These include properly priced premiums based on actuarial and underwriting considerations and a sufficient level of risk distribution as determined by the IRS.

Recent U.S. Tax Court rulings have determined that risk distribution exists if there’s a large enough pool of unrelated risks — or, in other words, if risk is spread over a sufficient number of employees. This is true regardless of how many entities are involved.

Additional tax benefits may be available if your captive qualifies as a “microcaptive” (a captive with $2.2 million or less in premiums that meets certain additional tests): You may elect to exclude premiums from income and pay taxes only on net investment income. Be aware, however, that you’ll lose certain deductions with this election.

Also keep in mind that there are some potential drawbacks to forming a captive insurance company. Contact us to learn more about the tax treatment and other pros and cons of captive insurance. We can help you determine whether this alternative may be right for your business.

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Metairie, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Metairie CPA Services
Metairie CPA News

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Mandeville, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Mandeville CPA Services
Mandeville CPA News

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Baton Rouge CPA Services
Baton Rouge CPA News

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Covington, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Covington CPA Services
Covington CPA News

Mandeville Notary Public Services
Madisonville Notary Public Services
Covington Notary Public Services

Posted on

Yes, you can undo a Roth IRA conversion

Certified Public Accountant Roth IRA Expert

Yes, you can undo a Roth IRA conversion

Converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA can provide tax-free growth and the ability to withdraw funds tax-free in retirement. But what if you convert a traditional IRA — subject to income taxes on all earnings and deductible contributions — and then discover that you would have been better off if you hadn’t converted it? Fortunately, it’s possible to undo a Roth IRA conversion, using a “recharacterization.”

Reasons to recharacterize

There are several possible reasons to undo a Roth IRA conversion. For example:

  • You lack sufficient liquid funds to pay the tax liability.
  • The conversion combined with your other income has pushed you into a higher tax bracket.
  • You expect your tax rate to go down either in the near future or in retirement.
  • The value of your account has declined since the conversion, which means you would owe taxes partially on money you no longer have.

Generally, when you convert to a Roth IRA, if you extend your tax return, you have until October 15 of the following year to undo it. (For 2016 returns, the extended deadline is October 16 because the 15th falls on a weekend in 2017.)

In some cases it can make sense to undo a Roth IRA conversion and then redo it. If you want to redo the conversion, you must wait until the later of 1) the first day of the year following the year of the original conversion, or 2) the 31st day after the recharacterization.

Keep in mind that, if you reversed a conversion because your IRA’s value declined, there’s a risk that your investments will bounce back during the waiting period. This could cause you to reconvert at ahigher tax cost.

Recharacterization in action

Nick had a traditional IRA with a balance of $100,000. In 2016, he converted it to a Roth IRA, which, combined with his other income for the year, put him in the 33% tax bracket. So normally he’d have owed $33,000 in federal income taxes on the conversion in April 2017. However, Nick extended his return and, by September 2017, the value of his account drops to $80,000.

On October 1, Nick recharacterizes the account as a traditional IRA and files his return to exclude the $100,000 in income. On November 1, he reconverts the traditional IRA, whose value remains at $80,000, to a Roth IRA. He’ll report that amount on his 2017 tax return. This time, he’ll owe $26,400 — deferred for a year and resulting in a tax savings of $6,600. If the $20,000 difference in income keeps him in the 28% tax bracket or tax reform legislation is signed into law that reduces rates retroactively to January 1, 2017, he could save even more.

If you convert a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, monitor your financial situation. If the advantages of the conversion diminish, we can help you assess your options.

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Metairie, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Metairie CPA Services
Metairie CPA News

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Mandeville, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Mandeville CPA Services
Mandeville CPA News

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Baton Rouge CPA Services
Baton Rouge CPA News

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Covington, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Covington CPA Services
Covington CPA News

Mandeville Notary Public Services
Madisonville Notary Public Services
Covington Notary Public Services

Posted on

How to determine if you need to worry about estate taxes

How to determine if you need to worry about estate taxes

Among the taxes that are being considered for repeal as part of tax reform legislation is the estate tax. This tax applies to transfers of wealth at death, hence why it’s commonly referred to as the “death tax.” Its sibling, the gift tax — also being considered for repeal — applies to transfers during life. Yet most taxpayers won’t face these taxes even if the taxes remain in place.

Exclusions and exemptions

For 2017, the lifetime gift and estate tax exemption is $5.49 million per taxpayer. (The exemption is annually indexed for inflation.) If your estate doesn’t exceed your available exemption at your death, then no federal estate tax will be due.

Any gift tax exemption you use during life does reduce the amount of estate tax exemption available at your death. But every gift you make won’t use up part of your lifetime exemption. For example:

  • Gifts to your U.S. citizen spouse are tax-free under the marital deduction. (So are transfers at death — that is, bequests.)
  • Gifts and bequests to qualified charities aren’t subject to gift and estate taxes.
  • Payments of another person’s health care or tuition expenses aren’t subject to gift tax if paid directly to the provider.
  • Each year you can make gifts up to the annual exclusion amount ($14,000 per recipient for 2017) tax-free without using up any of your lifetime exemption.

What’s your estate tax exposure?

Here’s a simplified way to project your estate tax exposure. Take the value of your estate, net of any debts. Also subtract any assets that will pass to charity on your death.

Then, if you’re married and your spouse is a U.S. citizen, subtract any assets you’ll pass to him or her. (But keep in mind that there could be estate tax exposure on your surviving spouse’s death, depending on the size of his or her estate.) The net number represents your taxable estate.

You can then apply the exemption amount you expect to have available at death. Remember, any gift tax exemption amount you use during your life must be subtracted. But if your spouse predeceases you, then his or her unused estate tax exemption, if any, may be added to yours (provided the applicable requirements are met).

If your taxable estate is equal to or less than your available estate tax exemption, no federal estate tax will be due at your death. But if your taxable estate exceeds this amount, the excess will be subject to federal estate tax.

Be aware that many states impose estate tax at a lower threshold than the federal government does. So you could have state estate tax exposure even if you don’t need to worry about federal estate tax.

If you’re not sure whether you’re at risk for the estate tax or if you’d like to learn about gift and estate planning strategies to reduce your potential liability, please contact us. We also can keep you up to date on any estate tax law changes.

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Metairie, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Metairie CPA Services
Metairie CPA News

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Mandeville, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Mandeville CPA Services
Mandeville CPA News

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Baton Rouge CPA Services
Baton Rouge CPA News

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Covington, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Covington CPA Services
Covington CPA News

Mandeville Notary Public Services
Madisonville Notary Public Services
Covington Notary Public Services

Posted on

Put your audit in reverse to save sales and use tax

Put your audit in reverse to save sales and use tax

Put your audit in reverse to save sales and use tax

It’s a safe bet that state tax authorities will let you know if you haven’t paid enough sales and use taxes, but what are the odds that you’ll be notified if you’ve paid too much? The chances are slim — so slim that many businesses use reverse audits to find overpayments so they can seek refunds.

Take all of your exemptions

In most states, businesses are exempt from sales tax on equipment used in manufacturing or recycling, and many states don’t require them to pay taxes on the utilities and chemicals used in these processes, either. In some states, custom software, computers and peripherals are exempt if they’re used for research and development projects.

This is just a sampling of sales and use tax exemptions that might be available. Unless you’re diligent about claiming exemptions, you may be missing out on some to which you’re entitled.

Many businesses have sales and use tax compliance systems to guard against paying too much, but if you haven’t reviewed yours recently, it may not be functioning properly. Employee turnover, business expansion or downsizing, and simple mistakes all can take their toll.

Look back and broadly

The audit should extend across your business, going back as far as the statute of limitations on state tax reviews. If your state auditors can review all records for the four years preceding the audit, for example, your reverse audit should encompass the same timeframe.

What types of payments should be reviewed? You may have made overpayments on components of manufactured products as well as on the equipment you use to make the products. Other areas where overpayments may occur, depending on state laws, include:

  • Pollution control equipment and supplies,
  • Safety equipment,
  • Warehouse equipment,
  • Software licenses,
  • Maintenance fees,
  • Protective clothing, and
  • Service transactions.

When considering whether you may have overpaid taxes in these and other areas, a clear understanding of your operations is key. If, for example, you want to ensure you’re receiving maximum benefit from industrial processing exemptions, you must know where your manufacturing process begins and ends.

Save now and later

Reverse audits can be time consuming and complicated, but a little pain can bring significant gain. Use your reverse audit not only to reap tax refund rewards now but also to update your compliance systems to help ensure you don’t overpay taxes in the future.

Rules and regulations surrounding state sales and use tax refunds are complicated. We can help you understand them and ensure your refund claims are properly prepared before you submit them.

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Metairie, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Metairie CPA Services
Metairie CPA News

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Mandeville, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Mandeville CPA Services
Mandeville CPA News

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Baton Rouge CPA Services
Baton Rouge CPA News

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Covington, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Covington CPA Services
Covington CPA News

Mandeville Notary Public Services
Madisonville Notary Public Services
Covington Notary Public Services

Posted on

Will Congress revive expired tax breaks?

Certified Public Accountant Expert Tax Advice Tax Breaks

Will Congress revive expired tax breaks?

Most of the talk about possible tax legislation this year has focused on either wide-sweeping tax reform or taxes that are part of the Affordable Care Act. But there are a few other potential tax developments for individuals to keep an eye on.

Back in December of 2015, Congress passed the PATH Act, which made a multitude of tax breaks permanent. However, there were a few valuable breaks for individuals that it extended only through 2016. The question now is whether Congress will extend them for 2017.

An education break

One break the PATH Act extended through 2016 was the above-the-line deduction for qualified tuition and related expenses for higher education. The deduction was capped at $4,000 for taxpayers whose adjusted gross income (AGI) didn’t exceed $65,000 ($130,000 for joint filers) or, for those beyond those amounts, $2,000 for taxpayers whose AGI didn’t exceed $80,000 ($160,000 for joint filers).

You couldn’t take the American Opportunity credit, its cousin the Lifetime Learning credit and the tuition deduction in the same year for the same student. If you were eligible for all three breaks, the American Opportunity credit would typically be the most valuable in terms of tax savings.

But in some situations, the AGI reduction from the tuition deduction might prove more beneficial than taking the Lifetime Learning credit. For example, a lower AGI might help avoid having other tax breaks reduced or eliminated due to AGI-based phaseouts.

Mortgage-related tax breaks

Under the PATH Act, through 2016 you could treat qualified mortgage insurance premiums as interest for purposes of the mortgage interest deduction. The deduction phased out for taxpayers with AGI of $100,000 to $110,000.

The PATH Act likewise extended through 2016 the exclusion from gross income for mortgage loan forgiveness. It also modified the exclusion to apply to mortgage forgiveness that occurs in 2017 as long as it’s granted pursuant to a written agreement entered into in 2016. So even if this break isn’t extended, you might still be able to benefit from it on your 2017 income tax return.

Act now

Please check back with us for the latest information. In the meantime, keep in mind that, if you qualify and you haven’t filed your 2016 income tax return yet, you can take advantage of these breaks on thattax return. The deadline for individual extended returns is October 16, 2017.

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Metairie, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Metairie CPA Services
Metairie CPA News

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Mandeville, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Mandeville CPA Services
Mandeville CPA News

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Baton Rouge CPA Services
Baton Rouge CPA News

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Covington, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Covington CPA Services
Covington CPA News

Mandeville Notary Public Services
Madisonville Notary Public Services
Covington Notary Public Services

Posted on

Material participation key to deducting LLC and LLP losses

Certified Public Accountant small Business Expert

Material participation key to deducting LLC and LLP losses

If your business is a limited liability company (LLC) or a limited liability partnership (LLP), you know that these structures offer liability protection and flexibility as well as tax advantages. But they once also had a significant tax disadvantage: The IRS used to treat all LLC and LLP owners as limited partners for purposes of the passive activity loss (PAL) rules, which can result in negative tax consequences. Fortunately, these days LLC and LLP owners can be treated as general partners, which means they can meet any one of seven “material participation” tests to avoid passive treatment.

The PAL rules

The PAL rules prohibit taxpayers from offsetting losses from passive business activities (such as limited partnerships or rental properties) against nonpassive income (such as wages, interest, dividends and capital gains). Disallowed losses may be carried forward to future years and deducted from passive income or recovered when the passive business interest is sold.

There are two types of passive activities: 1) trade or business activities in which you don’t materially participate during the year, and 2) rental activities, even if you do materially participate (unless you qualify as a “real estate professional” for federal tax purposes).

The 7 tests

Material participation in this context means participation on a “regular, continuous and substantial” basis. Unless you’re a limited partner, you’re deemed to materially participate in a business activity if you meet just one of seven tests:

  1. You participate in the activity at least 500 hours during the year.
  2. Your participation constitutes substantially all of the participation for the year by anyone, including nonowners.
  3. You participate more than 100 hours and as much or more than any other person.
  4. The activity is a “significant participation activity” — that is, you participate more than 100 hours — but you participate less than one or more other people yet your participation in all of your significant participation activities for the year totals more than 500 hours.
  5. You materially participated in the activity for any five of the preceding 10 tax years.
  6. The activity is a personal service activity in which you materially participated in any three previous tax years.
  7. Regardless of the number of hours, based on all the facts and circumstances, you participate in the activity on a regular, continuous and substantial basis.

The rules are more restrictive for limited partners, who can establish material participation only by satisfying tests 1, 5 or 6.

In many cases, meeting one of the material participation tests will require diligently tracking every hour spent on your activities associated with that business. Questions about the material participation tests? Contact us.

 

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Metairie, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Metairie CPA Services
Metairie CPA News

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Mandeville, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Mandeville CPA Services
Mandeville CPA News

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Baton Rouge CPA Services
Baton Rouge CPA News

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Covington, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Covington CPA Services
Covington CPA News

Mandeville Notary Public Services
Madisonville Notary Public Services
Covington Notary Public Services

Posted on

A refresher on the ACA’s tax penalty on individuals without health insurance

Certified Public Accountant ACA Expert

A refresher on the ACA’s tax penalty on individuals without health insurance

Now that Affordable Care Act (ACA) repeal and replacement efforts appear to have collapsed, at least for the time being, it’s a good time for a refresher on the tax penalty the ACA imposes on individuals who fail to have “minimum essential” health insurance coverage for any month of the year. This requirement is commonly called the “individual mandate.”

Penalty exemptions

Before we review how the penalty is calculated, let’s take a quick look at exceptions to the penalty. Taxpayers may be exempt if they fit into one of these categories for 2017:

  • Their household income is below the federal income tax return filing threshold.
  • They lack access to affordable minimum essential coverage.
  • They suffered a hardship in obtaining coverage.
  • They have only a short-term coverage gap.
  • They qualify for an exception on religious grounds or have coverage through a health care sharing ministry.
  • They’re not a U.S. citizen or national.
  • They’re incarcerated.
  • They’re a member of a Native American tribe.

Calculating the tax

So how much can the penalty cost? That’s a tricky question. If you owe the penalty, the tentativeamount equals the greater of the following two prongs:

  1. The applicable percentage of your household income above the applicable federal income tax return filing threshold, or
  2. The applicable dollar amount times the number of uninsured individuals in your household, limited to 300% of the applicable dollar amount.

In terms of the percentage-of-income prong of the penalty, the applicable percentage of income is 2.5% for 2017.

In terms of the dollar-amount prong of the penalty, the applicable dollar amount for each uninsured household member is $695 for 2017. For a household member who’s under age 18, the applicable dollar amounts are cut by 50%, to $347.50. The maximum penalty under this prong for 2017 is $2,085 (300% of $695).

The final penalty amount per person can’t exceed the national average cost of “bronze coverage” (the cheapest category of ACA-compliant coverage) for your household. The important thing to know is that a high-income person or household could owe more than 300% of the applicable dollar amount but not more than the cost of bronze coverage.

If you have minimum essential coverage for only part of the year, the final penalty is calculated on a monthly basis using prorated annual figures.

Also be aware that the extent to which the penalty will continue to be enforced isn’t certain. The IRS has been accepting 2016 tax returns even if a taxpayer hasn’t completed the line indicating health coverage status. That said, the ACA is still the law, so compliance is highly recommended. For more information about this and other ACA-imposed taxes, contact us.

Mandeville Notary Public Services
Madisonville Notary Public Services
Covington Notary Public Services

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Metairie, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Metairie CPA Services
Metairie CPA News

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Mandeville, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Mandeville CPA Services
Mandeville CPA News

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Baton Rouge CPA Services
Baton Rouge CPA News

Tax Accounting and Business Consulting for Covington, Louisiana
Industry Specific Accounting
Covington CPA Services
Covington CPA News