Chapter 8 Taxation of Individuals ©2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning ©2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning Kevin Murphy Kevin Murphy Mark Higgins Mark Higgins
Dec 27, 2015
Chapter 8Chapter 8
Taxation of IndividualsTaxation of Individuals
©2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning©2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning©2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning©2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning
Kevin MurphyKevin MurphyMark HigginsMark Higgins
Kevin MurphyKevin MurphyMark HigginsMark Higgins
8-28-22009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning
Taxation of IndividualsTaxation of Individuals
Individuals are the biggest single
group of taxpaying entities.
As taxpaying entities, they must adopt an annual accounting period
and method of accounting.
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Review of Tax FormulaReview of Tax Formula
The formula for calculating taxable income generally is gross income minus allowable deductions.
For individuals, deductions are split into two classesDeductions for adjusted gross incomeDeductions from adjusted gross income
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Individual Tax FormulaIndividual Tax Formula
Gross Income
minus: For Deductions not restricted based on taxpayer’s income generally trade, business, rent or royalty
expenses
Adjusted Gross Income
minus: From Deductions generally personal expenses amount is the greater of
– Itemized deductions, or
– standard deduction allowable
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Individual Tax FormulaContinued
Individual Tax FormulaContinued
Adjusted Gross Income [AGI]
minus: From Deductions
minus: Personal & Dependency Exemptions
• $3,500 per person
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Individual Tax FormulaTo Taxable Income
Individual Tax FormulaTo Taxable Income
Gross Income
minus: For Deductions
equals: Adjusted Gross Income [AGI]
minus: From Deductions
minus: Exemptions
equals: Taxable Income
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Individual Tax FormulaThe Tax
Individual Tax FormulaThe Tax
Taxable Incometimes: Tax Rate equals: Income Tax Liabilityminus: Prepayments & Creditsequals: Tax (or Refund) due
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Personal and Dependency Exemptions
Personal and Dependency Exemptions
Each individual taxpayer is allowed one personal exemption
May also claim one exemption for each dependent
Only one exemption may be taken per person per year
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Dependency RequirementsDependency Requirements
Two types of dependentsQualifying child
Must pass five tests: age, non-support, relationship, principal residence, and citizenship
Qualifying relative Must also pass five tests: gross income,
support, relationship, citizenship, and joint-return
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Qualifying Child TestsQualifying Child Tests
Age Test – Must beyounger than 19, or a full-time student younger than 24, orPermanently and totally disabled
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Qualifying Child TestsQualifying Child Tests
Non-Support Test – Child may notSupply more than 50% of their own support
Scholarships don’t count
Note: the taxpayer who claims the child does not have to provided more than 50% of the support
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Relationship Test – Child must be taxpayer’s:ChildStepchildFoster childSiblingStepsibling Decedent of any of the above
Qualifying Child TestsQualifying Child Tests
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Qualifying Child TestsQualifying Child Tests
Principal Residence TestChild must live with taxpayer more than
50% of the year Absence due to illness, vacation, education, or
military service does not count
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Qualifying Child TestsQualifying Child Tests
Citizen or Resident TestChild must be a U.S. citizen, or Resident of the U.S., Canada, or Mexico
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Qualifying Relative TestsQualifying Relative Tests
Gross Income Test Gross income must be less than the
exemption amount of $3,500
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Qualifying Relative TestsQualifying Relative Tests
Support TestThe taxpayer must provide more than 50%
of a dependent’s support for the year Two exceptions apply
Custodial parent may always claim a child
Multiple Support Agreement
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Qualifying RelativeTestsMultiple Support Agreement
Qualifying RelativeTestsMultiple Support Agreement
When two or more people together provide over half of another’s support, any one who contributes over 10% of the support may claim the exemptionGroup must sign a support agreementMay rotate the exemption among the group
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Qualifying Relative TestsQualifying Relative Tests
Relationship TestA dependent must be related to or reside
with the taxpayer Relatives are ancestors, descendants, and
other blood or in-law relations such as siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews (cousins don’t count, but adopted children do)
Non-relatives must reside in the taxpayer’s home for the entire year
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Dependency TestsDependency Tests
Citizenship or Residency Test A dependent must be a U.S. citizen or a
resident of a country adjacent to the U.S.
Joint Return Test A dependent must not file a joint returnA joint return may be filed simply to claim a
refund of all withheld tax
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Filing StatusFiling Status
Tax law recognizes the difference in ability-to-pay by basing exemptions, standard deductions and tax rates on an individual’s filing status.
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Filing StatusMarried, Filing Jointly
Filing StatusMarried, Filing Jointly
Taxpayers must be legally married on the last day of their tax year
A Surviving Spouse may continue to use Married, Filing Jointly status For two subsequent yearsIf at least 1 dependent child lives at homeAnd the surviving spouse has not
remarried
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Filing StatusMarried, Filing Separately
Filing StatusMarried, Filing Separately
Taxpayers married as of the last day of the year may choose to file separately
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Filing StatusHead of Household
Filing StatusHead of Household
Unmarried taxpayers qualify if they Are legally unmarried or an “abandoned
spouse” at end of tax year, and Provide over 50% of the cost of a home for
A qualifying dependent, or A qualifying child, or A parent
Parent does not need to live with the taxpayer
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Filing StatusSingle
Filing StatusSingle
Taxpayers who are not legally married on the last day of the year and do not qualify as Head of Household must file Single
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Deductions From AGIDeductions From AGI
Individual taxpayer’s may deduct the larger of either a standard deduction or total itemized deductions.
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Standard DeductionsStandard Deductions
• The standard deduction is based on filing status• Taxpayers who are over 64 years of age
receive extra amounts, as do blind taxpayers
Filing Status Standard Deduction
Additional Age/Blind
Single $5,450 $1,350 MFJ $10,900 $1,050 MFS $5,450 $1,050 H of H $8,000 $1,350
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Itemized DeductionsItemized Deductions
Through legislative grace, there are 6 categories of personal expenses individual taxpayers may deduct.
Medical
Taxes
Interest
CharitableContributions
Casualty Losses
Miscellaneous
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Medical ExpensesMedical Expenses
Unreimbursed medical expenses of the taxpayer(s) and medical dependents are deductibleMedical dependents may violate the gross
income and the joint return testsCosts include premiums for health and
accident insurance and transportation at 18 cents per mile
Deduction is limited to the excess of total costs over 7.5% of AGI
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TaxesTaxes
Amounts paid for either sales taxes or state and local income taxes are deductible
Amounts paid for real estate and other personal property taxes are deductibleNo payments for federal taxes are allowedProperty taxes must be based on value
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InterestInterest
Qualified home mortgage interest is deductibleDebt must be secured by a principal
residenceQualified interest is interest paid for
Acquisition debt up to $1 million Home equity debt up to $100,000
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InterestInterest
Points on a qualified mortgage are deductible if paid to acquire financingMust be stated as a % of the loan valueDeductible currently if paid on acquisition
debt If for refinancing, amortize over the life of the
loan
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InterestInterest
The deduction for investment interest is limited to the amount of net investment income
Investment Incomeless: Investment Expenses
Net Investment Income
• investment income = portfolio income plus gross income and gains from investment assets• investment expenses do not include interest
Charitable ContributionsCharitable Contributions
Contributions made to qualifying charitable organizations are deductibleOrganizations established for religious,
educational, charitable, scientific or literary purposes qualify
Deductible amount includes cash paid and the value of property given and $0.14 per mile driven
Three major limitations existContributions in excess of limitations may be
carried forward for five years
Transparency 8-33Transparency 8-33© 2004 South-Western College Publishing© 2004 South-Western College Publishing
8-348-342009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning
Charitable ContributionsCharitable Contributions
Deduction amount for property depends of the type of property givenOrdinary income property or short-term
capital gain property Deduction is the lesser of the property’s
FMV, oradjusted basis
Deduction amount for long-term capital gain property is FMV
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Charitable ContributionsLimitations
Charitable ContributionsLimitations
The overall deduction cannot exceed 50% of AGI
Deduction for long-term capital gain property cannot exceed 30% of AGI If the taxpayer elects to deduct the adjusted basis
rather than FMV, the 50% limit is used
Contributions to non-operating private foundations are subject to additional limits
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Casualty LossesCasualty Losses
These were discussed in Chapter 7. Loss is the lesser of
The property’s adjusted basis, orThe decline in the value of the property (repair
cost)
Loss is reduced by Insurance proceeds received,$100 per event (Administrative convenience), and10% of AGI per year
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Miscellaneous DeductionsMiscellaneous Deductions
Other various expenses are combined as miscellaneous itemized deductions and are either fully deductible or partially deductible
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MiscellaneousFully DeductibleMiscellaneous
Fully Deductible
Fully Deductible expenses include: Gambling losses to the extent of
gambling winnings, Impairment-related-work expenses of
disabled taxpayers, and Unrecovered capital from a terminated
annuity
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MiscellaneousPartially Deductible
MiscellaneousPartially Deductible
Other miscellaneous expenses are partially deductible to the extent their total exceeds 2% of AGIUnreimbursed employee expensesInvestment expenses other than interestHobby-related expenses
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Reductions for High-Income Taxpayers
Reductions for High-Income Taxpayers
Taxpayers whose AGI exceeds set threshold amounts must reduce their total itemized deductions and their total personal & dependency exemptions.
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Itemized Deduction Phase-Out
Itemized Deduction Phase-Out
Deductions for medical expenses, investment interest, casualty and theft losses and gambling losses are not subject to reduction
Calculated phase-out amount for taxpayers with AGI over $159,950 is the smaller of3% of (AGI - $159,950), or80% of the amount subject to reduction
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Exemption Phase-OutExemption Phase-Out
Initial calculation for taxpayers with AGI over a threshold amount is
AGI - Threshold2% X
$2,500
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Exemption Phase-OutThreshold Amounts
Exemption Phase-OutThreshold Amounts
Filing Status Threshold Amount
Phase-out Ends
Single $159,950 $282,450 Head of Household $199,950 $322,450 Married, Joint $239,950 $362,450 Married, Separate $119,975 $181,225
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Restrictions on DependentsRestrictions on Dependents
A person claimed as a dependent by another taxpayer May not also claim a personal exemptionMay report a standard deduction of
$900, orThe amount of earned income plus
$300, but not more than the regular standard deduction amount
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Restrictions on DependentsRestrictions on Dependents
The net unearned income of a child under the age of 14 is taxed at the parent’s marginal tax rate
Unearned Income
less: $1,800
Net Unearned Income
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Tax CreditsTax Credits
A tax credit is a direct reduction of tax liability.
The purposes of tax credits areto provide incentives for taxpayers to
engage in specific activitiesto provide equity among taxpayersto provide tax relief for low-income
taxpayers
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Child Tax CreditChild Tax Credit
Non-refundable $1,000 credit for each qualifying child who is under age 17
Phased-out at rate of $50 for each $1,000 of AGI greater than$110,000 if MFJ, $55,000 if MFS, $75,000 for
others
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Child Credit May Be Refundable
Child Credit May Be Refundable
With one or two childrenRefund amount = 15%(Earned Income - $12,050)
With three or more childrenAmount = 15%(Earned Income - $12,050), butLimited to:
Tax Liability + Social Security tax paid - Earned Income Credit
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Earned Income CreditEarned Income Credit
The earned income credit provides tax relief to low-income taxpayers
Credit is refundableThe taxpayer may receive a refund if the
credit exceeds the tax liability
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Earned Income CreditEligibility RequirementsEarned Income Credit
Eligibility Requirements
Taxpayer or spouseMust live more than half the year in the U.S.Must be older than 25 and younger than 65Cannot be a dependent of anotherMay not have portfolio or passive income in
excess of $2,950
Married taxpayers must file jointly
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Earned Income CreditAmount
Earned Income CreditAmount
Amount of the credit depends on The taxpayer’s earned income
Phased-out after maximum limit is reached
The number of qualifying children living in the taxpayer’s home Child must be less than 19 years old (24 if full-time
student) Must be a natural, step, or foster child and reside with
taxpayer more than half of the year
Amount is determined using an IRS table
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Child and Dependent Care Credit
Child and Dependent Care Credit
The child and dependent care credit provides tax relief to taxpayers so that they can be employed
Two qualifying conditions must be metExpenses must be incurred so that
taxpayer can be employedExpenses must be for the care of qualified
individuals
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Child and Dependent Care Credit
Qualifications
Child and Dependent Care Credit
Qualifications Qualified individuals are
Dependents younger than 13 years old, orA dependent or spouse who is physically
or mentally incapacitated
The credit amount may not exceed $3,000 ($6,000 if more than one qualified individual)
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Child and Dependent Care Credit
Reductions
Child and Dependent Care Credit
Reductions Credit amount is 35% of qualified expense
Percentage is reduced as AGI exceeds $15,000, but never below 20%
AGI - $15,00035% - (1% X )
$2,000
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Higher Education CreditsHigher Education Credits
Two creditsHOPE Scholarship CreditLifetime Learning Credit
May claim only one per qualifying studentMust be enrolled at least one semesterMust be enrolled at least half-time
May not claim if deduction taken for Higher Education Expenses
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Higher Education CreditQualifying Expenses
Higher Education CreditQualifying Expenses
Expenses must be for higher education of taxpayer, spouse, or dependent
Tuition and related fees are reduced by the amount of any scholarship or fellowship received
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HOPE Scholarship CreditHOPE Scholarship Credit
Maximum non-refundable $1,650 credit100% of the first $1,200, plus 50% of the
second $1,200
May be claimed by student or qualifying taxpayer
Separate credit for each student
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HOPE Scholarship CreditLimitations
HOPE Scholarship CreditLimitations
Available only for first two years of post-secondary education
Phased-out for AGI greater than$94,000 if MFJ$47,000 if other
Possible credit X [1 - {(AGI - phase-out) / 20,000}]
Lifetime Learning CreditLifetime Learning Credit
Maximum non-refundable $2,000 credit20% of the first $10,000 of qualifying expenses
Only one credit per return (regardless of number of students in household)
Expense can be for any course work to acquire or improve job skills
Phased-out same as HOPE Credit
Transparency 8-59Transparency 8-59
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Filing RequirementsFiling Requirements
Individuals must file a return when gross income > (standard deduction + additional deductions for age + personal exemption)
3 exceptions:Self-employment income exceeds $400MFS whose gross income exceeds $3,500Can be claimed as a dependent on another’s
return and unearned income exceeds $900