If you want to want to make sure your money is more in “your pocket” than Theirs (The IRS), now is the time to act. Estimating your 2013 tax bill keeps you from being surprised next year. More importantly, it provides the opportunity to perhaps decrease your actual tax amount by planning and acting strategically before the end of this year.

To start:

• Determine how much you have earned this year
• Determine what you have paid toward your 2013 Federal tax bill
• Then increase each of these amounts to estimate the year-end amounts

Keep these amounts in mind as you consider the following simplified tax form

Income
– Above the Line Deductions
= Adjusted Gross Income
– Standard Deduction or Itemized Deductions
– Exemptions
= Taxable Income
– Tax Credits
– Tax Paid
= Tax Owed or Refunded

With the visual in mind, you might find it easier to review each major section to see if there is action that you can take now to reduce your tax bill:

1. Income:

If you think your income will decrease next year and your tax rate would be lower, can you:

• Defer a year-end bonus to January 2014?
• Postpone a sale that will trigger a gain to next year?
• Delay exercising stock options?

Alternatively, it may make sense to move income to this year:

• Covert a traditional IRA or a SEP IRA into a Roth IRA and recognize the conversion income this year?
• Take IRA distributions this year?

2. Above The Line Deductions:

• Above the Line Deductions include:

1.   Health Savings Accounts
2.   IRA Deduction

• Establish an IRA for yourself
• Establish a Spousal IRA

3.   Qualified Student Loan Interest
4.   Self-employed health insurance or qualified pension plans

• Establish a Defined Benefit Plan

3. Estimate what is going to save you the most money:

The Standard Deduction or the Itemized Deduction?

The 2013 Standard Deductions are:

$ 12,200 Married, Filing Joint
$ 8,950 Head of Household
$ 6,100 Single or Married, Filing Separate

There is an additional Standard Deduction amount of $1200 for those over the age of 65, blind, or both.

It is important to note that there is a reduction for Personal Exemptions and Itemized Deductions for taxpayers with Adjusted Gross Income over:

$250,000 Single
$300,000 Married, Filing Joint
$275,000 Head of Household
$150,000 Married, Filing Separate

• This will have the effect of increasing taxes on affected taxpayers

If you itemize, would you benefit if you changed the timing of some of your payments?

If you expect your income to decrease next year, then you might want to move some payments/deductions to the current year to offset your higher income this year:

• Prepay property taxes
• Make your January mortgage payment
• If you owe state income taxes, consider making up any shortfall rather than waiting until your return is due
• Medical Expenses are deductible only to the extent they exceed 10 percent (7.5 percent if you or your spouse are 65 before the end of the year) of your adjusted gross income (AGI).
• Sell some or all of your loss stocks
• If you qualify for a health savings account, consider setting one up and making the maximum contribution allowable.

Defer Deductions into 2014

If you expect tax rates to increase next year, or if you anticipate a substantial increase in taxable income, you may want to explore waiting to take deductions until 2014:

• Postpone year-end charitable contributions, property tax payments, and medical and dental expense payments, to the extent you might get a deduction for such payments
• Postpone the sale of any loss-generating property

State and Local Sales Tax Deduction

The option to deduct state and local sales taxes in lieu of state and local income taxes is scheduled to expire at the end of this year. If you are thinking of purchasing an expensive item that will generate a larger deduction than the state and local income tax deduction, buying the item this year may be beneficial.

Deduction for Eligible Teacher Expenses

This is the last year that eligible educators (teachers) can deduct $250 of qualified expenses paid during the year.

• If you itemize and you have not reached the limit, take advantage of it by buying next years supplies now

4. Exemption Amount is $3900 (phase-outs apply)

5. Use your numbers to estimate your 2013 Taxable Income

Income
– Above the Line Deductions
= Adjusted Gross Income
– Standard Deduction or Itemized Deductions
– Exemptions
= Taxable Income
– Tax Credits
– Tax Paid
= Tax Owed or Refunded

6. Use this Chart to estimate the amount of tax owed

Rev. Procedure 2013-15 can provide additional information

7. Apply Tax credits, including these that will expire this year

Expiring Energy-Related Tax Credits

• Residential Energy Credit: If you are considering energy improvements to your home, you may want to make the improvements this year. The credit is 10 percent of the amount paid or incurred for qualified energy efficiency improvements installed during the tax year and the amount of residential energy property expenditures paid or incurred during the tax year, up to a maximum credit of $500.
• Qualified two- or three-wheeled plug-in electric vehicles: The credit is equal to the lesser of 10 percent of the cost of such a vehicle or $2,500.

In summary, yes, this involves some work and at a time of year where most of us are busier as we approach year-end and the holidays. If it saves you some money, isn’t it worth it?

Deb Fox can be reached via twitter @ debfoxfinancial or via e-mail @ debfoxfinancial@gmail.com.