Alimony, foreclosure among tax changes

It’s that time again. The IRS began accepting and processing tax returns filed by individuals on Monday.

Last year’s filing season was an adjustment for taxpayers and industry professionals alike because it was the first under the massive December 2017 overhaul of federal tax law. Although this year’s season is expected to be more sedate, there are a few tweaks to be aware of.

Standard deduction

The standard deduction doubled under the new tax law that took effect in 2018. In turn, the number of taxpayers who claimed it instead of itemizing on their taxes jumped sharply. An estimated 90% of taxpayers are expected to take the deduction this year.

Although the standard deduction usually increases each year for inflation, it’s worth keeping the figure in mind as taxpayers adjust to the new system. Some people still might want to run through the exercise of deciding whether to itemize.

The decision comes down to whether your deductible expenses exceed the standard deduction. Tax preparation software or a tax professional can walk you through this with ease.

Single individuals now get a standard deduction of $12,200 and married individuals filing jointly qualify for a standard deduction of $24,400. Head of household individuals get a standard deduction of $18,350.

Health insurance

New this year: There is no longer a penalty on federal taxes for not having health insurance. (The penalty had been put in place by the Affordable Care Act.) However, some states still might penalize you for not having health insurance, warns Lisa Greene-lewis, a CPA and tax expert at Turbotax.

Divorce

Anyone who got divorced after 2018 and pays alimony can no longer deduct alimony payments. And ex-spouses who receive alimony are no longer required to claim it as income. Got divorced before 2018? The old rules still apply unless you update your decree to state specifically that the new rules are reflected.

Renewed tax breaks

Congress recently passed a bill that include a few tax “extenders,” which renew tax provisions that had expired or were going to expire soon. Here are some of note:

• People who are required to pay private mortgage insurance along with their mortgage can once again deduct it. Kathy Pickering, chief tax officer at H&R Block, said that PMI represents a substantial expense for some — in the $2,500 to $4,500 range.

• Another home-related extender: a $500 lifetime credit for making certain energy efficient improvements to your home, such as the purchase of a highefficiency furnace. Although many people have already taken advantage of this, newer homeowners might want to assess whether they can benefit, Pickering said.

• People who suffered a foreclosure and had their debt canceled just got some relief.

The IRS considers the canceled debt as income and therefore subject to taxes. However, there had long been a provision that would waive this if the foreclosure was on a primary residence. In 2019, that was not the case.

However, the waiver has been reinstated and is extended retroactively so that people who had to pay tax on a canceled debt of this sort can file an amended return. Pickering says this provision affects few people but “has an extraordinary financial impact.”

• To claim medical expenses on your taxes, the total must exceed a certain percentage of your adjusted gross income. That threshold was set to go up to 10% this year, making it harder for as many people to qualify, but the December 2017 law extended the prior threshold of 7.5%.