Year-end tax moves to save money

2022 was a fairly quiet year for changes affecting individuals

Failing some last-minute actions from a lame-duck Congress, 2022 will go down as a fairly quiet year for tax changes affecting individuals.

But that still leaves several important federal tax moves to consider before year-end that can save money, especially for investors. Here are some suggestions:

Harvesting tax losses

Uncle Sam provides a little comfort during years like 2022 when stock and bond prices dropped sharply. Capital losses can offset taxable gains. Any net losses beyond that can reduce ordinary income up to $3,000 annually. That $3,000 figure hasn’t risen in many years and represents a modest consolation prize for investors who got banged up this year, though losses beyond that can carry forward for use in future years.

Worth noting: Short-term losses first are applied against short-term gains and long-term losses against long-term gains. Investments are considered long term if held for more than one year.

Also worth noting: This tax break applies to gains and losses held in taxable accounts. Losses within Individual Retirement Accounts, workplace 401(k) plans and other tax-sheltered accounts aren’t eligible for it.

Bunching itemized deductions

Several years ago, Congress made the standard deduction more generous but also made it harder for taxpayers to itemize deductions instead. Property taxes, state and local taxes, mortgage interest and charitable donations are among the main itemized deductions you can take, but you’d need to have more than $12,950 of such expenses to make it worthwhile if single, or $25,900 for married couples. Otherwise, taking the standard deduction makes more sense.

Of these, charitable contributions are typically the deductions over which most people have more control, noted Kelsey Clair, a tax strategist and

certified public accountant at Baird Wealth Strategies, in a recent webinar. That is, you have leeway to decide how much to donate and to which nonprofit groups in a given year.

For people close to the $12,950 or $25,900 thresholds, it might pay to bunch deductions to qualify for itemizing at least every other year or so. One way to do that is to donate extra money to charities one year, then cut back the next.

Worth noting: In 2021, taxpayers taking the standard deduction also could claim a deduction on charity donations worth up to $300 for singles or $600 for married couples, but that provision has expired.

Using another charity option

If you have IRA money that you don’t need for living expenses and are at least 701⁄2years old, there’s another charity oriented tax break to consider. This one involves withdrawing some of your IRA money and donating it directly to one or more qualified charities. It’s known as a qualified charitable distribution or QCD.

You wouldn’t receive a donation deduction on your gift, as you otherwise might, but money withdrawn from your IRA also wouldn’t be included in your adjusted gross income. That can help avoid higher Medicare premiums, shelter more of your Social Security benefits from taxes and provide other benefits, Clair noted. The donation also can count toward any required minimum distribution, or RMD, you must take.

Worth noting: Taxpayers can donate up to $100,000 a year in this manner.

Heeding tax payment obligations

It’s good to end each year knowing that you haven’t substantially underpaid your tax obligations, so as not to trigger interest and possible penalties when you file a return later.

Thus, it’s smart to run some numbers before year-end to make sure you haven’t been withholding too little on job income, from retirement-account withdrawals and so on. In some cases, you might want to make an estimated tax payment before year-end.

The basic rule is that you can avoid a penalty if you pay at least 90% of your current-year tax obligation, though that number can be difficult to estimate, Clair noted. Another option is to pay at least 100% of your prior-year tax bill, for 2021, though that rises to 110% if your adjusted gross income tops $150,000. A penalty also wouldn’t apply if you owe less than $1,000.

Converting to Roth IRAs

Many tax and investment advisers suggest moving some of your 401(k) or traditional IRA money into a Roth IRA if you can afford to do so. Withdrawals from Roths generally aren’t taxed, and there are no annual required minimum distributions to meet with these accounts. They can continue to build up in value over time, tax-free.

“The potential for higher ordinary income tax rates in the near future increases the value of the benefits,” noted Wells Fargo in a comprehensive yearend tax planning guide.

Those are the main benefits, and they’re certainly enticing. But there are drawbacks too. One is that the amount that you transfer over or convert will be taxable in the year made, which can have a big impact on your finances now.

Also, you’d want to use money in other accounts to pay the taxes, and a lot of people don’t have tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars lying around. Plus, you no longer can “recharacterize” or cancel a conversion – an option that was available in the past.

Then again, converting makes more sense when account values are depressed, as in 2022. As such, now might be a good time to consider this move.

Taking another job

You might be tempted to take a part-time or another job late in the year. Plenty of positions are going unfilled right now, and the holiday rush means many retailers, delivery companies, restaurants and other businesses could use some seasonal help.

Just be aware that extra income could push you into a higher bracket.

If you’re collecting Social Security retirement income, there’s another consideration, as you don’t want to run afoul of limits tied to the earnings test. Under this provision, your Social Security benefits will reduce if you earn too much money in a year.

It depends on your normal or full retirement age, which is based on when you were born – it’s between 66 and 67 for nearly everyone now in the workforce. If you earn too much money, the Social Security Administration will cut your retirement benefits (though the money will return after you reach normal retirement age).

Anyway, if you’re younger than full retirement age and collecting Social Security, you may earn up to $19,560 without any earnings-test impact, or up to $51,960 in the year you reach full retirement age. After that, there’s no consequence.