For many of us, a new year is an opportunity for fresh starts and discovering the best versions of ourselves, but some things—like tax contributions and retirement deadlines—don’t change much, if at all. And with that shiny new year right around the corner, meeting end-of-year deadlines and getting tax efficiencies in place now may prepare us for a smoother transition. Read on for several things you’ll want to accomplish before 2023 draws to a close.
Establish or Contribute to a Keogh Plan or Solo 401(k)
In 2023, a Keogh plan, or a tax-deferred pension plan that’s available to unincorporated businesses or the self-employed, allows contributions of up to 25% of compensation or $66,000 per year—far more than the $22,500 ($30,000 if age 50 or older) that can be contributed to a traditional 401(k). But to take advantage of these tax savings in 2023, the taxpayer must have established (and contributed to) a Keogh plan by December 31, 2022.
Take Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs)
Anyone with an IRA, 401(k), 403(b), 457, Simple IRA, or SEP IRA must begin withdrawing from these accounts at some point. These withdrawals, which are computed using the applicant’s age, life expectancy, and the total balance of the account, are known as RMDs, and are subject to income tax.
The SECURE Act boosted the RMD age to 73 for those individuals who turn 72 on or after January 1, 2023. But because the penalty for failing to take an RMD (or for taking a distribution that’s too small) can be a 25% excise tax, missing this deadline can be an expensive mistake.
Pay Expenses for Itemized Deductions
If you’re likely to deduct more than the $27,700 standard deduction (for married couples in 2022) or $13,850 (for single filers in 2022), itemizing your deductions can make sense. But in order to itemize, you’ll need to actually spend this money in 2022. Some of the expenses that can be itemized include home mortgage interest, property, state, and local income taxes, medical expenses, charitable contributions, and investment interest expenses.
Make Tax-Deductible Charitable Contributions and Annual Tax-Free Gift
Generally, taxpayers can deduct charitable contributions so long as these contributions are made in cash to public charities and operation foundations and don’t exceed 60 percent of the taxpayer’s adjusted gross income (AGI). Taxpayers can only deduct charitable contributions if their tax deductions are itemized on Schedule A.
Sell Stock
The end of the year can be a good time to take stock of your holdings and rebalance them if necessary. You may find that the rise in certain sectors (like tech) and decline in others (like energy) has skewed your asset allocation; selling certain over performing holdings and reinvesting these proceeds according to your desired asset allocation can help bring your portfolio back into line. Before selling stock (and potentially incurring capital gains in the process), you may want to sketch out a rough draft of your federal income tax return to see whether your proposed stock sale will be enough to potentially move you into a higher tax bracket.
Consider consulting a financial advisor before making complex financial decisions.
Important Disclosures:
The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. To determine which investment(s) may be appropriate for you, consult your financial professional prior to investing.
Investing in stock includes numerous specific risks including: the fluctuation of dividend, loss of principal and potential illiquidity of the investment in a falling market.
Asset allocation does not ensure a profit or protect against a loss.
Rebalancing a portfolio may cause investors to incur tax liabilities and/or transaction costs and does not assure a profit or protect against a loss.
This information is not intended to be a substitute for specific individualized tax advice. We suggest that you discuss your specific tax issues with a qualified tax advisor.
All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however LPL Financial makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy.
This article was prepared by WriterAccess.
LPL Tracking #1-05366546
Sources
Key RMD Changes In The SECURE Act 2.0 You Should Know (forbes.com)
Small Businesses and SECURE 2.0: Exemptions and Tax Credits (planadviser.com)
401(k) limit increases to $22,500 for 2023, IRA limit rises to $6,500 | Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov)
IRS Announces New Tax Brackets And Standard Deduction For 2023 (forbes.com)
What Is a Keogh Plan? – SmartAsset
Charitable Contribution Deduction: Rules and Changes for 2022 and 2023 (investopedia.com)