With tax season upon us, it’s may be a good time to look at the 159 pages of new rules the IRS has come up with for investment income taxes on capital gains and dividends earned by high-income individuals that passed Congress as part of the 2010 healthcare reform law. All of the new rules went into effect January 1, 2013.
It is important to understand these new laws when planning your finances. A qualified Illinois estate planning attorney can help you ensure that your finances will be handled according to your wishes even when you are gone. The following is a short summary of some of these new rules, however your attorney can help you to understand how the new regulations will affect you.
This is the first surtax to be applied to capital gains and dividends. The 3.8 percent tax is earmarked to pay for healthcare. Individuals who have a modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) of more than $200,000 and married couples who file jointly and have a MAGI of more than $250,000 are those who will be affected.
A taxpayer’s MAGI is found by taking the adjusted gross income and adding back certain items such as foreign income, foreign-housing deductions, student-loan deductions, IRA-contribution deductions and deductions for higher-education costs.
Many investment securities ranging from stocks and bonds to commodity securities and specialized derivatives are included in the tax. Also included in the new tax laws is a 0.9 percent healthcare tax on wages for high-income individuals.
A report about the new regulations appeared in Reuters. The publication offered an example of how the new tax works, citing an individual filer, with $180,000 in wage income plus $90,000 from investment income. The person’s MAGI is $270,000. According to the IRS calculations, the 3.8 percent tax applies to the $70,000, and the individual would pay $2,660 in surtaxes.
According to a Joint Committee on Taxation analysis, the new tax revenue to be raised is estimated at $317.7 billion over 10 years.
The new changes to capital gains and dividends can be confusing and costly if not handled correctly. Consult with a qualified Illinois estate planning attorney to make sure that your finances are protected, even after you're not here to take care of them in person.
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