·  Pushing the age when required minimum distributions (RMDs) from retirement accounts must begin from 70 1/2 to 72.
·  Permitting contributions to traditional retirement accounts at any age (previously, taxpayers were not permitted to contribute after age 71).
·  Limiting the value of inherited IRAs, so that most accounts inherited by non-spouse beneficiaries must now be distributed within 10 years (rather than over the lifetime of the beneficiary).
·  Increasing the retirement plan start-up credit for small businesses who offer a retirement savings option (to $5,000 per year or $5,500 if auto-enrollment provisions are included).
·  Expanding multiple employer plan (MEP) options so that unrelated employers can join together to offer retirement savings options to employees.
·  Requiring plans to provide annual lifetime income estimates to certain retirement plan participants.

The bill signed into law also extends many tax provisions, known as “extenders”, through the 2020 tax year. Some of those provisions include the Work Opportunity Credit, the new Family and Medical Leave Credit created by the 2017 tax reform legislation and the ability to treat mortgage insurance premiums as qualified residence interest for tax deduction purposes. Additionally, the bill lowers the medical expense threshold back to 7.5% through 2020. We will provide more information on the individual provisions of the SECURE Act and how the law will impact planning for clients as we move into 2020. For more information on the credits extended by the year-end spending bill, visit Tax Facts Online. Read More

The Fifth Circuit Appeals Court ruled that the ACA individual mandate is unconstitutional. However, it declined to invalidate the entire law. Instead, the case was remanded back to the lower court for more detail on other aspects of the law, including the employer mandate that continues in effect. For more information on the individual mandate, visit Tax Facts Online. Read More

As a follow up to interim guidance released in August, 2018, the IRS has released proposed regulations that clarify the definitions of covered employee, publicly held corporation and applicable employee remuneration. For more information on the new limits that apply, visit Tax Facts Online. Read More

We also have more SECURE Act updates. The Act upped the penalties for anyone filing a Form 5500, and it has also expanded (again, following the 2017 tax reform law) the possible uses for 529 pans, making them an even more valuable planning tool.

The Life Insurance and Annuities Committee of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) voted to pass a “best interest” standard that would apply to annuity sales. The NAIC standard would be contained in a model that could be passed by states to create a more uniform approach nationwide. The model law would focus on four key concepts: (1) duty of care, (2) disclosure obligations, (3) conflicts of interest and (4) documentation requirements. For more information on the factors that are important to determining whether an annuity is in a client’s best interest, visit Tax Facts Online. Read More

Form 5500 is a form that must be filed by most employers that offer an employee benefit plan subject to ERISA (exceptions do apply). The SECURE Act has significantly increased the penalties that the IRS may assess for failure to file (note that the DOL may also assess penalties. For more information on when a Form 5500 may be required, visit Tax Facts Online. Read More

The SECURE Act, which primarily impacts retirement-related provisions, also expands upon the permissible uses of Section 529 plan dollars to include apprenticeships and student loan payments. For more information on the use of 529 plan funds, visit Tax Facts Online. Read More

Did we see you at the Heckerling estate planning conference last week? It was a week of warm sunshine and hot (well, OK, at least interesting) tax and estate planning developments. Happy planning!

In the latest in the ongoing SALT cap debate, New Jersey has passed a new law creating an optional entity-level tax for pass-through entities. The New Jersey law allows pass-through entities to elect taxation at the entity level. In exchange, the members are given a refundable gross income tax credit. For more information on the SALT cap, visit Tax Facts Online. Read More

More workers than ever are working in the gig, or freelance, economy–whether full-time or simply to supplement regular income. To keep up with the growing gig industry, the IRS has developed a new tool to help gig workers better understand and comply with their tax obligations. Taxpayers can access the site through irs.gov. For more information on the self-employment tax, visit Tax Facts Online. Read More

The one bad apple rule presented one of the primary roadblocks for small business owners interested in the multiple employer plan (MEP) structure. The SECURE Act provides that if one employer’s actions would disqualify the plan, only that employer’s portion of the MEP will be disqualified. For more information, visit Tax Facts Online. Read More

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