William Byrnes' Tax, Wealth, and Risk Intelligence

Prof. William H. Byrnes

Robert Bloink, J.D., LL.M.

IRS Issues FAQ on Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit for 2021

Last week, the IRS released new FAQ to help taxpayers understand the expanded child and dependent care tax credit in 2021. For 2021, eligible taxpayers can claim qualifying work-related expenses up to $8,000 for one qualifying person, or $16,000 for two or more qualifying persons (up from $3,000 and $6,000 in prior years). To claim the credit, taxpayers are also required to have earnings. The FAQ is clear that the amount of qualifying work-related expenses claimed cannot exceed the taxpayer’s earnings. Additionally, the taxpayer must subtract employer-provided dependent care benefits, including those provided through a flexible spending account, from total work-related expenses when calculating the credit. As in prior years, the more a taxpayer earns, the lower the percentage of work-related expenses that are taken into account in determining the credit. However, the credit is fully refundable for the first time in 2021. This means eligible taxpayers can receive the credit even if they owe no federal income tax. To be eligible for the refundable credit, a taxpayer (or the taxpayer’s spouse on a joint return) must reside in the United States for more than half of the year. For more information on the credit, visit Tax Facts Online. Read More

Related Questions:

757. Who qualifies for the tax credit for the elderly and the permanently and totally disabled and how is the credit computed?

758. Who qualifies for the child tax credit?

Roth IRA Planning Now for Higher Estate Taxes Later

With tax rates at historic lows, many clients have already evaluated the Roth conversion strategy as a retirement income tax minimization strategy. However, high net worth clients who anticipate estate tax liability in the future might also be attracted to the Roth strategy. IRAs are generally included in calculating the taxable estate. If the estate is subject to estate taxes, that reduces the value of assets left to beneficiaries. Once a beneficiary receives the IRA (after taxes), they generally must deplete the funds within 10 years under the SECURE Act. That means beneficiaries will be required to quickly pay income taxes after the estate taxes have been levied. Distributions from inherited Roth IRAs are not taxable. Further, because the client has paid income taxes during life, they’ve presumably reduced the value of the taxable estate in the process. Given current uncertainties about Biden’s estate tax plans, high net worth clients may be particularly interested in this strategy. For more information on Roth conversions, visit Tax Facts Online. Read More

Related Questions:

3661. Can a taxpayer whose income level exceeds the limitations for Roth IRA contributions maintain a Roth IRA?

3662. Can an individual roll over or convert a traditional IRA or other eligible retirement plan into a Roth IRA?

3664. Can an individual correct a Roth conversion? What is a recharacterization?

RMD Rules Might See Big Changes in Next Round of Retirement Reform

The latest round of retirement reform provisions might include big changes for required minimum distributions (RMDs). Most taxpayers must start taking distributions from traditional retirement accounts when they turn 72. Under the new proposal, the RMD beginning age would increase to age 75. Further, the law would exempt taxpayers with account balances under $100,000 from the RMD rules entirely. In other words, those taxpayers would not be required to take annual distributions from 401(k)s and IRAs. The law would also reduce the penalty for incorrect RMDs from 50 percent of the shortfall amount to 25 percent—and as low as 10 percent if the taxpayer took advantage of the IRS self-correction procedures to correct the mistake. Access to qualified longevity annuities would also be expanded—giving taxpayers an option to minimize their RMDs in future years by purchasing a deferred annuity within their retirement plan. For more information on the current RMD rules, visit Tax Facts Online. Read More

Related Questions:

3683. What can be done before the IRA required beginning date in order to minimize required minimum distributions?

3684. How are minimum distribution requirements calculated if an individual owns more than one IRA?

The Texas A&M graduate programs for risk management for areas like wealth management, tax risk management, financial risk, economic crimes, ESG risk, is accepting applications for fall. Over 500 candidates are currently enrolled in the graduate courses yet maximum enrollment per course section is maintained at 30 so that each student receives meaningful feedback throughout the course from the fulltime academic and professional part-time faculty. Check out the tax risk management program here as an example of the curriculum and courses: https://law.tamu.edu/distance-education/international-tax

Texas A&M, annual budget of $6.3 billion (FY2020), is the largest U.S. public university, one of only 60 accredited U.S. universities of the American Association of Universities (R1: Doctoral Universities – Highest Research Activity) and one of only 17 U.S. universities that hold the triple U.S. federal grant of Land, Sea, and Space! The law school has the #1 bar passage in Texas, and #1 for employment in Texas (and top 10 in U.S.)

• Ranked in top 20 public universities by Wall Street Journal / Times Higher Education (2020)
• #1 endowment for U.S. public universities, #7 overall
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• #1 employment outcome for law schools in Texas and in top 10 in the USA
• #1 bar passage in Texas
• Rank #11 by Money Best Colleges Report, 2021 and #5 in US among public universities (Sources: U.S. Department of Education, Peterson’s, PayScale.com, Money/College Measures calculations)
• Texas A&M ranks #1 in Texas, #1 in the SEC, and #12 in the U.S. in Washington Monthly’s 2020 overall college rankings based on the quality of education, accessibility, graduation rates, student involvement, and research: see tx.ag/WashMonth20