The U.S. Tax Code is complicated today, there’s no easy way around it. With the current presidential administration making major changes and updates to the way we go about organizing and collecting our taxes, it can be hard to keep up with what’s what regarding national, state, and municipal taxation policies today. Not to mention, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has put forth many changes for 2018 as well, lending itself to being a more difficult tax season than previous years.
Gone are the days when you needed to shell out big bucks to an accountant or toil over complex calculations with pencil and paper to calculate your taxes. Some tax apps let you started for free, so you have an opportunity to experience their interface and verify that you’ll get all of the features you need before you have to pay a cent. Make your life easier by signing up to a tax app today.
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Top Tax Changes
If you’re worried about mastering the art of American taxes, here are some of the biggest changes to note for 2018:
1. Tax Bracket Alterations
Most Americans only care about the tax changes that directly affect their paycheck. Inflation has left its impact on the 2018 tax brackets, with the income ranges for each bracket increasing by around 2% at this time. This means that salaried employees who didn’t receive raises will owe slightly less in federal 2018 income tax than they did in 2017.
2. Deduction Increases
For those who don’t itemize their taxes and go with the standard deduction instead, they will be receiving a little extra during the upcoming year. According to the IRS, those filing as single in 2017 will receive a standard deduction of $6,350, while married couples will be receiving $12,700. For 2018, single filers are looking at $6,500 and married couples $13,000. If everything else holds constant for 2018, you will be paying a little bit less in federal income taxes – that’s a good thing!
3. Personal-Exemption Allowance
For those who do itemize their taxes, they are also getting a little boost. Personal-exemption allowance is rising by $100 in 2018, to $4,150 from $4,050 in 2017. These exemptions are most common among wealthier taxpayers.
TaxSlayer is the easiest way to file your federal and state taxes online. Get started completely for free to maximize your tax return this year.
E-file.com offers free federal tax returns using their basic software. Upgrade for more complicated tax cases. In any case, get your biggest refund fast.
Read how FreeTaxUSA top-rated software, IRS-approved e-file provider can help you get the maximum tax refund in the fastest way possible.
4. Bigger 401K Limits
In 2018, investors will be able to put away $500 more per year into their employer-sponsored 401Ks. Instead of the $18,000 cap per year, they can now move up to $18,500 per year, also applicable to those over the age of 50, who can tack on the extra $500 to their $24,000 per year limit. It’s worth noting hat these contributions are made on a pre-tax basis, ensuring the more contributed, the less tax liability included.
5. IRA Phase-Out Limit Boosts
For those with an individual retirement account (IRA), though they won’t be seeing contribution limits increasing, they will see their phase-out and exemption income limits adjust a little bit higher. In 2018, single filers or heads of households can earn up to $63,000, which is a jump of $1,000, with a phase-out in the $63,000 to $73,000 bracket. These people will also be able to earn up to $101,000 within the $101,000 to $121,000 phase-out bracket. IRA contributors, rejoice!
Taxation Alterations
Additional changes include Roth IRA phase-out increases, alternative minimum tax exemption amount increases with inflation, Earned Income Tax Credit maximums increases, annual gift exclusion increases, and the list goes on.
Be sure to take note of these changes before filing your future taxes. And make your life easier by signing up to a tax app today.
