Why put off until tomorrow what can save you money today? To help you better understand where to begin with tax planning, Citi Personal Wealth Management has outlined areas to consider when starting to think about how to confidently grow and protect your wealth in 2024 and beyond.
Prepare for your 2024 taxes today:
Check Your Tax Withholding
Use the IRS Withholding Calculator to evaluate whether your employer is
withholding too little or too much in taxes.
Visit irs.gov/individuals/irs-withholding-calculator
Check investments by year-end
By selling investments at a loss, you can offset any realized gains and up to $3,000 of ordinary
income if your filing status is single or married filing jointly or $1,500 if married filing
separately. Any unused capital losses can be carried forward to offset future capital gains.
Jump-start education savings
Check with your tax advisor to see if you’re eligible for state income tax deductions on your
resident state sponsored 529 plan, where you can save on a tax-deferred basis and withdraw tax free
to pay qualified expenses for college and K-12. (Please note: Some states have not adopted the
federal law allowing the use of a 529 plan for K-12 expenses.)
Avoid tax penalties
Pay your federal estimated tax installments on time to avoid tax penalties. You may wish to consider
running through safe harbor tests with your tax advisor to avoid underpayment penalties (e.g.,
ensure you’ve paid at least 90% of tax owed for the tax year, or owe less than $1,000
in tax).
Take everyday steps toward retirement
Save more for retirement on a tax-deferred basis and reduce your taxable income by increasing your
pretax contributions to employer retirement plan(s), such as 401(k)s and 403(b)s, with limits in
2024 at $23,000, and if you are over 50 an additional $7,500. If you have self-employment income,
there are more options available. To learn about the Roth 401(k), please contact your tax advisor.
To receive a comparison about Roth and Traditional IRAs, contact your Wealth Advisor.
Set up your estate today
Reduce the size of your taxable estate by making annual gifts, up to $18,000 (annual gift tax
exclusion as of 2024) to as many beneficiaries as you want. If married and both spouses are U.S.
citizens, you can jointly gift $36,000 per recipient.
Plan for tomorrow:
Continue to grow your retirement savings
The initial required minimum distribution for a traditional IRA must be taken by April 1 of the year
following the year you turn 73 (for those born between 1951 and 1959) and be taken by December 31
each year thereafter. (RMD age increases to age 75 for those born in 1960 and later.) But, you do
not need to take annual distributions from Roth IRAs. Consider converting a traditional IRA or
retirement plan to a Roth, but you should consult with your tax advisor first about the potential
tax consequences of a conversion. Keep in mind that you can no longer recharacterize a Roth IRA
conversion made on or after January 1, 2018.
Keep your estate plan up-to-date
The 2024 federal estate tax exemption of $13.61 million for an individual could change dramatically
in the future. Take the time to re-examine your existing estate plan, including wills, power of
attorney, revocable and irrevocable trusts, and insurance plans alongside your legal and/or tax
advisor before making any hasty moves.
Give generously
Because the limit on the deduction for cash gifts to public charities is generally 60% of adjusted
gross income, consider charitable strategies for larger gifts. You may also consider pooling smaller
gifts to overcome the expanded standard deduction amount.
Maximize your business benefits
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act instituted a single income tax rate of 21% for C corporations. In
addition, any dividend distributions of earnings and profits are also taxed to the shareholders at a
rate as high as 23.8%. In other words, the income can be taxed twice. However, business owners of
pass-through entities may qualify for a 20% “off-the-top” deduction on qualified flow-through
income. Consequently, because LLCs are pass-through entities and the income from the business is
only taxed once, they may be more tax efficient than C corporations. With the various changes in
business income taxation, a key question to ask your legal and tax advisors is whether you need to
make changes to your entity structure. In addition, discuss with your legal and tax advisors if the
Corporate Transparency Act applies to your business, where you would need to file beneficial
ownership reports with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.
Remember: Get tax advice on your particular situation from an independent tax advisor. Please read the “Important Information” section at the bottom of this page.