Business Tax Services

What are the Latest Tax Updates?

• Reading the Tea Leaves: Potential Tax Legislation in the New Congress
• Year-End Spending Package Tackles Retirement Planning, Conservation Easements
• What do the 2023 Cost-of-Living Adjustment Numbers Mean to You?
• The Inflation Reduction Act Includes Wide-Ranging Tax Provisions
• Congress Passes $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Bill with Minor Changes to Code
• New Tax Reporting Requirements for Payment Apps
• Larger Cost-of-Living Adjustments for 2022
• Take Advantage of the Federal Solar Tax Credit Before it Phases Out
• 2023 IRS Cryptocurrency Reporting Requirements

What are the 2023 Tax Rates and Deductions?

Individual Tax Rate

• 2023 Federal Tax Rates
• 2023 Tax Due Date Calendar

Tax-bracket thresholds increase for each filing status but, because they’re based on percentages, they increase more significantly for the higher brackets. For example, the top of the 10% bracket increases by $725, to $1,450, depending on filing status, but the top of the 35% bracket increases by $22,950 to $45,900, again depending on filing status.

Standard Deduction

• Single: $13,850
• Head of Household: $20,800
• Married Filing Jointly: $27,700
• Married Filing Separately: $13,850

Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT)

Like the regular tax brackets, the AMT brackets are annually indexed for inflation. For 2023, the threshold for the 28% bracket will increase by $14,600 for all filing statuses except married filing separately, which increased by half that amount.

• The AMT exemption phaseouts are also indexed for 2023:
  • Single or Head of Household: $81,300
  • Married Filing Jointly: $126,500

Estate and Gift Tax Exemption

The lifetime exemption is $12,920,000 with a top tax rate of 40%. A surviving spouse may be able to use the deceased spouse’s unused estate tax exemption. The annual gift tax exclusion is $17,700 per recipient.

Education and Child-Related Breaks

• The American Opportunity Credit: Maximum credit per eligible student is $2,500 and is phased out for taxpayers with adjusted gross income in excess of $80,000 single/$160,000 joint filers.
• The Lifetime Learning Credit: Maximum credit is $2,000 per tax return and is phased out for taxpayers with adjusted gross income in excess of $80,00 0single/$160,000 joint filers.
• The Adoption Credit: Maximum credit is $15,950 with phaseout ranges from $239,230-$279,230 for joint, head-of-household and single filers. Married couples filing separately generally aren’t eligible for these credits.

Social Security Wage Base Increase for 2023

The Social Security Administration recently announced that the wage base for computing Social Security tax will increase to $160,200 for 2023 (up from $147,000 for 2022). Wages and self-employment income above this threshold aren’t subject to Social Security tax.

There’s a maximum amount of compensation subject to the Social Security tax, but no maximum for Medicare tax. For 2023, the FICA tax rate for employers is 7.65% — 6.2% for Social Security and 1.45% for Medicare (the same as in 2022).

2023 Updates:

For 2023, an employee will pay:

• 6.2% Social Security tax on the first $160,200 of wages (6.2% of $160,200 makes the maximum tax $9,932.40), plus
• 1.45% Medicare tax on the first $200,000 of wages ($250,000 for joint returns; $125,000 for married taxpayers filing a separate return), plus
• 2.35% Medicare tax (regular 1.45% Medicare tax plus 0.9% additional Medicare tax) on all wages in excess of $200,000 ($250,000 for joint returns; $125,000 for married taxpayers filing a separate return)

For 2023, the self-employment tax imposed on self-employed people is:

• 12.4% Social Security tax on the first $160,200 of self-employment income, for a maximum tax of $19,864.80 (12.4% of $160,200), plus
• 2.9% Medicare tax on the first $200,000 of self-employment income ($250,000 of combined self-employment income on a joint return, $125,000 on a return of a married individual filing separately), plus
• 3.8% (2.9% regular Medicare tax plus 0.9% additional Medicare tax) on all self-employment income in excess of $200,000 ($250,000 of combined self-employment income on a joint return, $125,000 for married taxpayers filing a separate return)

Retirement Savings Changes for 2023

The IRS recently announced cost-of-living adjustments that apply to the dollar limitations for pensions, as well as other qualified retirement plans for 2023. The amounts increased more than they have in recent years due to inflation.

401(k) Plans

The 2023 contribution limit for employees who participate in 401(k) plans will increase to $22,500 (up from $20,500 in 2022). This contribution amount also applies to 403(b) plans, most 457 plans and the federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan.

The catch-up contribution limit for employees age 50 and over who participate in 401(k) plans and the other plans mentioned above will increase to $7,500 (up from $6,500 in 2022). Therefore, participants in 401(k) plans (and the others listed above) who are 50 and older can contribute up to $30,000 in 2023.

SEP Plans and Defined Contribution Plans

The limitation for defined contribution plans, including a Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) plan, will increase from $61,000 to $66,000. To participate in a SEP, an eligible employee must receive at least a certain amount of compensation for the year. That amount will increase in 2023 to $750 (from $650 for 2022)

SIMPLE Plans

Deferrals to a SIMPLE plan will increase to $15,500 in 2023 (up from $14,000 in 2022). The catch-up contribution limit for employees age 50 and over who participate in SIMPLE plans will increase to $3,500 in 2023, up from $3,000.

Other Plan Limits

The IRS also announced that in 2023:

• The limitation on the annual benefit under a defined benefit plan will increase from $245,000 to $265,000. For a participant who separated from service before January 1, 2023, the participant’s limitation under a defined benefit plan is computed by multiplying the participant’s compensation limitation, as adjusted through 2022, by 1.0833.
• The dollar limitation concerning the definition of “key employee” in a top-heavy plan will increase from $200,000 to $215,000.
• The dollar amount for determining the maximum account balance in an employee stock ownership plan subject to a five-year distribution period will increase from $1,230,000 to $1,330,000, while the dollar amount used to determine the lengthening of the five-year distribution period will increase from $245,000 to $265,000.
• The limitation used in the definition of “highly compensated employee” will increase from $135,000 to $150,000.

IRA Contributions

The 2023 limit on annual contributions to an individual IRA will increase to $6,500 (up from $6,000 for 2022). The IRA catch-up contribution limit for individuals age 50 and older isn’t subject to an annual cost-of-living adjustment and will remain $1,000.