Preservation | Family Wealth Protection & Planning

This holiday weekend, you may have tackled your holiday shopping with deals from Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. Now, you may wish to join Giving Tuesday and add charitable giving to finish your holiday shopping! 

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 brought a myriad of changes to the tax law, including for individual taxpayers. While certain deductions that were available to individuals have now been limited — e.g., the $10,000 limit on the state and local income tax (SALT) deduction — the standard deduction has increased to $24,000 for a married couple filing jointly and $12,000 for single filers. In 2017, the standard deduction was $12,700 for a married couple filing jointly and $6,350 for single filers.

“Any other bids? And….sold to No. 45 for $1,500!”

Yes! You have outbid the other contenders at the local humane society’s charity auction to win a five-night stay at a condo in Destin, Florida, in August. You think, “Not only did I get a great vacation, I also get a tax deduction for my donation!” Or do you?

Have you ever donated money to a good cause, such as emergency health care for an injured person or assistance for someone who has unexpectedly lost a loved one? Have you used a website such as GoFundMe to make your donation? Or even better, have you created, or considered creating, a campaign on such a website to collect money and then distribute the money to the person in need? If so, you may want to know the potential tax consequences and reporting requirements related to your generosity.

Retirement accounts such as IRAs, 401(k) and 403(b) plans and other qualified plans or profit-sharing plan accounts may provide an opportunity for charitable giving by offering a variety of tax benefits, depending upon the structure.