With the tip of 2022 quick approaching, year-end monetary planning conversations with shoppers are doubtless already beginning to take form. It’s been a yr of attention-grabbing developments—from pandemic-related reduction that has come and gone to the emergence of recent packages round scholar mortgage debt—and shoppers will probably be seeking to you to assist navigate these modifications. Having this guidelines in your again pocket could make your planning conversations with shoppers extra productive and assist them keep on observe.

1. Enhance Retirement Contributions to the Max

Office accounts. Encourage shoppers to contemplate maximizing contributions to their office plans and to take full benefit of any employer match profit. For 2022, the utmost worker deferral for 401(ok), 403(b), and 457 accounts is $20,500, and people ages 50 and older can defer an extra catch-up contribution of $6,500. For SIMPLE IRAs, the deferral stays $14,000 and the catch-up is $3,000.

Conventional IRAs. Maxing out contributions to a conventional IRA is another choice. For 2022, the contribution restrict is $6,000 or 100% of earned earnings, whichever is much less, with a $1,000 catch-up for shoppers ages 50 and older. Modified adjusted gross earnings (MAGI) limits for contributions to conventional and Roth IRAs elevated in 2022, so be sure you evaluate MAGI eligibility thresholds.

2. Spend FSA {Dollars} and Contribute to HSAs

If permitted below an employer’s plan, a person can carry over unused well being versatile spending account (FSA) quantities, with a most carryover quantity of $570. Though the rollover choice applies to the employer’s plan yr relatively than the calendar yr, this year-end evaluation is an efficient reminder to ensure your shoppers are on observe. As well as, shoppers with dependent care FSAs can save as a lot as $5,000 (household restrict) or $2,500 (married submitting individually) in 2022.

Now can also be a good time to debate most well being financial savings account (HSA) contributions with shoppers who’ve high-deductible well being plans (HDHPs). Though this is usually a pretty complicated planning space, typically, right here’s how HSA limits work: In 2022, the utmost contribution for a person HSA is $3,650, and the utmost for a household HDHP is $7,300.

Plus, shoppers ages 55 and older can contribute an extra $1,000. Don’t overlook to debate prorated vs. “final month rule” contributions for shoppers who had an HDHP for a part of 2022.

3. Assess Marginal and Capital Features Tax Issues

Purchasers on the edge of a tax bracket could possibly put themselves within the decrease one by deferring some earnings to 2023. Listed below are a number of thresholds to remember:

• 37 % marginal tax charge: Taxable incomes exceeding $539,900 (particular person), $647,850 (married submitting collectively), $539,900 (head of family), and $323,925 (married submitting individually)

• 20 % capital beneficial properties tax charge: Taxable incomes exceeding $459,750 (particular person), $517,200 (married submitting collectively), $488,500 (head of family), and $258,600 (married submitting individually)

• Extra Medicare tax: For shoppers with W-2 or self-employed earnings above sure MAGI thresholds, complete Medicare taxes will probably be 2.35 % and three.8 %, respectively

• 3.8 % surtax on funding earnings: The lesser of web funding earnings or the surplus of MAGI larger than $200,000 (particular person), $250,000 (married submitting collectively), $200,000 (head of family), and $125,000 (married submitting individually)

4. Overview and Rebalance Portfolios

12 months-end monetary planning ought to embrace a evaluate of capital beneficial properties and losses on your shoppers and an evaluation of whether or not it’s time to rebalance shopper portfolios. This course of might reveal tax planning alternatives, reminiscent of harvesting losses to offset capital beneficial properties.

5. Faucet into the Tax Advantages of Charitable Giving

Charitable contributions donated on to a professional charity or a donor-advised fund can assist obtain a federal tax deduction. Be mindful, nevertheless, that this technique will solely be useful if itemizing deductions. So, it’s worthwhile for shoppers to debate with their tax professionals if their charitable contributions, along with different deductions, will surpass their customary deduction.

Deductions on contributions to donor-advised funds are capped at 60 % of AGI for money and 30 % of AGI for long-term appreciated securities.

Certified charitable distribution (QCD) guidelines haven’t modified, so shoppers older than 70½ could make a QCD of as much as $100,000 on to a charity; married joint filers might exclude as much as $100,000 donated from every partner’s IRA. Additional, a QCD could be useful from a tax perspective, because it reduces taxable earnings whereas additionally satisfying the RMD requirement.

6. Put together a Technique for Inventory Choices

Different minimal tax (AMT) exemption limits elevated in 2022 to $75,900 for single tax filers and $118,100 for married joint filers. Relying on AMT projections, shoppers might need to wait till January 2023 to train incentive inventory choices.

7. Plan for Estimated Taxes and RMDs

• A retiree’s first RMD have to be accomplished by April 1 of the yr after they flip 72. After the primary yr, they have to fulfill their annual RMD distribution by December 31 for each ensuing yr. If a taxpayer chooses to delay the primary RMD till April 1, they might want to take one other RMD earlier than year-end (i.e., basically two RMDs in that first yr, in the event that they delay).

• Purchasers who could also be topic to an estimated tax penalty can request that employers (by way of Type W-4) alter their withholding to cowl shortfalls. The IRS tax withholding estimator is usually a invaluable useful resource right here. They may additionally discover utilizing Type 1040-ES to make their estimated quarterly funds for earnings that’s not topic to withholding.

8. Get Able to Repay Pupil Loans

Pupil mortgage funds are set to restart on the graduation of 2023. Underneath the Biden administration’s one-time scholar mortgage debt reduction plan, funds could be decreased to five % of discretionary earnings for many undergraduate loans. Extra data on this plan will probably be introduced within the coming days and weeks. To get the newest, your shoppers can seek the advice of this beneficial reality sheet and join updates on the U.S. Division of Schooling web site.

9. Consider Property Plans

It’s all the time a good suggestion to evaluate property plans as a part of year-end monetary planning. Relying on a shopper’s web value, establishing a faulty grantor belief, spousal lifetime entry belief, or irrevocable life insurance coverage belief could also be an efficient technique to cut back property tax publicity.

When you evaluate a shopper’s property plan, be sure you replace beneficiary designations and evaluate trustee appointments, energy of legal professional provisions, and well being care directives.

Be a Trusted Useful resource and Information

Though this year-end monetary planning guidelines covers a number of floor, it’s meant to function a springboard on your planning conversations with shoppers.

You’ll have an ideal start line to speak by means of high-level points and deadlines which might be most related to them and have the chance to achieve out proactively—and supply to collaborate with—CPAs, attorneys, and different professionals they work with. These planning conversations are simply one of many many alternatives you need to reveal the worth you ship and deepen your shopper relationships.

In fact, it’s doubtless that many consumers can have extra difficult points to contemplate. Learn the way having a group of specialists at your fingertips could possibly be a recreation changer on your observe and your shoppers.

Commonwealth Monetary Community® doesn’t present authorized or tax recommendation. You need to seek the advice of a authorized or tax skilled concerning your particular person state of affairs. Third-party hyperlinks are supplied to you as a courtesy and are for informational functions solely. We make no illustration as to the completeness or accuracy of data supplied at these web sites.

Editor’s Observe: This publish was initially revealed in October 2021, however we’ve up to date it to convey you extra related and well timed data.