Tax updates for 2025 version1

Reminder for security alerts and scams

Last year for Form 5405 Repayment of First Time Home Buyer Credit

New Digital Assets form 1099-DA

Energy Efficient Home Credit Form 8909

New Form 15620 for Section 83(b) Election

Secure Act 2.0 updates

BOI- Back in Action

Natural Disasters

2024 Tax Year for the most part was tame. Not many changes, but the IRS did provide a few new updates and forms. Rather than go through all the changes, I’ll just highlight a few of changes that affect most taxpayers. Please note that this tax blog is based on current tax guides and may change over time.

IRS Communications and Safety reminders. If you haven’t already, please go ahead to www.irs. gov and sign up for your tax account. It’s the most secure method of receiving IRS communications. By signing up your own secured tax account, you can look up your own tax records, transcripts, and payment records. Be wary of any suspicious emails, IRS won’t email you directly. All communications should be sent through your tax portal.

Last Year of Form 5405 Repayment of First Home Buyer Credit.

This is the last year IRS is issuing form 5405. Additional information can be found here.

Form 1099-DA.

For those who have cryptocurrency transactions in 2024, please provide 1099-DA form. It will be provided by the brokerage firm.

Form 8909 Energy Efficient Home Credit.

For taxpayers who have hired contractors that have installed energy efficient items in their homes, they will need to provide certification information to take the Energy Efficient Home Credit.

New Form 15620 for Section 83 (b) Election.

Taxpayers who are filing section 83 (b) election now have a new form 15620, instead of filling in “Other income”.

Secure Act 2.0

Emergencies and financial hardships early withdrawals without penalties.*

I personally don’t recommend doing this, because there are many rules. Up to $1000 can be withdrawn without 10% early withdrawal penalty, but you still need to pay taxes on this. You can only do this once every 3 years, if the principle isn’t repaid. You can do this once a year if the taxpayer repays the amount. For domestic abuse victims, they can withdraw up to $10k or 50% of the account, but it must be repaid within 3 years and recoup any taxes paid. Taxpayers with terminal illness can withdraw without penalties, but the doctor must certify expected lifetime of less than 84 months. Federal disaster victims can withdraw up to $22k, but the withdrawal amount must be repaid over 3 years and recoup any taxes paid.

529 to Roth IRA.

Starting in 2024, beneficiaries of 529 college savings plans can roll over excess benefits to a Roth IRA up to $35k. 529 plan must have been open for at least 15 years. Rollovers are subject to annual Roth IRA contribution limit. Income levels are not relevant for this rollover.

RMD rules.

When to take RMDs? If your year of birth is 1960 or later, take your RMD at 75 years old. If your year of birth is 1951-1959, take your RMD at 73 years old. If your year of birth is 1950 & earlier, take your RMD at 72 or (70 1/2 year old).

What happens if you forget to take out RMDs?

You will get hit with 25% tax of the amount that was not taken out. (IRC 4979). This percentage could be lowed to 10%, if a timely tax return is filed.

What happens if the RMD was missed on the year of death?

Taxpayer an take the RMDs before death. Beneficiaries can take RMDs after death of taxpayer. (Allocation of RMDS does not have to match the allocation to the beneficiaries.) You can avoid penalty if corrected within the calendar following taxpayer’s death.

2024 updates to Secure Act 2.0.

Inherited retirement plans.

RMD requirements have been waived for 2024. RMDs from inherited IRA plans must be taken in 2025.

Roth 401Ks are no longer required to take RMDs starting in 2024.

BOI back in effect.

Right before Christmas of 2024, I was telling clients to pause on Corporate Transparency Act due to a court case called Texas Top Cop Shop. Now as of 12/23/24, US Court of Appeals in the 5th Circuit has lifted the nationwide preliminary injunction that halted Corporate Transparency Act. So Yes! If you have registered a corporation or LLC, you do need to go to FINCEN website and register your Beneficial Ownership Information.

Natural Disasters.

If your home was declared as natural disaster area by IRS in 2024, please review your home state information and notify your tax preparer to claim for tax relief.

Tax Season 2024 Issue #1 ReadMe

Tax season is already here before you know it. Happy New Year, and hope everyone is off to a good start!

Here are some deadlines to prepare and watch out for:

  • Individuals:
    • 4th Quarter Estimated Taxes for 2023, Due 1/16/24
    • Last day for filing 6 month extensions, Due 4/15/24
    • Taxes Due 4/15/24
  • Businesses:
    • Pass-Through Entities for calendar year, (Partnerships & S-Corps.) Deadline for 2023, Due 3/15/24
    • Corporate taxes for calendar year, Due 3/15/24.

Everyone needs to read the following updates:

IRS raised their interest rates. Hint: Don’t underpay those quarterly estimated taxes, if you want to avoid high interest rates!

  • 2023 interest rates for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Quarter are 7%
  • 2023 interest rates for 4th Quarter is 8%
  • 2024 1st Quarter is 8%

Corporate Transparency Act:

Beginning January 1, 2024, all current LLCs, S-corps, LP, LLPs, Business trusts, etc. are required to file Beneficial Owner Information report. (Big exception is large C corporations are exempt from this.) All new companies must file within 90s days. All current companies must file by 12/31/24. Any changes must be filed within 30 days.

The Beneficial Owner Information report basically contains the owner’s name, tax ID, birthdate, government passport or driver’s license, and address. Who qualifies as a beneficial owner? Anyone who owns or exercises substantial control (at least 25%) over a reporting company.

What happens if you don’t comply? Civil penalties are up to $500 each day of violation. Criminal penalties including imprisonment for up to two years, and or a fine up to $10,000. In plain language, if you’ve registered an LLC, even if it’s taxed as a sole proprietor, you need to register for BOI to be in compliance of Corporate Transparency Act. Example: If Mary Sue registers her company in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as an LLC on 1/2/24, she has 90 days to register for BOI.

The Corporate Transparency Act applies to all 50 states, Indian tribes, and territories. Why was this law created? US government is trying to address illicit finance and national security threats from corruption.

More information about this can be found here. If your company or entity is required to file BOI report, you can access it on the FINCEN website. If you need assistance in filing BOI report, please contact me.

Housekeeping for Individuals:

If you haven’t already, please go to www.irs.gov and register for your tax account. By doing so, it allows the taxpayer to be able to look at prior year returns, reviewing IRS tax balances, and keeping all of the IRS tax communications in one place. The IRS tax account also allows the individual to submit electronic versions of the power of attorney in a secure manner, in case the tax professional may need to represent him/her.

Sharing tax documents securely

Data Security is a big topic for everyone in the tax and financial world right now. In effort to keep our clients safe, we ask that you to never share confidential information over email.

For Patterson Business Solutions established clients: you can share documents securely by:

  • Client Portal: Verifyle
  • Client Portal: Link by Intuit.
  • Snail Mail
  • Fax
  • Drop off in person by appointment. To schedule drop off, please use this link.

New clients: Please schedule an initial appointment online. After our first consultation, I will email you invitation to a client portal, and request for an initial $200 software retainer per return. By collecting software fees up front, it helps keep costs down and allows me to maintain affordable rates for everyone. I can take Venmo or check in the mail for the retainer.

1099-Ks

For taxpayers who received 1099-ks, technically anything over $600 is the reporting threshold in 2023. However, IRS is treating 2023 as a transition year. So reporting requirements for 2023 will be if the taxpayer receives over $20,000 and has over 200 transactions.

Energy Residential Credits and Electric Vehicles

Federal government has extended Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit. through 2032. So homeowners can take advantages of all the tax savings related to exterior windows, skylights, exterior doors, heat pumps, HVACs, water heaters, furnaces, boilers, solar roofing tiles and even home energy audits. Sometimes the labor costs are not included in the tax credit, it depends. Please have a copy of the home improvement receipt handy for your tax accountant.

Due to manufacturer limitations, only the first 200,000 electric vehicles were qualified for Clean Vehicle credit from 2023-2032. So if you bought a Tesla in 2023, chances are it’s already used up. However, we can try to apply for Federal tax credits on the plug-in Electric and Fuel Cell electric vehicles purchased in 2023 and after. To claim your new or used clean vehicle credit, please provide your VIN. You can find the VIN by opening the front driver’s door, or looking for original car sticker.

Massachusetts Millionaire 4% Surtax

MA is subject to a 4% surtax for income over $1 Million. Why is this an issue for middleclass? When you sell a home in MA, real estate can be really expensive. It can be really easy to trigger the Millionaire 4% surtax, if you’ve sold the family home in 2023 and add regular working income. (There was one tiny reprieve, estate returns, the surtax starts after $2M. )

MA Millionaire 4% surtax applies to: residents, non-residents, trust and estates, clubs and organizations not for profit. One method of mitigating heavy taxes, is to have married couple file separately to reduce the $1 Million threshold. If the couple files separately for MA, it’s best to file separately on Federal return as well. Another suggestion is to consider spreading the payment out as an installment sale agreement. Careful tax and estate planning can help MA residents avoid this expensive tax bill.