(512) 877-9017

Pay Our Fee

Client Login

SecureSend
BR Tax Group - Accounting Firm

IRS Giving a Break to Some Taxpayers Who Under-prepaid Their 2018 Taxes

Article Highlights:

  • Tax Reform 
  • Prepayments 
  • W-4 
  • Safe Harbor Payments 
  • Penalty Waivers & Exceptions 
  • Mitigating the Penalty 
Taxpayers are required to pre-pay their taxes for any tax year through payroll withholding, estimated tax payments or a combination of the two. Employees and retirees generally accomplish this through withholding, and self-employed individuals and those with investment income by paying quarterly estimated payments.

The late-2017 passage of tax reform that became effective for 2018 and its radical changes added considerable confusion for taxpayers trying to determine how much they should prepay for 2018. This confusion was made worse because the existing W-4 that employees complete and that their employers use to determine the correct withholding was designed for prior law and does not work well with the new tax law. As a result, there has been ongoing concern by the IRS that many taxpayers will end up owing tax this year when they file their 2018 returns, even though they got a tax reduction due to the tax reform changes, simply because their pre-payments through withholding and estimated tax payments were not enough.

For most of 2018, the IRS was issuing alerts that taxpayers may be under-withheld because of tax reform and the fact the W-4 could no longer be relied upon to produce a correct withholding amount.

Taxpayers whose pre-payments are less than certain safe harbor amounts are penalized. Those safe harbors are:
  • 90% of the current year’s tax liability or 
  • 100% of the prior year’s tax liability (110% where the prior year AGI is over $150,000 ($75,000 if married and filing separate returns). 

Recently several members of Congress have called upon the IRS to waive underpayment penalties for 2018. On January 16, 2019, although not waiving the penalties entirely, the IRS did change the current year safe harbor from 90% of the 2018 tax liability to 85%, providing a break for some taxpayers.

Even if you don’t meet one of the safe-harbor exceptions, a waiver of the penalty for 2018 may apply if you:

  • Retired (after reaching age 62) or became disabled in 2017 or 2018. 
  • You did not make payments because of one of the following situations and it would be inequitable to impose the penalty:
    a. Casualty
    b. Disaster, or
    c. Other unusual circumstance. 
There are two other exceptions to the penalty for 2018:
  • If the total tax shown on your 2018 return minus the tax that was withheld is less than $1,000, you will not owe a penalty. 

  • If you had no tax liability in 2017, were a U.S. citizen or resident alien for all of 2017, and your 2017 return was for a full 12 months (or would have been had you been required to file), you won’t be charged an under-prepayment penalty. 
In addition, where your tax liability and /or tax pre-payments were uneven, the penalty amount may be mitigated by figuring it on a quarterly basis.

If you have questions or would like to make sure your withholding and estimated payments are adequate for 2019, please give this office a call.


Share this article...
Facebook
Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Email

Want tax & accounting tips and insights?

Sign up for our newsletter.

I confirm this is a service inquiry and not an advertising message or solicitation. By clicking “Submit”, I acknowledge and agree to the creation of an account and to the and .
Workcation

“Bernard and his team at BR tax group are top notch. This is my first year using them after switching from a different local CPA and I didn't realize how much tax info I've been missing. His communication is great. The additional information he provides to maximize tax savings is something I didn't get from my previous CPA. Thanks Bernard”

Philip Ivey

Frequently Asked Questions

You can prepare your taxes yourself, especially if your business is simple.

But once you have contractors, employees, business loans, equipment purchases, mileage, mixed expenses, or growing revenue, things get more complex. At that point, tax preparation becomes a way to make sure your business is reported correctly, your deductions are handled properly, and your records can support what you file.

Send anything that shows what your business earned, spent, bought, paid, borrowed, or changed during the year.

That usually means your income records, bank statements, credit card statements, payroll reports, contractor payments, loan documents, mileage records, and prior-year tax return. Also tell me about anything unusual, such as buying a vehicle, hiring someone, opening a new location, or taking out a business loan.

Messy books can slow things down. If expenses are in the wrong categories, transactions are missing, or personal and business spending are mixed together, your tax return may not show the right profit. We may need to clean things up before filing, so your return is accurate and easier to support.

Possibly, if it was truly for your business and you have proof.

Still, it is much better to avoid this when you can. A separate business bank account and business credit card make everything cleaner. They save time, reduce confusion, and make your records much easier to defend if anyone ever asks questions.

Most small business owners can deduct ordinary business expenses like software, advertising, supplies, insurance, rent, payroll, contractor payments, professional fees, travel, and some vehicle costs.

The question I usually ask is simple. Was this expense clearly for the business? If yes, we can look at how it should be handled. Personal expenses should stay personal.

Our Offices

Let's Get Started

Our services are designed specifically for business start-ups, entrepreneurs and small businesses of all sizes. Let’s start the conversation.

Schedule Appointment

Site managed by http://www.webstrategyboost.com/