With the tip of 2022 quick approaching, year-end monetary planning conversations with purchasers are seemingly already beginning to take form. It’s been a 12 months of attention-grabbing developments—from pandemic-related aid that has come and gone to the emergence of latest applications round pupil mortgage debt—and purchasers shall be seeking to you to assist navigate these modifications. Having this guidelines in your again pocket could make your planning conversations with purchasers extra productive and assist them keep on observe.
1. Enhance Retirement Contributions to the Max

Office accounts. Encourage purchasers to think about maximizing contributions to their office plans and to take full benefit of any employer match profit. For 2022, the utmost worker deferral for 401(okay), 403(b), and 457 accounts is $20,500, and people ages 50 and older can defer a further 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 revenue, whichever is much less, with a $1,000 catch-up for purchasers ages 50 and older. Modified adjusted gross revenue (MAGI) limits for contributions to conventional and Roth IRAs elevated in 2022, so make sure to evaluation MAGI eligibility thresholds.
2. Spend FSA {Dollars} and Contribute to HSAs

If permitted underneath 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 possibility applies to the employer’s plan 12 months reasonably than the calendar 12 months, this year-end evaluation is an efficient reminder to verify your purchasers are on observe. As well as, purchasers with dependent care FSAs can save as a lot as $5,000 (household restrict) or $2,500 (married submitting individually) in 2022.
Now can be a good time to debate most well being financial savings account (HSA) contributions with purchasers who’ve high-deductible well being plans (HDHPs). Though this is usually a pretty complicated planning space, basically, 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, purchasers ages 55 and older can contribute a further $1,000. Don’t overlook to debate prorated vs. “final month rule” contributions for purchasers who had an HDHP for a part of 2022.
3. Assess Marginal and Capital Positive factors Tax Issues

Purchasers on the brink of a tax bracket could possibly put themselves within the decrease one by deferring some revenue to 2023. Listed below are a number of thresholds to remember:
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37 p.c marginal tax fee: Taxable incomes exceeding $539,900 (particular person), $647,850 (married submitting collectively), $539,900 (head of family), and $323,925 (married submitting individually)
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20 p.c capital good points tax fee: Taxable incomes exceeding $459,750 (particular person), $517,200 (married submitting collectively), $488,500 (head of family), and $258,600 (married submitting individually)
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Further Medicare tax: For purchasers with W-2 or self-employed revenue above sure MAGI thresholds, whole Medicare taxes shall be 2.35 p.c and three.8 p.c, respectively
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3.8 p.c surtax on funding revenue: The lesser of internet funding revenue 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. Assessment and Rebalance Portfolios

12 months-end monetary planning ought to embrace a evaluation of capital good points and losses on your purchasers and an evaluation of whether or not it’s time to rebalance shopper portfolios. This course of might reveal tax planning alternatives, equivalent to harvesting losses to offset capital good points.
5. Faucet into the Tax Advantages of Charitable Giving

Charitable contributions donated on to a certified charity or a donor-advised fund can assist obtain a federal tax deduction. Take into accout, nonetheless, that this technique will solely be helpful if itemizing deductions. So, it’s worthwhile for purchasers 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 p.c of AGI for money and 30 p.c of AGI for long-term appreciated securities.
Certified charitable distribution (QCD) guidelines haven’t modified, so purchasers 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 helpful from a tax perspective, because it reduces taxable revenue whereas additionally satisfying the RMD requirement.
6. Put together a Technique for Inventory Choices

Various 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, purchasers might need to wait till January 2023 to train incentive inventory choices.
7. Plan for Estimated Taxes and RMDs

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A retiree’s first RMD should be accomplished by April 1 of the 12 months after they flip 72. After the primary 12 months, they have to fulfill their annual RMD distribution by December 31 for each ensuing 12 months. 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 12 months, in the event that they delay).
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Purchasers who could also be topic to an estimated tax penalty can request that employers (by way of Kind W-4) alter their withholding to cowl shortfalls. The IRS tax withholding estimator is usually a beneficial useful resource right here. They might additionally discover utilizing Kind 1040-ES to make their estimated quarterly funds for revenue that’s not topic to withholding.
8. Get Able to Repay Scholar Loans

Scholar mortgage funds are set to restart on the graduation of 2023. Below the Biden administration’s one-time pupil mortgage debt aid plan, funds can be lowered to five p.c of discretionary revenue for many undergraduate loans. Extra info on this plan shall be introduced within the coming days and weeks. To get the most recent, your purchasers can seek the advice of this beneficial truth sheet and join updates on the U.S. Division of Schooling web site.
9. Consider Property Plans

It’s at all times a good suggestion to evaluation property plans as a part of year-end monetary planning. Relying on a shopper’s internet 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.
Whilst you evaluation a shopper’s property plan, make sure to replace beneficiary designations and evaluation trustee appointments, energy of lawyer provisions, and well being care directives.
Be a Trusted Useful resource and Information
Though this year-end monetary planning guidelines covers quite a lot of floor, it’s meant to function a springboard on your planning conversations with purchasers.
You’ll have an awesome place to begin 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 provide to collaborate with—CPAs, attorneys, and different professionals they work with. These planning conversations are simply one of many many alternatives you must show the worth you ship and deepen your shopper relationships.
After all, it’s seemingly that many consumers can have extra difficult points to think about. Find out how having a workforce of consultants at your fingertips could possibly be a recreation changer on your observe and your purchasers.
Commonwealth Monetary Community® doesn’t present authorized or tax recommendation. You must seek the advice of a authorized or tax skilled concerning your particular person scenario. Third-party hyperlinks are offered to you as a courtesy and are for informational functions solely. We make no illustration as to the completeness or accuracy of data offered at these web sites.
Editor’s Word: This put up was initially revealed in October 2021, however we’ve up to date it to carry you extra related and well timed info.