The number nine has special significance to taxpayers in 2018 because that is the number of tax deductions that have been eliminated as result of the sweeping changes made in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA). And the best way to describe it is – a case of give and take.
Taxpayers can expect a lot of changes on the plus side like reduced tax rates, higher standard deductions, and higher child tax credits for families. But, to pay for these tax breaks, lawmakers eliminated many deductions that millions of taxpayers had used every year to reduce their tax bills. The nine deductions we’ll highlight are just some of the common provisions that will disappear, and taxpayers will have to look closely at their own personal situations to see whether other, less common deductions are also going away.
We’ll start with one of the most popular:
Moving Expenses.
Under past tax law, you could deduct moving expenses from your tax return. To be deductible, a move had to be motivated by a job change, with the new job being at least 50 miles further from where you used to live than your old job was. The best thing about the moving expense deduction was that you didn’t have to itemize deductions to get it, but it‘s gone for 2018 and beyond. Also removed, employee work-related expenses that were not reimbursed from your employer. This deduction was not only highly used but, in many cases, vital to an individual’s tax refund possibilities.
The chopping block also claimed
Personal deductions and Mortgage interest deduction
two very popular and well utilized deductions for individuals. These represent two of the most impactful deductions that the tax reform bill has removed. The personal deductions provision generally allowed taxpayers to reduce their taxable income by $4,050 per person. Many policymakers argued that the personal exemption was essentially merged into the standard deduction, but the rise in the standard deduction under 2018 tax reform wasn’t large enough to compensate for the loss of personal exemptions for some taxpayers.
Mortgage interest deduction.
Another change that could disproportionately affect those living in states such as California and New York is the restriction on the amount of mortgage interest that can be deducted. Currently, taxpayers can deduct interest on a mortgage of up to $1 million. Starting in 2018, only interest on the mortgage value capped at $750,000 will be deductible.
Watch for part 2 of this article on Thursday with more interesting news on the new tax cuts and jobs act of 2017.
Bottom line: the new tax code is complex and cumbersome for business. To navigate the new legislation, you need trusted experts and advisors who understand the nuances of accounting. We are here for you! Visit us at TYSLLP.com.