Hot Tips For The New Tax Year Part 5

Reporting Health Care Coverage. Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, you must continue to report coverage, qualify for an exemption, or report an individual shared responsibility payment for tax year 2018. This means that for tax year 2018, the IRS will not consider a return complete and accurate if you do not report full-year coverage, claim a coverage exemption, or report a shared responsibility payment on the tax return. You remain obligated to follow the law and pay what you may owe at the point of filing. The shared responsibility payment is reduced to zero under TCJA for tax year 2019 and all subsequent years.

Recharacterization of a Roth Conversion. You can no longer recharacterize a conversion from a traditional IRA, SEP or SIMPLE to a Roth IRA. The new law also prohibits recharacterizing amounts rolled over to a Roth IRA from other retirement plans, such as 401(k) or 403(b) plans. You can still treat a regular contribution made to a Roth IRA or to a traditional IRA as having been made to the other type of IRA.
Kiddie Tax. For 2018, The parent’s tax rate is no longer used to calculate kiddie tax. Instead, taxable income attributable to net unearned income is taxed according to the tax brackets applicable to trusts and estates, with respect to both ordinary income and income taxed at the preferential net long-term capital gain rates. Ask your tax preparer for details.

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