The following information has been updated for 2019 and 2020.

Another year has come quickly and we are now racing to year’s end.  Before the “busy” holiday season commences, right now is the perfect time to do some last-minute year-end planning, particularly for items that have an expiration date of December 31.

Income Tax Mitigation

By this time of the year, you should have a good idea of your total household income for the year, as well as anticipated expenses, such as property tax, insurance dues, holiday gifts, etc.

Maximize retirement savings by doing a few quick calculations.  Then find ways to make a contribution into a retirement-savings vehicle, be it your 401(k) or an individual retirement account (IRA).  IRA contributions can be made up to the tax-filing day (April 15) but 401(k) deferrals must go into your plan account by the end of the calendar year for them to count towards 2019.  Limits on those are $6,000 ($7,000 for taxpayers 50 and above) and $19,000 ($25,000 for participants 50 and above) for IRA and 401(k), respectively.

For those on a high-deductible health plan (HDHP), you can contribute into your health savings account (HSA) and enjoy an income deduction.  The limit (which includes amount from your employer) is $3,500 for single taxpayers and $7,000 for families.  Distributions used on qualified medical expenses are tax free.

Flexible spending account (FSA) owners need to take a look at their account balances now.  Unused funds after end of the year will be forfeited.  If that is the case, you may want to change next year’s contribution amount.  For ideas on how to spend down your FSA, read 42 Ways to Spend FSA Cash Before the Year-End Deadline.

Charitable Gifts

In general, there are two ways to be charitable: giving assets and giving time.

If you decide to give assets, here are some general charitable donation guidelines.

• For gifts under $500 – cash donations are effective for smaller gifts. Some of these don’t get acknowledged by the receiving charitable organizations.  Think of those Salvation Army red kettles outside a supermarket during the holiday season. Be sure to keep the receipts and a list of used items donated to Goodwill for tax purposes.

• For gifts $500 and above – we won’t stop you from giving cash if that is what you want to do. Some charities are set up to only accept cash or checks anyway. But if your favorite ones can – and most do – accept securities such as stocks, you should take a look at your investment portfolio and see which route may be better for you.  Giving an appreciated stock is very tax effective because you avoid realizing capital gains and paying tax on them while doing good!

Available only to IRA owners who are over 70½, the $100,000 tax-free qualified charitable donations (QCDs) can reduce your required minimum distribution (RMD) amount while lowering taxable income, dollar for dollar and up to the limit.  More and more taxpayers are taking advantage of this!  However, it’s important that you follow the rules in order for the donation not to be recognized as income.  Also, if you take your RMD (receiving a check from your IRA and cashing it) before doing a QCD, the donation will still be tax-free but it will not reduce your RMD amount.  In other words, if your goal is to minimize a taxable RMD, be sure to process QCDs first.

Personal Gifts

This year the stock market has seen healthy returns, benefiting many investors.  It would be wise to consider giving appreciated investments to family members, particularly those with little or no income. Tax on long-term capital gains is omitted (0%) for married couples with taxable income up to $78,750 (singles $39,375).  (Note: short-term gains are taxed as ordinary income and it’s a bad idea to gift assets with losses.)  Gifts under $15,000 do not have to be reported to the IRS and gift recipients never have gift tax either.

Workplace Benefits

It is also an excellent time to re-evaluate your employment benefits and make adjustments, if necessary, according to your situation.  Many companies are currently accepting changes during their annual open enrollment period, usually ending in mid-November.  A few of the common ones include:

• Group health plans – open enrollment is usually around November and December. If you have big plans in mind for the upcoming year, it’s wise to align the benefits available to your needs.
• Group life insurance – is generally cheaper than individual policies and doesn’t require a medical exam.
• ESPP, or Employee Stock Purchase Plan – allows employees who work for a publicly-traded company to buy the company stock at a discount (typically 15%).
• Discounts – it pays to read through your employee benefits packet for discounts that can help improve your wealth and health!