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Divorce and Social Security Benefits

Almost half of all marriages end in divorce.  This article discusses the rules on divorce and social security with the goal of helping you maximize your benefits.  Before filing for social security, you should get the facts on your marriage(s) durations and divorce dates.  

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Obamacare's "Cadillac Tax"

The "Cadillac Tax" is a 40% penalty (excise tax) on health insurance plans and a provision of Obamacare that takes effect on January 1, 2018. On that date, employers who provide insurance plans will get hit with a 40% excise tax on insurance premiums above $10,200 for an individual or $27,500 for a family plan.  It is estimated that in 8-10  years most health insurance plans offered by employers will be subject to the tax.

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IRS, Pension, Retirement, Tax Collection, Tax Law Gene Bowman IRS, Pension, Retirement, Tax Collection, Tax Law Gene Bowman

IRA Withdraw Penalty Exceptions

If you withdraw money from your individual retirement account before age 59 1/2, you will generally have to pay a 10 percent early withdrawal penalty in addition to income tax on the amount withdrawn. This means a $5,000 withdrawal taken by a mid-career worker in the 25 percent tax bracket would result in $1,750 in taxes and penalties. But there are a variety of ways to avoid the IRA early withdrawal penalty if you meet specific criteria:

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Business, IRS, Payroll Tax Gene Bowman Business, IRS, Payroll Tax Gene Bowman

IRS--Potential Tax on Employer On-Site Meals

The idea that there’s no such thing as a free lunch could eventually ring true for employees who get complimentary meals at work, as the Internal Revenue Service and Department of the Treasury have taken a step closer to potentially taxing such meals. Last year, the IRS suggested in its Priority Guidance Plan that it was exploring modifying sections of the Tax Code concerning employer-provided meals that it believed were problematic.

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Business, IRS, Tax Law, Payroll Tax Gene Bowman Business, IRS, Tax Law, Payroll Tax Gene Bowman

Payroll Tax--Trust Fund Penalty

The trust fund recovery penalty allows the IRS to collect the unpaid withholding taxes from the assets of the owners and operators of businesses. It penalizes those who had control over the decision to divert the payroll money from the IRS to other creditors of the business. The trust fund recovery penalty is equal to the income taxes, social security taxes, and Medicare taxes withheld from employee paychecks. 

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Estate, Estates, IRS, Tax Law, Wills Gene Bowman Estate, Estates, IRS, Tax Law, Wills Gene Bowman

Interesting Facts on the Estate Tax

Interesting Estate Tax Facts.  The federal estate tax is a tax on property (cash, real estate, stock, or other assets) transferred from deceased persons to their heirs. Only the wealthiest estates pay the tax because it is imposed only on the portion of an estate’s value that exceeds a specified exemption level — $5.43 million per person (effectively $10.86 million per married couple) in 2015.

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