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For those of you over age 70 ½, a very beneficial tax law is back on the books thanks to the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) act signed into law on December 18, 2015.

The PATH act has a provision that allows you to donate IRA money directly to a qualifying charity and avoid paying any tax on the distribution. Even better, the distribution still counts toward your Required Minimum Distribution. Officially it is called a Qualified Charitable Distribution or QCD. Those who took advantage of it in previous years will be glad it is back.

Even better, the PATH act is now permanent. In the past, Congress has only approved the measure in 1- or 2-year increments, which has made it difficult to plan for the future.

Some people have wondered what the difference is between making a QCD directly to a charity or taking the money and then donating it to the charity personally. The main difference is that a QCD does not increase your income on your tax return (AGI). This may not sound like a big deal, but the implications can be large.

By not increasing your income you may reduce or possibly avoid paying taxes on Social Security. Also, if your income is lower, you may avoid paying the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT).

To explore this in detail let’s look at an example. Let’s say Henry wants to get the money first and then donate it to a charity. If his required minimum distribution was $10,000 and he withheld $2,000 for taxes, he would get a check for $8,000. Henry would then deposit that check in his checking account and write out a personal check to the charity.

Next year Henry would get to include the $8,000 (not the full $10,000) as a deduction on his taxes. However, his income (AGI) will still be higher by $10,000, which may result in his Social Security being subject to higher taxes and/or his deductions being limited by AMT.

The other option is for Henry to donate the $10,000 directly to a charity. His income (AGI) isn’t increased and he doesn’t have to pay any taxes on the distribution. Also his charity is benefited by the full $10,000. That is an additional $2,000 to charity at no extra cost to Henry! The decision seems to be fairly easy.

If you plan to donate money to a charity and you have to take a Required Minimum Distribution, give us a call so we can help you take full advantage of this reinstated tax law.
Source: http://www.wsj.com/articles/congress-gives-americans-a-tax-gift-for-christmas-1450434600.
Smedley Financial and its advisors do not provide personal tax advice. It is important to coordinate with your tax advisor regarding your situation.

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