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Personal exemptions and standard deductions and tax credits, oh my!

Submitted by Eck, Schafer & Punke, LLP on January 16th, 2018

Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), individual income tax rates generally go down for 2018 through 2025. But that doesn’t necessarily mean your income tax liability will go down. The TCJA also makes a lot of changes to tax breaks for individuals, reducing or eliminating some while expanding others.

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Your 2017 tax return may be your last chance to take the “manufacturers’ deduction”

Submitted by Eck, Schafer & Punke, LLP on January 16th, 2018

While many provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) will save businesses tax, the new law also reduces or eliminates some tax breaks for businesses.

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Don’t be a victim of tax identity theft: File your 2017 return early

Submitted by Eck, Schafer & Punke, LLP on January 9th, 2018

The IRS has just announced that it will begin accepting 2017 income tax returns on January 29. You may be more concerned about the April 17 filing deadline, or even the extended deadline of October 15 (if you file for an extension by April 17). After all, why go through the hassle of filing your return earlier than you have to?

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New tax law gives pass-through businesses a valuable deduction

Submitted by Eck, Schafer & Punke, LLP on January 8th, 2018

Although the drop of the corporate tax rate from a top rate of 35% to a flat rate of 21% may be one of the most talked about provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), C corporations are not the only type of entity significantly benefiting from the new law.

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Clone of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act: Key provisions affecting individuals

Submitted by Eck, Schafer & Punke, LLP on January 5th, 2018

On December 20, Congress completed passage of the largest federal tax reform law in more than 30 years. Commonly called the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” (TCJA), the new law means substantial changes for individual taxpayers.

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Most individual tax rates go down under the TCJA

Submitted by Eck, Schafer & Punke, LLP on January 2nd, 2018

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) generally reduces individual tax rates for 2018 through 2025. It maintains seven individual income tax brackets but reduces the rates for all brackets except 10% and 35%, which remain the same.

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The TCJA temporarily expands bonus depreciation

Submitted by Eck, Schafer & Punke, LLP on January 2nd, 2018

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) enhances some tax breaks for businesses while reducing or eliminating others. One break it enhances — temporarily — is bonus depreciation. While most TCJA provisions go into effect for the 2018 tax year, you might be able to benefit from the bonus depreciation enhancements when you file your 2017 tax return.

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Tax Cuts and Jobs Act: Key provisions affecting businesses

Submitted by Eck, Schafer & Punke, LLP on December 28th, 2017

The recently passed tax reform bill, commonly referred to as the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” (TCJA), is the most expansive federal tax legislation since 1986. It includes a multitude of provisions that will have a major impact on businesses.

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IL Tax Credit Scholarships

Submitted by Eck, Schafer & Punke, LLP on December 22nd, 2017

Beginning Jan. 2, 2018, individuals and corporations may donate money to the IL Tax Credit Scholarship Program. The donor will receive a tax credit of 75 cents for every dollar donated, up to a maximum tax credit of $1 million. These donations can be designated to a particular school or subset of schools. However, corporations are not allowed this designation.

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401(k) retirement plan contribution limit increases for 2018; most other limits are stagnant

Submitted by Eck, Schafer & Punke, LLP on December 20th, 2017

Retirement plan contribution limits are indexed for inflation, but with inflation remaining low, most of the limits remain unchanged for 2018. But one piece of good news for taxpayers who’re already maxing out their contributions is that the 401(k) limit has gone up by $500.

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227 South 7th Street, Springfield, Illinois 62701 United States

227 South 7th Street
Springfield, Illinois
62701 United States

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Avantax affiliated advisors may only conduct business with residents of the states for which they are properly registered. Please note that not all of the investments and services mentioned are available in every state.

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