Alternative Minimum Tax Planning Ideas...standard Deduction

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A taxpayer has a choice of itemizing deductions or taking the Standard Deduction in computing his Regular Tax liability. The Standard Deduction is a fixed dollar amount that varies depends on filing status. In tax year 2009 it is $5,700 for Single and $11,400 for Married Filing Jointly what well call the base Standard Deduction.

State sales taxes paid in 2009 on the purchase of a qualifying new automobile can be added to the base Standard Deduction. Similarly, a limited amount of real estate taxes, and certain casualty losses, also may be added.

For purposes of the Alternative Minimum Tax, however, the base Standard Deduction is not allowed. But if the taxpayer was eligible to take a Regular Tax deduction for a casualty loss or for the new car sales tax in addition to the Standard Deduction, these items also are allowed for the AMT. The Form 6251 shows the AMT payer how to do this. Note also that if the Standard Deduction is chosen for Regular Tax purposes, it must also be used when calculating the AMT it is a binding tax election.

The choice between itemizing and taking the Standard Deduction seems simple: if the total of a taxpayer's itemized deductions is less than the Standard Deduction, then the Standard Deduction will result in less being paid. But this is not always the case when the Alternative Minimum Tax is involved. For AMT payers, there are certain situations where itemizing for Regular Tax purposes actually could lower the amount of AMT paid.

To illustrate, assume a taxpayer lives in Florida (no state income tax), rents instead of owns a home (no real estate taxes or mortgage interest), and didnt make any taxable purchases this year (no sales tax deduction). But suppose this taxpayer also gave $10,000 to charity. The Standard Deduction for 2009 for joint return filers is $11,400, so this would appear to be the better choice. However, if the taxpayer were in the Alternative Minimum Tax there would be no benefit at all from the Standard Deduction, but there would be a benefit of up to $2,800 (the 28% Alternative Minimum Tax bracket times the $10,000 charitable contribution deduction) if itemizing is elected instead. Even the lower 26% tax rate would result in nearly the same benefit. So, somewhat counterintuitively, in this example opting to pay more Regular Tax will result in a lower overall tax liability.

About the Author:
George Bauernfeind is with AMTIndividual, providing analysis, customized strategies, and an online dual tax calculator / planner to help you reduce your Alternative Minimum Tax. Visit http://www.amtindividual.com or http://www.amtblog.com for access to this tax software and to read more tax planning articles on the Alternative Minimum Tax.



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