Taxes

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7 Year-End Tax Planning Tips for Individuals

As the holidays approach, it’s time to consider tax planning moves that will help lower your 2024 taxes, as well as set you up for tax savings in future years. Here are seven year-end tax planning ideas to consider.

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Tips to Find Out if Your Gift is Taxable

Use It or Lose It: Your 2024 Gift Tax Annual Exclusion

As the year winds down, you may want to combine estate planning with tax savings by taking advantage of the gift tax annual exclusion. It allows you to give cash or property up to a specified amount to an unlimited number of family members and friends each year without gift tax implications.

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Employers: In 2025, the Social Security Wage Base Is Going Up

As we approach 2025, changes are coming to the Social Security wage base. The Social Security Administration recently announced that the wage base for computing Social Security tax will increase to $176,100 for 2025 (up from $168,600 for 2024). Wages and self-employment income above this amount aren’t subject to Social Security tax.

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November 2024 Tax Due Dates

November 15 Employers: Deposit Social Security and Medicare and withhold income taxes for October if the monthly deposit rule applies. Employers: Deposit nonpayroll withheld income tax for October if the monthly deposit rule applies. Calendar-year exempt organizations: File a 2023 …

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Male hands holding four wooden cubes with the numbers 2025. The number 0 is a red bullseye.

Smart Year-End Tax Planning for Small Business Owners

With Labor Day in the rearview mirror, it’s time to take proactive steps that may help lower your small business’s taxes for this year and next. The strategy of deferring income and accelerating deductions to minimize taxes can be effective for most companies, as is the approach of bunching deductible expenses into this year or next to maximize their tax value.

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6 Key Elements of a Business Budget

Every business needs a budget, but not every budget looks the same. Some companies have intricately detailed ones, others rely on simple templates generated with off-the-shelf software, and still others forego formal budgets in favor of a “fly by the seat of your pants” approach. (That last option isn’t recommended.)

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A mixed race and gender team at work holding a certificate and being photographed by a coworker.

Boost Morale and Save Taxes with Achievement Awards

Some small businesses struggle with employee morale for a variety of reasons, one of which may be economic uncertainty. If you want to boost employees’ spirits without a big financial outlay, an achievement awards program is a relatively low-cost fringe benefit that may be a win-win addition.

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