9 Tax Suggestions To Help You Save Money

Reviewing your financial and tax circumstances could help you and your family retain a larger portion of your earnings. While some tactics work right now, others include planning for future adjustments. Consider the steep reductions in estate and gift tax exemptions that are planned for the end of 2025; these could be compelling reasons to begin making plans.

1. Examine Your Estate and Gift Strategies

Consider contributing multiple years’ worth of charitable contributions into a donor-advised fund (DAF) for a single year if you are a regular giver and you itemize your deductions.

The federal gift and estate tax exemption could drastically decrease in 2026 if Congress does not act, potentially subjecting millions of people to higher taxes. Now is a good time to think about transferring assets out of your estate through gifts. Talk to your adviser and tax professional about trust choices as part of the planning process, since it may require figuring out the best methods to structure gifts.

2. Make Use of Losses

You might sell underperforming assets that you were going to sell anyhow, use the proceeds to buy more promising assets, and utilize the losses to offset gains on other investments in your portfolio. This technique is called tax-loss harvesting. You cannot purchase substantially similar assets within 30 days of the sale in order to avoid violating the wash sale rule, which would prohibit the loss.

3. Record Your Workplace

Do you conduct remote work? Generally speaking, a state may consider you a resident and begin taxing your income if you work there for 183 days. Maintaining meticulous records of your daily work locations and consulting with your tax advisor about the most recent regulations in the states in where you reside, work remotely, and operate your business will assist avert potential penalties.

4. Making The Most of Retirement Plans

Take into account augmenting your contributions to your IRA, 401(k), or any other eligible retirement scheme. This could potentially reduce your taxable income in addition to offering the chance to increase retirement savings. You can fund an IRA with $7,000 and a 401(k) with up to $23,000 in contributions for 2024. You can be eligible to benefit from larger “catch-up” contribution amounts if you become 50 or older within the year.

5. You Should Think About Switching from A Traditional to A Roth IRA

A traditional IRA can be converted entirely or in part to a Roth IRA. Unlike with a regular IRA, if you are 59½ years of age or older and at least five years have passed since the start of the year of your initial Roth IRA contribution or conversion, eligible withdrawals of converted amounts from a Roth IRA are typically not subject to federal income taxes.

The entire amount of your deductible contributions plus any earnings from converting your traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, however, becomes taxable income.

6. Seek Out Investing Techniques That Consider Taxes

Think about investing a portion of your income in securities like tax-free municipal bonds that are often exempt from federal income taxes. If you do this, you may be able to reduce your tax liability when these investments produce income.

7. Provide Money For a 529 Education Savings Plan

If utilized for eligible educational expenses, withdrawals from a 529 education savings plan are typically tax-free at the federal level and may even be tax-free at the state level. Additionally, you might be able to donate a gift to a recipient without incurring federal gift taxes if you deposit money into a 529 account. Subject to certain restrictions, you could also be eligible to contribute up to five years’ worth of the annual gift tax exclusion amount per beneficiary in a single year.

8. Effectively pay for medical expenses

You may be able to set aside tax-deductible or pretax contributions in health savings accounts (HSAs) and health flexible spending accounts (health FSAs) to cover certain medical costs. To fund an HSA, you must obtain a high-deductible health insurance plan. You also must have supplementary medical coverage that disqualifies you, such as a general purpose health FSA, and you are not permitted to contribute to both accounts unless the FSA is a “limited purpose” FSA. While the money you contribute to an FSA usually needs to be used within the plan year, money in an HSA can be carried over from year to year.

9. Make The Switch to Renewable Energy

Nearly $400 billion in renewable energy tax incentives and other climate-related measures were included in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. This covers potential tax credits for energy-efficient home improvements and the purchase of new or used electric or hybrid cars. Consult your tax expert to find out which credits may be applicable to you as there are restrictions.