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Friday, February 10th, 2012

2012 CHANGES TO TAX BENEFITS

For tax year 2012, many tax benefits will increase due to inflation.

The personal and dependent exemption is $3,800, up $100 from 2011.

  •  The new standard deduction is $11,900 for married couples filing a joint return, up $300, $5,950 for singles and married individuals filing separately, up $150, and $8,700 for heads of household, up $200.
  •  Tax-bracket thresholds increase for each filing status. For a married couple filing a joint return, for example, the taxable-income threshold separating the 15-percent bracket from the 25-percent bracket is $70,700, up from $69,000 in 2011.
  •  The maximum earned income tax credit (EITC) for low- and moderate- income workers and working families rises to $5,891, up from $5,751 in 2011. The maximum income limit for the EITC rises to $50,270, up from $49,078 in 2011.
  •  The foreign earned income deduction rises to $95,100, an increase of $2,200 from the maximum deduction for tax year 2011.
  •  The modified adjusted gross income threshold at which the lifetime learning credit begins to phase out is $104,000 for joint filers, up from $102,000, and $52,000 for singles and heads of household, up from $51,000.
  •  The $2,500 maximum deduction for interest paid on student loans begins to phase out for a married taxpayers filing a joint returns at $125,000 and phases out completely at $155,000, an increase of $5,000 from the phase out limits for tax year 2011. For single taxpayers, the phase out ranges remains at the 2011 levels ($60,000 to $75,000).
  •  For an estate of any decedent dying during calendar year 2012, the basic exclusion from estate tax amount is $5,120,000, up from $5,000,000 for calendar year 2011.
  •  The annual exclusion for gifts remains at $13,000.

Written by: Alacia Wilson, Senior Accountant


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