Contact:
Lois Whitehead, Public Relations Manager
212-719-8405
lwhithead@nysscpa.org

NEW YORK, NY, November 3, 2004 – The New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants recommends these Yearend Tax Tips for consumers:

• Review Income and Deductions: The most fundamental yearend tax move is to adjust the timing of income and deductions. If your income is high, deferring receipt of more income at the end of the year can save taxes. If you’re close to the line on itemizing deductions, accelerating payment of deductible expenses might save taxes.

• Postpone Income: If you are due a bonus, see if your employer will hold off writing the check until January. If you own a cash-basis business, you can time receipt of income by waiting until close to the end of the year to send your December billings. You can’t defer taxes by simply not putting a check in the bank. If you have an unrestricted right to the money, it is income in the year it is available – whether or not you choose to receive the funds.

• Fund Retirement: Contribute to a deductible IRA if you qualify. You have until April 15 to open an IRA and make a deductible contribution for the prior year. If you have a 401K plan at work, make as large a contribution as you’re allowed to make. If you are self-employed, there are several alternative retirement plans to consider but some of them must be opened by December 31st.

• Pay Deductible Expenses before December 31: Paying your state income tax estimate before December 31 accelerates your federal deduction. You can also pay property taxes early, make an extra mortgage payment (the interest portion is deductible), pay your tax preparer for your yearend planning meetings or opt to have dental work or elective surgery before the end of the year. However, see the discussion of AMT which follows.

• AMT (Alternative Minimum Tax): If the possibility exists that you are subject to the dreaded AMT, you may be able to shift income or deductions. For example, don't prepay state income taxes--wait until January-- and don't prepay real estate taxes. Those items don't yield any tax savings to a taxpayer in an AMT year. How do you know if you will be subject to the AMT? Either do your own calculations (perhaps with the use of a software program) or contact your CPA.

• Charitable Contributions: You can make cash contributions or charge them on your credit card and take a current deduction. If you give appreciated property to charity, in many cases you’ll get to deduct the full market value. You may need an appraisal to determine the value of some property.

• Gifts to Children: For those taxpayers fortunate enough to be able to make gifts to children (or other relatives), do it well before December 31st so that the check clears. Gifts up to $11,000 per person need not be reported. In fact, you can gift $11,000 in December and another $11,000 in January (the 2005 gift) for a total of $22,000 over the two months. If you skip making the gift this year (2004), there is no looking back. Each year stands on its own.

• Offset Capital Gains: Review your investment portfolio to determine whether you should sell some losers before yearend in order to offset capital gains you’ve already realized. Capital losses are first netted with capital gains and then are deductible against ordinary income (limited to $3,000 a year).

• Married or Not:.If marriage is contemplated, consider the tax effects of getting married in December as opposed to January. You are considered married for the entire year even if you get married on December 31st. Your new spouse’s income, or lack thereof, should be considered when doing any tax projections because the net effect can be significant. Many of the calculations in any income tax return are driven by the taxpayers’ marital status.

• Get organized - Don't wait until the last minute to organize your tax papers. Start getting things in order now to avoid scrambling to find things as April 15th approaches.

For further tax and personal finance tips, visit the Sound Advice section of the Society’s website, www.nysscpa.org.

About the NYSSCPA

Representing 30,000 CPAs, the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA) is the oldest and largest state accounting organization in the nation. Incorporated in 1897, the Society is a not-for-profit organization that seeks to establish and maintain high standards of integrity, honor, and character among certified public accountants. Its members are CPAs working in public practice, industry, government and education in a state that serves as the home of Wall Street and major financial institutions.

The New York State Society of CPAs is located at 3 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016.. To learn more about the Society call 800-633-6320 or visit the Society’s website at www.nysscpa.org.