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Maximize Your 2025 Tax Advantages Before Year-End

As 2025 comes to a close and the festive season kicks in, it's the perfect time to focus on proactive tax planning to optimize your next tax filing. Here are strategic moves you might consider making before the year ends:

Exempt from Filing a 2025 Return? - If your earnings indicate you don’t need to file for 2025, you could leverage this to bring in extra tax-free income. Consider selling appreciated stock tax-free or taking an IRA distribution if you’re eligible. Remember, not filing means potentially missing substantial refundable tax credits.

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Unusually Low Income This Year? Think about converting your traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. Lower income means a lower tax rate, which can make this transition more affordable. If your retirement account stocks have decreased significantly in value, it's an optimal time for conversion.

Kids in College? - Ensure you max out education credits like the American Opportunity or Lifetime Learning by pre-paying tuition expenses for the next academic period if within the first three months of 2026.

Have You Sold Your Home? Leverage the tax exclusion on the gain from your home sale, up to $250,000 (or $500,000 for joint filers). Even without meeting the full requirements, certain relocations might allow for a partial exclusion of the gain.

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Employer Health FSA - If this year’s contribution wasn't enough for expenses, increase your 2026 allocation to avoid missing out on pre-tax benefits, with the ability to carry over $660 for expenses incurred in early 2026.

New to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)? Late HSA eligibility in 2025 still allows for a full year’s deductible contributions. The account grows tax-deferred, and distributions for medical expenses are tax-free.

Maxed Out Retirement Contributions? - Don't miss the chance to maximize your retirement savings and benefit from tax-advantaged contributions, especially if your employer offers matching.

Non-Working Spouse? Use the working spouse’s income for IRA contributions, even if one spouse retires mid-year, to continue benefiting from joint family contributions.

Catch-Up Contributions - Starting in 2025, those aged 60-64 can enhance retirement savings with increased catch-up contributions in plans like 401(k) or SIMPLE IRAs.

Expecting a Year-End Bonus? Defer receiving it into the next year if it minimizes your current taxable income and aligns better with your financial strategy.

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Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) - If this is your first RMD year, you can delay it into 2026, but only with careful planning to avoid double distributions in the same year.

Handling Stock Losses or Gains? Offset gains with losses by selling underperforming stocks and take advantage of the lower capital gains rates if your taxable income is below the threshold.

Prepaying State Taxes - With the SALT deduction cap raised to $40,000, prepay state taxes to deduct more if not under the AMT.

Charitable Contributions - Consider consolidating your charitable donations into 2025 to optimize deductions before the charitable deduction floor kicks in 2026.

Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCD) from your IRA can also help manage RMDs and reduce tax impacts on Social Security benefits.

Medical and Dental Bills - It may be worthwhile to settle outstanding medical bills this year if you can exceed the 7.5% AGI threshold to increase your deductions.

Gift Tax Exclusion - Use your $19,000 per person gift exclusion to reduce your estate without affecting gift taxes.

Tax Withholding Adjustments - Avoid penalties by adjusting your withholdings if you suspect underpayment due to unexpected income this year.

Disaster Losses - Quick refunds from claiming disaster losses on the previous year’s return can be strategic, but ensure it’s the most advantageous move.

Dealing with Scams - Theft or scam losses can sometimes be deductible, particularly when linked to investment frauds.

Divorce or Separation Impacts - Review how these life changes affect your tax positions, deductions, and filing status for the year.

Energy Tax Credits - The deadline looms for home energy improvements and solar installations to capture federal tax credits available through 2025.

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