This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Internal Revenue Service has announced its annual inflation adjustments for tax year 2013.
They include tax rate schedules and other tax changes that resulted from the recently passed American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012.
According to the IRS, the tax items for 2013 that should be of greatest interest to most taxpayers include the following changes:
• Beginning in tax year 2013 (generally for tax returns filed in 2014), a new tax rate of 39.6 percent has been added for individuals whose income exceeds $400,000 ($450,000 for married taxpayers filing a joint return).
The other marginal rates — 10, 15, 25, 28, 33 and 35 percent — remain the same as in prior years.
• The standard deduction rises to $6,100, or $12,200 for married couples filing jointly. That is up from $5,950, or $11,900 for married couples filing jointly, for tax year 2012.
• The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 added a limitation for itemized deductions claimed on 2013 returns of individuals with incomes of $250,000 or $300,000 for married couples filing jointly.
• The personal exemption rises to $3,900, up from the 2012 exemption of $3,800. However beginning in 2013, the exemption is subject to a phase-out that begins with adjusted gross incomes of $150,000 for individuals and $300,000 for married couples filing jointly. It phases out completely at $211,250 for individuals and at $422,500 for married couples filing jointly.
• The Alternative Minimum Tax exemption amount for tax year 2013 is $51,900, or $80,800, for married couples filing jointly, set by the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, which indexes future amounts for inflation. The 2012 exemption amount was $50,600 for individuals and $78,750 for married couples filing jointly.
• The maximum Earned Income Credit amount is $6,044 for taxpayers filing jointly who have 3 or more qualifying children, up from a total of $5,891 for tax year 2012.
• Estates of those who die during 2013 have a basic exclusion amount of $5,250,000, up from a total of $5,120,000 for estates of decedents who died in 2012.
• For tax year 2013, the monthly limitation regarding the aggregate fringe benefit exclusion amount for transit passes and transportation in a commuter highway vehicle is $245, up from $240 for tax year 2012. The legislation provided a retroactive increase from the $125 limit that had been in place.