Friday, December 23, 2011

Topic #11 – 2011 Form 1040 Exclusive – Adjusted Gross Income Part II


Line 30 – Penalty on early withdrawal of savings

The Form 1099-INT or Form 1099-OID you received will show the amount of any penalty you were charged.


Line 31a – Alimony paid and Line 31b – Recipient’s SSN

If you made payments to or for your spouse or former spouse under a divorce or separation instrument, you may be able to take this deduction. Use Tele Tax topic 452 or see Pub. 504.


Line 32 – IRA deduction

If you made any nondeductible contributions to a traditional individual retirement arrangement (IRA) for 2010, you must report them on Form 8606. If you made contributions to a traditional IRA for 2010, you may be able to take an IRA deduction. But you, or your spouse if filing a joint return, must have had earned income to do so. For IRA purposes, earned income includes alimony and separate maintenance payments reported on line 11. If you were a member of the U.S. Armed Forces, earned income includes any nontaxable combat pay you received. If you were self-employed, earned income is generally your net earnings from self-employment if your personal services were a material income-producing factor. For more details, see Pub. 590. A statement should be sent to you by May 31, 2011, that shows all contributions to your traditional IRA for 2010. Use the worksheet on pages 30 and 31 to figure the amount, if any, of your IRA deduction. But read the following list before you fill in the worksheet.

1) If you were age 70 ½ at the end of 2010, you cannot deduct any contributions made to your traditional IRA for 2010 or treat them as nondeductible contributions.

2) You cannot deduct contributions to a Roth IRA. But you may be able to take the retirement savings contributions credit (saver’s credit). See the instructions for line 50. If you are filing a joint return and you or your spouse made contributions to both a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA for2010, do not use the worksheet on pages 30 and 31. Instead, see Pub. 590 to figure the amount, if any, of your IRA deduction.

3) You cannot deduct elective deferrals to a 401(k) plan, 403(b) plan, section 457 plan, SIMPLE plan, or the federal Thrift Savings Plan. These amounts are not included as income in box 1 of your Form W-2. But you may be able to take the retirement savings contributions credit. See the instructions for line 50 on page 38.

4) If you made contributions to your IRA in 2010 that you deducted for 2009, do not include them in the worksheet.

5) If you received income from a nonqualified deferred compensation plan or nongovernmental section 457 plan that is included in box 1 of your Form W-2, or in box 7 of Form 1099-MISC, do not include that income on line 8 of the worksheet. The income should be shown in (a) box 11 of your Form W-2, (b) box 12 of your Form W-2 with code Z, or (c) box 15b of Form 1099-MISC. If it is not, contact your employer or the payer for the amount of the income.

6) You must file a joint return to deduct contributions to your spouse’s IRA. Enter the total IRA deduction for you and your spouse on line 32.

7) Do not include qualified rollover contributions in figuring your deduction. Instead, see the instructions for lines 15a and 15b that begin on page 22.

8) Do not include trustees’ fees that were billed separately and paid by you for your IRA. These fees can be deducted only as an itemized deduction on Schedule A.

9) Do not include any repayments of qualified reservist distributions. You cannot deduct them. For information on how to report these repayments, see Qualified reservist repayments in Pub. 590.

10) If the total of your IRA deduction on line 32 plus any nondeductible contribution to your traditional IRAs shown on Form 8606 is less than your total traditional IRA contributions for 2010, see Pub. 590 for special rules.

By April 1 of the year after the year in which you turn age 70 ½ you must start taking minimum required distributions from your traditional IRA. If you do not, you may have to pay a 50% additional tax on the amount that should have been distributed. For details, including how to figure the minimum required distribution, see Pub. 590.

Were You Covered by a Retirement Plan?

If you were covered by a retirement plan (qualified pension, profit-sharing (including 401(k)), annuity, SEP, SIMPLE, etc.) at work or through self-employment, your IRA deduction may be reduced or eliminated. But you can still make contributions to an IRA even if you cannot deduct them. In any case, the income earned on your IRA contributions is not taxed until it is paid to you. The “Retirement plan” box in box 13 of your Form W-2 should be checked if you were covered by a plan at work even if you were not vested in the plan. You are also covered by a plan if you were self-employed and had a SEP, SIMPLE, or qualified retirement plan.

If you were covered by a retirement plan and you file Form 2555, 2555-EZ, or 8815,or you exclude employer-provided adoption benefits, see Pub. 590 to figure the amount, if any, of your IRA deduction.

Married persons filing separately

If you were not covered by a retirement plan but your spouse was, you are considered covered by a plan unless you lived apart from your spouse for all of 2010.

You may be able to take the retirement savings contributions credit. See the line 50 instructions.


Line 33 – Student loan interest deduction

You can take this deduction only if all of the following apply.

1. You paid interest in 2010 on a qualified student loan (see below).
2. Your filing status is any status except married filing separately.
3. Your modified adjusted gross income (AGI) is less than: $75,000 if single, head of household, or qualifying widow(er); $150,000 if married filing jointly. Use lines 2 through 4 of the worksheet below to figure your modified AGI.
4. You, or your spouse if filing jointly, are not claimed as a dependent on someone else’s (such as your parent’s) 2010 tax re- turn.

Use the worksheet below to figure your student loan interest deduction.

Exception

Use Pub. 970 instead of the worksheet below to figure your student loan interest deduction if you file Form 2555, 2555-EZ, or 4563, or you exclude income from sources within Puerto Rico.

Qualified student loan

A qualified student loan is any loan you took out to pay the qualified higher education expenses for any of the following individuals.

1. Yourself or your spouse.
2. Any person who was your dependent when the loan was taken out.
3. Any person you could have claimed as a dependent for the year the loan was taken out except that:
a. The person filed a joint return,
b. The person had gross income that was equal to or more than the exemption amount for that year ($3,650 for 2010), or
c. You, or your spouse if filing jointly, could be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s return. The person for whom the expenses were paid must have been an eligible student (see this page). However, a loan is not a qualified student loan if (a) any of the proceeds were used for other purposes, or (b) the loan was from either a related person or a person who borrowed the proceeds under a qualified employer plan or a contract purchased under such a plan. To find out who is a related person, see Pub. 970.

Qualified higher education expenses

Qualified higher education expenses generally include tuition, fees, room and board, and related expenses such as books and supplies. The expenses must be for education in a degree, certificate, or similar program at an eligible educational institution. An eligible educational institution includes most colleges, universities, and certain vocational schools. You must reduce the expenses by the following benefits.

1. Employer-provided educational assistance benefits that are not included in box 1of Form(s) W-2.
2. Excludable U.S. series EE and I savings bond interest from Form 8815.
3. Any nontaxable distribution of qualified tuition program earnings.
4. Any nontaxable distribution of Coverdell education savings account earnings.
5. Any scholarship, educational assistance allowance, or other payment (but not gifts, inheritances, etc.) excluded from income.

For more details on these expenses, see Pub. 970.

Eligible student

An eligible student is a person who:

1. Was enrolled in a degree, certificate, or other program (including a program of study abroad that was approved for credit by the institution at which the student was enrolled) leading to a recognized educational credential at an eligible educational institution, and
2. Carried at least half the normal full-time workload for the course of study he or she was pursuing.

Next up: Topic #12 – 2011 Form 1040 Exclusive – Adjusted Gross Income Part III

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