Question
Daniel B. Butler and Freida C. Butler, husband and wife, file a joint return. The Butlers live at 625 Oak Street in Corbin, KY 40701.
Daniel B. Butler and Freida C. Butler, husband and wife, file a joint return. The Butlers live at 625 Oak Street in Corbin, KY 40701. Dan's Social Security number is 111-11-1111, and Freida's is 123-45-6789. Dan was born on January 15, 1965, and Freida was born on August 20, 1966.
During 2016, Dan and Freida furnished over half of the total support of each of the following individuals, all of whom still live at home:
- Gina, their daughter, age 22, a full-time student, who married on December 21, 2016, has no income of her own and for 2016 did not file a joint return with her husband, Casey, who earned $10,600 during 2016. Gina's Social Security number is 123-45-6788.
- Sam, their son, age 20, who had gross income of $6,300 in 2016, dropped out of college in October 2016. He had graduated from high school in May 2016. Sam's Social Security number is 123-45-6787.
- Ben, their oldest son, age 26, is a full-time graduate student with gross income of $5,200. Ben's Social Security number is 123-45-6786.
Dan was employed as a manager by WJJJ, Inc. (employer identification number 11-1111111, 604 Franklin Street, Corbin, KY 40702), and Freida was employed as a salesperson for Corbin Realty, Inc. (employer identification number 98-7654321, 899 Central Street, Corbin, Ky 40701). Selected information from the W2 Forms provided by the employers is presented below. Dan and Freida use the cash method.
Line | Description | Dan | Freida |
1 | Wages, tips, other compensation | $74,000 | $86,000 |
2 | Federal income tax withheld | 11,000 | 12,400 |
17 | State income tax withheld | 2,960 | 3,440 |
Freida sold a house on December 30, 2016, and will be paid a commission of $3,100 (not included in the $86,000 reported on the W2) on the January 10, 2017 closing date.
Other income (as reported on 1099 Forms) for 2016 consisted of the following:
Dividends on CSX stock (qualified) |
| $4,200 |
Interest on savings at Second Bank |
| 1,600 |
Interest on City of Corbin bonds |
| 900 |
Interest on First Bank CD |
| 382 |
The $382 from First Bank was original issue discount. Dan and Freida collected $16,000 on the First Bank CD that matured on September 30, 2016. The CD was purchased on October 1, 2014, for $14,995, and the yield to maturity was 3.3%.
Dan received a Schedule K1 from the Falcon Partnership, which showed his distributive share of income as $7,000 (non passive income).
In addition to the above information, Dan and Freida's itemized deductions included the following:
Paid on 2016 Kentucky income tax |
| $700 |
Personal property tax paid |
| 600 |
Real estate taxes paid |
| 1,800 |
Interest on home mortgage (Corbin S&L) |
| 4,900 |
Cash contributions to the Boy Scouts |
| 800 |
Sales tax from the sales tax table is $1,860. Dan and Freida made Federal estimated tax payments of $8,000. All members of the family had health insurance coverage for all of 2016. Dan and Freida do not wish to contribute to the Presidential Election Campaign. The Kentucky income tax rate is 4%.
Required:
Compute Dan and Freidas 2016 Federal income tax payable (or refund due). Use Form 1040 and Schedules A, B, and E to complete this tax return. If there is a tax overpayment, the Butlers would like a refund. If additional tax is due, assume no underpayment penalty applies.
It may be necessary to complete the tax schedules before completing Form 1040.
- Enter all amounts as positive numbers.
- If an amount box does not require an entry or the answer is zero, enter "0".
- When computing the tax liability, do not round your immediate calculations.
- If required round your answers to the nearest dollar.
- Make realistic assumptions about any missing data.
- Use the 2016 Tax Rate Schedule provided. Do not use the Tax Tables.
Tax Planning
Dan plans to reduce his work schedule and work only half-time for WJJJ in 2017. He has been writing songs for several years and wants to devote more time to developing a career as a songwriter. Because of the uncertainty in the music business, however, he would like you to make all computations assuming that he will have no income from songwriting in 2017. To make up for the loss of income, Freida plans to increase the amount of time she spends selling real estate. She estimates that she will be able to earn $90,000 in 2017.
- Assume that all other income and expense items will be approximately the same as they were in 2016.
- Assume that Sam will be enrolled in college as a full-time student for the summer and fall semesters. Gina and Sam will continue to qualify as dependents.
- Assume a personal exemption amount of $4,050 for 2017.
- The $3,100 commission received on January 10, 2017, is included in the $90,000 income to be earned by Freida in 2017.
- The 25% 2016 marginal tax rate remains the same in 2017.
- Interest income, dividend income, partnership income, and itemized deductions are the same for 2017.
Complete the following paragraph regarding whether the Butlers will have more or less disposable income (after Federal income tax) in 2017.
There will be a net $________ reduction in salary and wages which will also result in a decrease the Kentucky income tax, Social Security tax, and Medicare tax . The net reduction in the Butler's aftertax cash flow will be approximately $21,200 .
I need help with the calculation of net reduction in salary and wages
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