The CARES Act

The CARES Act is an acronym for Coronavirus Aid, Relieve, and Economic Security Act.  Below are some thoughts specific to our industry that might be helpful to you:

• 2019 IRA Contributions: The 2019 IRA contribution deadline has been extended with the tax-filing deadline until July 15^th. Make sure that you communicate with us if your contributions are intended to be for prior-year.
• Early Withdrawal Penalty Waiver: The CARES Act also waives the 10% early distribution on distribution of up $100,000 from IRAs and plans for individuals who meet the requirements of being affected by the coronavirus. The tax would still be due on pre-tax distributions, but could be spread evenly over three years, and the funds could be repaid anytime during the three years.
• 2020 RMDs: The Act included a waiver for required minimum distributions (RMDs) for 2020. This waiver applies to company savings plans and Traditional and Inherited IRAs. If you would like to stop your 2020 RMDs, please contact our office.
• Charitable deductions: The Act creates an above-the-line charitable deduction for 2020 (not to exceed $300) with a cash donation to charity, this particularly useful for those using the Standard Deduction on their tax return but still give. If you itemize your deductions, the bill also modifies the AGI limitations on charitable contributions for 2020, to 100% of AGI for individuals and 25% of taxable income for corporations. The bill also increases the food contribution limits to 25%.  The prior AGI limit was 60% for individuals.  Donor-Advised Fund Limits were unchanged, so if you are desiring to maximize the individual or corporate increases, the increased giving must be directly to a qualified charitable organization.

The Bill that was passed is over 800 pages long and covers many things from stimulus, to loan programs, to one-year changes in tax laws, and more.  Please stay close to your accountants, attorneys, and bankers for applicable opportunities this Act provides.  Feel free to reach out to us if you have questions as to how this Bill impacts you and if we don’t know the answer, we’ll point you to someone who does.

If you anticipate receiving a stimulus check, it would be a good time to prayerfully consider how best to use that money since it was not in anyone’s plans as the year started.  If you haven’t been financially impacted by the COVID-19, perhaps consider extra levels of generosity to help those who have needs.

Thank you again for trusting us to walk with you on your stewardship journey.