My clients often ask me if I can help them reduce their tax bill. The answer is yes… but for most tax saving opportunities, you have to take action before the end of the year.

Here are some things you can do before December 31 that may have a big impact on your tax bill when April 15th comes around.

Itemized Deductions vs Standard Deduction

There is a long list of expenses that are deductible for tax purposes. They include medical expenses, charitable donations, mortgage interest, state and local income taxes, employment expenses, etc. Some of these expenses are subject to limitations, of course.

Most taxpayers are entitled to the Standard Deduction, though, so unless your deductible items add up to more than the Standard Deduction there is no need to keep track of them. A single person, for example, gets an automatic deduction of $6,300, and a married couple filing jointly gets $12,600.

Sometimes, you may find yourself with deductions that are close to exceeding the Standard Deduction, and accelerating payment of some of the deductible expenses could result in claiming additional itemized deductions. This strategy could result in making it difficult or impossible to itemize next year, but you will come out ahead if you can itemize every second year.

Keep this strategy in mind when you read the rest of my comments.

Defer Income / Accelerate Deductions

There are opportunities to defer income items that would be taxable this year, and move them into next year. You may also be able to pay certain deductible expenses this year that you might have waited to pay next year. This strategy only makes sense, of course, if you are not expecting to be in a higher tax bracket next year.

If you are self-employed, you can delay billing your customers or clients, so you don’t receive payment until after December 31. Similarly, you can speed up payment of some of your expenses, to get a deduction this year.

Talk to your employer about receiving any year-end bonus after December 31, so you don’t pay tax on it until next year.

Pay your January 15 state tax estimated payment before December 31. Make your mortgage payment at the end of December, instead of January 1. If your medical bills for the year are likely to be more than 10% of your income (7.5% if you’re over 65) then pay as many outstanding medical and dental bills as you can before year-end. Same thing for alimony payments and other deductible items due in January.

Property taxes are typically paid twice a year. In Los Angeles, they are due on November 1st and February 1st. Consider paying both installments this year.

An important note… For many taxpayers, particularly those with higher incomes, there is a limit to the benefit you can get from certain deductible expenses, and the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) comes into play. The expenses most likely to be affected are state and local income taxes (especially in California and other high-tax states) and office and employment expenses. If you are subject to the AMT, accelerating payment of these expenses will not do you any good. You should speak with your tax advisor about other possible strategies.

Take Losses Before Year-End

If you have losses on taxable investments, think about selling them this year. They will offset any capital gains you may have, but even if your losses are more than your gains, you can use up to $3,000 to reduce other income, and you can carry any excess losses forward to future years.

Retirement Plans

Make the maximum contributions to your retirement plans.

You can deduct $18,000 (more if you’re over 50) to your 401(k) plan – but make sure you contribute enough to get the full amount of your employer’s matching program.

You may be able to deduct up to $5,500 (more if you’re over 50) to a traditional IRA. If you don’t make a contribution before the end of the year, you have until April 15th.

If you’re self-employed, you can contribute to a SEP IRA or a similar plan. You can deduct approximately 20% of your self-employment income, up to $53,000. The good news is that you can make your contribution all the way up to the filing deadline, including extensions, which gives you time to calculate your income.

Don’t take money out of your IRA or 401(k) plan if you are under 59 ½ years old. There is a 10% penalty on top of the regular tax, and some states have an additional penalty.

You can take a distribution from your IRA without a penalty if you are a first-time home buyer, if you make qualified tuition payments, and several other special situations. Remember that if you have a 401(k), and plan to make tuition payments, roll the 401(k) over into a traditional IRA first.

Consider rolling over your traditional IRA into a ROTH IRA. You will pay tax on the full amount when you roll it over, but if you expect to be in a low tax bracket this year, for any reason, this might be a good time to do it. Also, there is no required minimum distribution from a ROTH IRA after age 70 ½.

Start taking minimum required distributions from your traditional IRA if you turn 70 ½. There is a 50% tax if you don’t.

Charitable Donations

Charitable donations are a nice deduction, assuming you do not claim the Standard Deduction.

If you have shares of stock that have appreciated in value, consider donating the stock to charity. If you have owned the stock for more than one year, you can deduct the entire appreciated value of the stock, and avoid capital gains tax or NIIT.

Gifts

You can make tax-free gifts of up to $14,000 ($28,000 for a married couple) per recipient. (Remember that gifts are not taxed to the recipient, but to the giver)

Qualified payments for tuition or medical expenses are not considered a gift, as long as they are paid directly to the educational institution or the medical provider.

Avoid the “Kiddie Tax”

If your dependent children (under 19, or under 24 if they are full time students) have investment income over $2,100, it will be included in your income, and taxed at your full rate, including NIIT. So think before you give them stocks to sell to pay for college.

Depreciation Opportunities

As the law stands right now, you may deduct up to $25,000 of qualifying assets purchased in 2015, under Section 179. This amount was $500,000 in 2014, and may be increased by Congress for 2015 before the end of the year. In 2014 there was also a bonus depreciation provision that allowed you to expense 50% of qualified asset purchases. This may or may not also be reinstated for 2015. Think about these provisions when purchasing equipment for your business.

Subchapter S Corporations and LLCs

If you have a Subchapter S Corporation, don’t forget that you are required to pay yourself a reasonable salary. A major benefit of having an S Corp is that not all of your profits need to be subject to employment taxes, but you do need to pay yourself a salary, and issue yourself a W-2 as an employee. Issuing yourself a 1099 is not a substitute. Setting up W-2 payments after year-end is annoying, and there are stiff penalties for late payment of employment taxes, so take care of it before the end of the year.

Do you have an LLC? Are you getting any real benefit from it? If you are in a state that has a minimum LLC tax, you may be paying for something you don’t really need. California’s minimum tax is $800. You’re also paying for a relatively expensive tax return. If limited liability is a big concern, consider buying insurance that offers appropriate protection. Closing the LLC before year-end won’t reduce your 2015 tax bill, but it will cut future costs.

I would be pleased to discuss your tax planning issues.