Thursday, March 15, 2012

Marginal rate is critical in avoiding tax whammy

What tax rate will you pay if you cash in a savings bond or get a$100 bonus in your paycheck?

Most people haven't a clue, and even if you think you know,there's a good chance you're wrong.

A retired couple with $60,000 in income, including $16,000 inSocial Security benefits, would pay $504 in taxes on an extra $1,000in income - a whopping 50 percent tax rate.

But at $61,000, another $1,000 adds only $280 to the tax bill -back to 28 percent.

Tax credits and complicated phaseouts have made it tougher thanever to figure out your true marginal tax rate - the rate at whichyour next dollar of income will be taxed.

This little bit of information is …

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