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How to Lower Taxable Income

Authored By: MIT FCU

As tax season approaches, you may be wondering how to lower taxable income. Your taxable income is the amount of income subject to tax. Deductions lower your taxable income, reducing the amount of tax you owe.  

If you’re wondering how to lower taxable income, maximizing pre-tax contributions is an excellent place to start. Pre-tax contributions are funds deducted from your paycheck before federal, state, and local income taxes are applied.

Contribute to retirement accounts

Contributing to your traditional 401(k) or IRA account reduces your taxable income dollar-for-dollar. If you have access to a workplace retirement plan, the 401(k) contribution limit is a maximum of $23,500 for 2025 and $24,500 in 2026.
 
The annual contribution limit for IRAs is $7,000 for 2025 and $7,500 for 2026. If you’re 50 or older, you can contribute an extra $1,000 for 2025 and $1,100 for 2026. Not only will this bring immediate tax savings, but it will also bring tax-deferred growth. Your contributions will grow without being taxed annually, allowing for faster compounding.
 

Contribute to a Health Savings Account (HSA)

If your employer has an HSA-eligible High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP), you can open a Health Savings Account (HSA) during benefits enrollment. You can also open an HSA independently with a bank, credit union, or brokerage firm.
 
HSAs offer a triple-tax benefit—contributions are tax-deductible, growth is tax-free, and withdrawals for qualified medical expenses are also tax-free.
 

Make charitable donations to qualified organizations

To claim donations, you must generally itemize deductions on Schedule A (Form 1040). Generally, cash donations are deductible up to 60% of your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI), while non-cash donations are capped at 30%. For example, if your AGI is $100,000, you can deduct up to $60,000 in cash donations in that tax year.
 

Sell underperforming stocks alongside gains

Tax-loss harvesting is an investment strategy that involves selling assets at a loss to offset taxable capital gains from other investments, thereby potentially reducing your overall tax bill.
 
To understand tax-loss harvesting, it’s important to understand capital gains and losses. A capital gain is realized when an asset is sold for more than its original cost. Gains are taxed based on the length of time the asset was held. Short-term capital gains (from assets held less than a year) are usually taxed at your ordinary income tax rate, ranging from 10% to 27%. Long-term capital gains (from assets held for more than a year) are taxed at 0%, 15%, or 20%.
 

A capital loss is realized when an asset is sold for less than its original cost. Short-term losses offset short-term gains, and long-term losses offset long-term gains. If losses exceed gains, the residual loss can be deducted against your taxable income for the year. For this strategy, transactions must be made by the end of the calendar year to count.

Optimize your financial future with MIT FCU

There are many ways to lower taxable income, many with strategies that can be implemented year-round. For support on your retirement and investing accounts, MIT Federal Credit Union is here to help.
 
We work with Northeast Planning Associates to provide our members with a wide array of investment and retirement planning support, including help with IRAs and Roth IRAs. To start the conversation, contact a financial planner today.


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