Are you 65 or older? Include these tax breaks in year-end planning

Are you 65 or older? Include these tax breaks in year-end planning

Celebrate your 65th birthday with federal income tax benefits. Here are some of the breaks available once you reach age 65.

Higher standard deduction. Your standard deduction is the sum of the basic standard deduction plus an additional standard deduction if you are age 65 or older at the end of the tax year. You are considered to be 65 on the day before your 65th birthday. For your 2015 tax return, you can add an extra $1,550 to your standard deduction if you're single. If you and your spouse are both 65 or older, your combined extra deduction is $2,500.

Tax credit for the elderly. You may qualify for this direct reduction of your federal income tax if you're age 65 or older. There are limitations if tax-free pension benefits such as social security exceed certain levels. Income limitations may also apply.

Medical expense deduction. Generally, when you itemize, unreimbursed medical expenses can be deducted only when they exceed 10% of your adjusted gross income. However, for 2015, when you're 65 or over, you can deduct medical expenses that exceed 7.5% of your income. Are you married? Only one spouse needs to be 65 or older to qualify.

Please contact our office to make sure you're receiving all the tax breaks for which you qualify at any age.