How do you add a dollar when it comes to taxes?

Not only can an extra dollar of income push you to the next higher level of taxation (fortunately, in a progressive tax system, only the extra dollars will be subject to higher additional taxes), but those dollars can mean you pay more taxes in a different way. Let’s look at two of them.

Health Care Tax.

If wages or compensation exceed certain thresholds ($200,000 for unmarried or pre-married filing in 2021 and $250,000 for married filing together) by just $1, an additional Medicare tax of 0.9% will be charged on the excess. The $1 excess only means you pay an extra penalty, but it can increase as you go over the limit. Your employer will withhold taxes for you, but you will still need to fill out Form 8959 to report the excess income subject to this tax. If your self-employed income is mixed, the calculation is a little more complicated, so you should consult with a qualified tax preparer.

And, speaking of Medicare and taxes, if you earn $1 based on your income two years ago, you will pay income-related adjustments in addition to the standard Medicare Part B premium. For example, those who earned $91,000 or less (singles) or $182,000 or less (joint claims) in 2020 would pay $170.10 a month for this coverage in 2022. However, those earning $91,001 (single) or $182,001 (joint) paid $238.10 per month with an additional $816 per year.

Net investment income tax.

Certain individuals, trusts and estates may be subject to an additional 3.8% net investment income tax (NIIT) on small amounts of net investment income or modified adjusted gross income above the threshold, depending on filing status. (Again, $200,000, 2 if unmarried or filing the most in 2022).50,000 won if filing jointly for a married person).

Generally, net investment income includes, but is not limited to, interest, dividends, capital gains that are not offset by capital losses, rental income and royalties, and pensions not payable. Thus, it is possible to be subject to this tax and/or Medicare VAT as it applies to other pools of income.

Another difference is that your employer is not hiding anything about this tax. If you think you are in debt in April, you can claim additional income tax withholding. To determine if you are liable, you will calculate your taxes using Form 8960, file your taxes, and pay them on the appropriate income tax return.

Take Debra, for example. Debra works as a pretax worker with a salary of $180,000. She received $90,000 from passive partnership interests that are not covered by Medicare VAT, but are considered net investment income by the IRS. Her revised gross income is now $270,000, which exceeds the applicable threshold of $70,000. The NIIT is calculated based on the amount that exceeds her revised gross income threshold or less than the amount of actual net income ($70,000 in this case is less than $90,000). Thus, she owed NIIT $2,660 this year ($70,000 x 3.8%).

Real estate and trusts are liable for taxes if they have unallocated net investment income and adjusted gross income in excess of the threshold. As with most tax-related calculations, professional help can be very helpful as calculations for different types of trusts become complex.