According to the Brookings Institution, an estimated 20 million taxpayers will qualify for an exemption from the Affordable Care Act’s penalty for failing to have insurance. It’s not known how many of those who qualify for the exemption will actually claim it. To check the available penalty exemptions, visit the IRS website at www.irs.gov.

The IRS reports that its enforcement budget has been cut by $254 million, a 5% reduction from the previous year. As a result, the Agency expects to cut the number of individual and business audits it conducts. In 2014 the IRS audited 0.86% of individual taxpayers and 26% of large corporations. Though audit statistics show a decline in examinations, the IRS contacts many more taxpayers with questions about their returns. Once statistics include these taxpayer contacts,

A new simplified Roth IRA is the latest retirement plan. The account is called a myRA (short for “my retirement account”). It’s funded by having your employer make direct paycheck deposits to your retirement account. The contributions to your myRA are invested in government-guaranteed Treasury securities. A myRA isn’t connected to your employer; it belongs entirely to you and can be moved to any new employer that offers direct deposit capability. The annual contribution limits that

How close to the edge are you when it comes to tax phase-outs? As you begin your midyear tax planning, consider the effects of these benefit-limiting provisions. Knowing how close you are to the “edge” can help preserve tax breaks for 2015. Many phase-outs are based on modified adjusted gross income, or MAGI. MAGI is the adjusted gross income shown on your tax return as “modified” by adding back certain deductions. The “add-backs” vary with specific

If you hold foreign bank or financial accounts and the total value of your account exceeds $10,000 at any time during the calendar year, you may be required to file a Treasury Department report known as the FBAR. It’s easy to overlook this requirement because it’s separate from your federal income tax filing, with a different deadline and strict rules. FBAR refers to “Form 114, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts.” Your 2014 Form 114

June 15, 2015, is the due date for making your second installment of 2015 individual estimated tax. Your check to the United States Treasury should be accompanied by Form 1040-ES. June 15 is also the due date for calendar-year corporations to make their second quarter 2015 estimated tax payment.