Enhanced SALT Tax Break Will Help Many Homeowners & 2 Important Changes For Business Under The New Tax Law

Enhanced SALT Tax Break Will Help Many Homeowners

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), enacted on July 4, will allow more taxpayers to fully deduct their state and local tax (SALT) expenses (including property tax). Here are the details.

SALT deduction expanded

Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the itemized deduction for state and local tax (SALT) was limited to $10,000 ($5,000 for married individuals who file separately) beginning in 2018.

This limitation negatively affected taxpayers living in locations with high state income tax rates and those who pay high property taxes because:

• They live in a high-property-tax jurisdiction,
• They live in a location with high property values,
• They own an expensive home, or
• They own both a primary residence and one or more vacation homes.

Under the OBBBA, for 2025 through 2029, the SALT deduction limit increases from $10,000 to $40,000 (or $20,000 for separate filers) with 1% annual inflation adjustments. So, for 2026, the cap will be $40,400 ($20,200 for separate filers).

But unless Congress takes further action, the SALT deduction limit is scheduled to revert to the prior-law limit of $10,000 ($5,000 for separate filers) in 2030.

Note: Several states have established SALT deduction workarounds for pass-through entities. These workarounds aren’t addressed or limited by the OBBBA.

Smaller benefit for some taxpayers

Under the OBBBA, for 2025, the higher SALT limit begins to be reduced for taxpayers with modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) over $500,000 ($250,000 for separate filers). These thresholds will also be increased by 1% annually for 2026 through 2029.

When a taxpayer’s MAGI exceeds the applicable threshold, the otherwise allowable SALT deduction limitation is reduced by 30% of MAGI above the threshold, but not below $10,000 ($5,000 for separate filers). Here’s an example: Greg and Tina are a married couple who file jointly and live in a high-tax state. For 2025, their combined SALT expenses are $60,000. Their MAGI is $550,000 for 2025, which is $50,000 above the applicable threshold. Therefore, their SALT deduction for 2025 is limited to $25,000 [$40,000 minus (30% times $50,000)].

Because of the 30% reduction, the expanded SALT deduction doesn’t benefit taxpayers with MAGI at or above $600,000 ($300,000 for separate filers).

Deducting state and local income vs. sales tax

The SALT deduction continues to be available for property taxes plus the total state and local income taxes or the total of all sales taxes. Choosing to deduct sales taxes is a helpful option if you owe little or nothing for state and local income taxes or you made a major purchase that causes your sales tax to exceed your state and local income tax.

If you opt to deduct sales tax, you don’t have to save all of your receipts for the year and manually calculate your sales tax; you can use the IRS Sales Tax Calculator to determine the amount of sales tax you can claim. (It includes the ability to add actual sales tax paid on certain big-ticket items, such as a car.)

Start planning now

If you have high SALT expenses, to get the maximum benefit from the increased deduction limit, you need to plan carefully between now and year end. For example, you may want to take steps to keep your MAGI under the reduction threshold. Or you might want to accelerate property tax payments into 2025. Contact the office for help determining the right strategy for your specific situation.

2 Important Changes For Business Under The New Tax Law

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) introduces a range of tax changes that will impact businesses. Many provisions set to expire this year are now being extended or made permanent. Below is a snapshot of two important changes to help you with tax planning in the fourth quarter of 2025 and going forward.

How the deduction for R&E expenses has changed

Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), businesses had to amortize deductions for Section 174 research and experimentation (R&E) costs over five years for expenses incurred in the United States or 15 years for those incurred abroad. This provision used a mid-year rule that effectively stretched write-offs over six years. The OBBBA changes that by permanently allowing full, immediate deductions for domestic R&E expenses starting in the 2025 tax year. Foreign R&E expenses will still be amortized over 15 years.

In addition, the OBBBA lets “small businesses, (in 2025, those with average annual gross receipts of $31 million or less for the past three years) claim R&E deductions retroactively to 2022. A business of any size with domestic R&E costs from 2022 to 2024 can choose to speed up the remaining deductions for those years over a one- or two-year period.

How the business interest deduction has changed

Generally, the TCJA limited business interest deductions to 30% of the taxpayer’s adjusted taxable income (ATI) for the year. Before the OBBBA, ATI generally referred to earnings before interest and taxes. For tax years beginning after December 31, 2024, the OBBBA increases the cap on the business interest deduction by excluding depreciation, amortization and depletion when calculating ATI. This change typically increases ATI, allowing taxpayers to deduct more business interest expense.

But it’s important to note that, in 2025, taxpayers with average annual gross receipts for the last three years that don’t exceed $31 million are exempt from the interest deduction limitation.

Rethink tax planning

For business owners, the OBBBA helps resolve tax planning uncertainty. Keep in mind, these are just two of the key changes for businesses in this tax legislation.

Contact the office to discuss the full range of tax provisions covered by the new law. We can help you optimize any extended or new provisions that are relevant to your situation and reduce your tax obligations for 2025 and beyond.